The Art of Letting Go

A Designer's Guide to Starting Fresh

There’s a peculiar magic to the week between Christmas and New Year’s - a gentle pause when time seems to slow, allowing us to both reflect and dream forward. This year, that pause has felt different. At 40-something, I find myself in an unexpected place of arrival rather than striving. The decade-long chapter of family building - with its complex story of infertility, IVF, adoption, and surrogacy - has softly closed. My career in interior design has found its footing, transforming from an aspiration into a calling. It’s as if the fog of becoming has lifted, revealing a clearer sense of who I am and what matters most.

I’m no longer in that season of becoming, I’m in a season of refining.

The Evolution of Taste

The evidence of this transformation lives in the corners of my home. While sorting through my design books recently, preparing to pass them on to a friend’s daughter (a young woman at the start of her own creative journey), I was struck by how much my taste has evolved. Those books that once felt essential to me - now feel like markers of a past chapter. My inspiration flows more from lived experiences than borrowed visions. It’s a shift from exploring every possibility to knowing, with quiet certainty, what truly belongs in my story.

Today, my eyes are more discerning, my choices more intentional. It’s not just about having developed “good taste”; it’s about understanding that true style emerges not from accumulating more inspiration, but from knowing yourself well enough to recognize what genuinely resonates. Some things that once felt essential to my story - and to my home - no longer serve my current chapter, and that’s not just okay - it’s necessary.

Making Changes That Matter

Although we completed our home renovation in 2021, I’ve taken my time with furnishings, allowing our needs and preferences to reveal themselves naturally. Recently, I’ve focused on refining our primary bedroom - a space that deserves more intentionality than we often give it. After all, it’s both the first and last space we see each day. Here are some “before” images:

The before: a mass produced rug, white sheets and white walls. Feels a bit blah.

The before: an incorrectly sized nightstand and lack of proper lighting.

Before: the white chairs blend in with the walls, the rug isn’t big enough to incorporate seating area, and there is insufficient lighting for practical use.

The changes I made weren’t just aesthetic choices; each one solved a real need. Here’s how I transformed the space, layer by layer:

Foundation First

• Replaced an undersized mass-produced rug with a vintage one from Etsy that properly encompasses our seating area, instantly making the room feel more generous and cohesive

  

  The new to me vintage rug from Etsy encompasses the reading area and makes the room more cohesive.

• Matching nightstands replaced mismatched ones, bringing calm through symmetry while providing proper height and storage for bedside essentials

• Upgraded to handmade ceramic bedside lamps with linen shades that cast a flattering glow, complemented by a substantial task lamp that serves both reading chairs

The Art of Bedding

• Two sets of practically priced yet high quality white sheets in rotation (my favorite are from Land’s End and are often on sale)

• A hand-blocked quilt that adds warmth both visually and physically, with a pattern that forgives daily life

• Using shams instead of standard pillowcases create refined yet casual back support

• A single velvet lumbar pillow adds luxury without creating a mountain of pillows to manage

  

Creating Comfort

• Replaced modern white swivel chairs that disappeared against the walls with brown boucle ones perfect for curling up and reading a bedtime story with kids

• Added artisan-made blankets that bring color and texture while being practical enough for daily use.

The Final Layer

• A handblown glass carafe and drinking glass for my husband’s bedside

• A vintage tramp art box (from a local shop) that adds soul through texture and history

• An architectural copper Art Nouveau plant pot (from Etsy) that elevates the everyday

• A 1890’s glass inkwell (also from Etsy) that serves as both sculpture and bud vase

Intentional Evolution

Looking back at these changes, I’m struck by how they mirror my own evolution. The result isn’t just a more beautiful room - it’s a more thoughtful one. One that supports our daily rhythms. One that proves that luxury isn’t about perfection, but about our alignment with who you are and how you live.

This is what I’ve come to understand about both design and life: the most meaningful transformations often happen quietly, one intentional choice at a time. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is let go - of outdated visions, of “good enough” pieces, of who we used to be. In their place, we make room for what truly resonates now.

As we begin this new year, I’m learning that editing our spaces is really about editing our story. What felt essential to our narrative five years ago might just be a beautiful chapter we’ve completed. Our homes, like ourselves, are meant to evolve. The art is in knowing what to keep, what to release, and what new elements to thoughtfully welcome in. I am inspired by seeing things in a fresh perspective without being stuck in the past!

Happy New Year!

xx Carly