It’s easy to overlook the beauty and function of your own home, especially when you spend your days admiring other people’s homes. (That lands squarely in the “occupational hazard” category for me.) I’m guilty of keeping a mental list of the things I need to improve around my house—remodel our master bathroom, organize the kids’ closets—while overlooking the parts that are perfectly lovely, just as they are.

So I recently walked through my house, and I paid attention to the things I love: The sloped ceilings in our master bedroom make the room feel cozy. The custom built-in bookshelves in my office—a splurge when we remodeled the house several years ago—are beautiful, even with books stashed willy-nilly on the shelves. The navy-blue sofa in our family room comfortably fits all four members of my family. And our patio—which a smart landscape-design company divvied up into a dining area and a space to lounge around the fire pit—is ideal for hosting casual meals and talking way past bedtime.

5280 Home June/July 2019
More From The Issue

But old habits die hard, and even after this helpful recalibration, I find I’m still always on the lookout for inspiration. In this issue, I found plenty to add to my mental to-do list: the bold Eskayel wallpaper that makes a vibrant accent wall in a remodeled bedroom suite; the hand-painted mural in an old Boulder Victorian; the brilliant and funky floor tile application in a Cherry Hills mudroom; and everything in the handsome and moody powder room in a new University Park home.

These—and dozens of other design strategies in this issue—are here to inspire you too. Just be sure that while you admire them (and even steal a few ideas), you also pay attention to the beauty you’ve already created at home.

This article was originally published in 5280 Home June/July 2019.
Hilary Masell Oswald
Hilary Masell Oswald
As the former editor for two of 5280’s ancillary publications, Hilary Masell Oswald split her time between the vibrant design-and-architecture scene in the metro area for 5280 Home and the always-changing field of health for the annual 5280 Health.