Home By Design

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Home By Design As a designer of 30+ years, I have seen exciting new trends come and go.

While comfortable working in all design styles, I tend to gravitate toward timeless, classic design that offers a sense of cozy, comfortable living.

09/14/2026

Something stirs inside of us in Autumn. Nature cues us in to its slow down and encourages us to follow suit.
It’s an invitation to light a candle, cozy up by a fire and just be still more.
Autumn in the Carolinas comes slowly but brings so much incredible beauty with its arrival, I get struck in stunned silence. Honestly, I struggle with stillness; I’m a work in progress trying to calm my restless soul.😉 So, fall for me is a great opportunity to reset and create a little moody coziness inside to match the outdoors.

🍂Looking to create your personal style on a budget? Follow L I S A || HOME BY DESIGN to discover more home tips and how decorating your home beautifully doesn’t have to mean expensive.

My home in Autumn | Cozy fall vibes | fall decorating | Southern Living | Timeless Home Decor | The Collected Home | The Thrifted Home | Mixing Vintage and Antiques | cozy living | Heirloom Style | Vintage Chic | How your home tells your story | Classic Home Design | The Cozy Home |

If you’re looking for timeless, take it at its word- literally. No one should be able to walk in and date your home…that...
08/31/2026

If you’re looking for timeless, take it at its word- literally. No one should be able to walk in and date your home…that is the goal of timeless, right? Mixing up time-period gems with a splash of contemporary is a formula to keep in mind. BUT…
Getting stuck in any ONE time period can date a trend, however. The key is taking elements without “copying the entire catalog”. Mix in a little Hollywood Regency or Neoclassic with that Regency and Georgian, and don’t shy away from that Mid-century accent that caught your eye. The creation of each of these time-period pieces pulled from the previous periods before them, so the subtle similarities carry while the contrasts create interest.
A timeless home after all, is created by curating a home with a well-represented timeline. 🤎

🍃Looking to create your personal style on a budget? Follow L I S A || HOME BY DESIGN to discover more home tips and how decorating your home beautifully doesn’t have to mean expensive.

Southern Living | Timeless Home Decor | The Collected Home | The Thrifted Home | Mixing Vintage and Antiques | Heirloom Style | Vintage Chic | How your home tells your story | Classic Home Design | The Cozy Home | How to shop vintage

Matching everything from any time period risks the room looking flat. It doesn’t matter if it’s new or a century old…try to mix up that period style!

Personality is developed- not instant. We say “home takes time” and that also means that long timeline should be evident in the furnishings you choose.

Our spaces come alive when there are contrasts and unexpected elements. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit!

You don’t need to carry the EXACT color palette from room to room; however, elements should travel for seamless transitions.

Using beautiful textures, patterns, and a cohesive color palette will “connect the dots”. Don’t be afraid to mix up those patterns as well!

Hydrangeas are the gift that keeps on giving- as fall and winter set in, we can move to enjoying them indoors. When they...
08/24/2026

Hydrangeas are the gift that keeps on giving- as fall and winter set in, we can move to enjoying them indoors. When they start turning pink and feel dry and papery, you know it’s time to clip…BUT. This year I wanted to experiment with clipping some a wee bit earlier to see if I could preserve the dark green color without wilting. 🤞🤞🤞Stay Tuned!
Be sure to save this for reference ⬇️
Hydrangeas Preserving Tips:
* Clip stems at a 45° angle: longer stems, longer dry time
* Remove thirsty leaves
* Place in a couple inches of water. If water gets soaked up within hours/ overnight, keep adding water for a couple of days until they stop drinking. Then add water one last time and leave to evaporate
* When petals make a rustling sound, the stems are dry and ready to be arranged. Spray with hairspray to preserve color (if desired)
Come back soon and we’ll see how these progress and how I end up styling them in fall arrangements. Hydrangeas make up a large percentage of my fall florals, along of course with the ever perfect magnolia stems!

🍃Looking to create your personal style on a budget? Follow L I S A || HOME BY DESIGN to discover more home tips and how decorating your home beautifully doesn’t have to mean expensive.

How to preserve hydrangeas | Southern Living | Timeless Home Decor | The Collected Home | The Thrifted Home | Mixing Vintage and Antiques | Heirloom Style | Vintage Chic | How your home tells your story | Classic Home Design | The Cozy Home | Limelight Hydrangeas | Fall Decor | Free Fall Florals


These limelights are in the front of our home in a spot I want to keep at a lower height. This allows me to clip long stems and gives me flexibility to decide stem height later when I add to arrangements.

The flower petals will feel stiff and/or papery and no longer supple, then you know it’s time. Honesty corner: I clip all at once and often some a little earlier than I should- but it’s OK because…

I place in a couple of inches of water and if they are still thirsty and soak it up, I keep adding until they stop drinking (probably about 24 hours if you clip a little early) then leave them in a couple

I heard you. Thrifting can see overwhelming. You don’t know where to start or what to look for. A collected home is all ...
08/17/2026

I heard you. Thrifting can see overwhelming. You don’t know where to start or what to look for. A collected home is all about creating layers, so there really isn’t any wrong or right move here.
My advice? Start small. Don’t feel like you have to consider ALL the things all at once. Think about what you’d like to create.
Start browsing antique shops. Take note of what styles you are drawn to. Take pictures of things you like and create a folder. Ask yourself: What is it I love about this?
Once you delve in and start browsing, your personal taste will start to emerge.

🍃Be sure to follow L I S A || HOME BY DESIGN to discover more home tips and how decorating your home beautifully doesn’t have to be expensive.

Southern Living | Timeless Home Decor | The Collected Home | The Thrifted Home | Mixing Vintage and Antiques | Heirloom Style | Vintage Chic | How your home tells your story | Classic Home Design | The Cozy Home | How to shop vintage


Coffee table, sideboard, or builtins need some interest? Look for books, vessels, sculptures, etc. Only 2 items here were NOT thrifted!

Worried about clutter? Choose things that can have multiple purposes. I love crystal, silver and brass vessels for this reason. (And many more 😅)

Do your walls need a little something? New art? A Gallery to create interest? Look for frames, plates, art, and odds and ends that can get mounted.

If you can sew AT ALL, pillow covers are an inexpensive way to totally transform a space and remnants can be found very inexpensively.
Recovering: The leopard tapestry placemat from my previous post was a set of 4 for $10 and I used one side of one mat so $1.25 in fabric cost!

This is just a fun one. My daughter gave me the umbrella stand as a gift and I had a family heirloom cane so…it just made sense!
PS: the base actually belongs to a different vessel that I chose to bring home more for the base than the actual jar! 😆

For the entry, the only thing that changes seasonally are the florals. And maybe the candy dish. When you like a look, don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel every time the season changes.

I have a hard time resi

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