Kate Arends

Minnesota

Blogger at Wit and Delight

Writer at House Call!

Founder of Wit & Delight, LLC (she/her)

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Articles

Kate's Five Things #56

6 days ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

I’ve been following the breadcrumbs of my intuition lately, and it’s been leading me to some strange places. I had always believed bringing children into the world was the moment I truly felt “grown up”, but recent events have brought about a different kind of end of innocence, one in which you truly understand what it means to protect your boundaries and goodwill from those who will exploit it.
What If the Best Designer for Your Home… Is You?

1 week ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

Here’s what I keep coming back to: Creativity is our birthright. And using that creative expression in the home—where we rest, gather, and recharge—can be quietly transformative. I really do believe everyone has an inner designer. Not in the sense that anyone can instantly replace a trained professional, of course—but in the quieter, more personal sense. We all make choices every day that shape the world around us. That impulse to create, to arrange, to make things feel “right”?
Closed-Concept Home Design: 4 Reasons I Love the Layout of Our 1950s House

3 weeks ago | witanddelight.com | Kate Arends

I love having a closed-concept home. To me, a closed-concept home means that (in most cases) there isn’t a direct view from one main living space to the next. Rooms are separated by either a wall, a door, or an archway. In our home, while there is a view from the entryway to the sitting room to the dining room, most of our main living areas are separate from the others.
Kate's Five Things #55

3 weeks ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

This week, I mostly weeded things. The yard, drawers, and my own expectations. I taught the kids how to keep track of their stuff, then immediately lost my own keys and felt weirdly serene about it. This is who we are—a tight-knit foursome, built to surf life’s minor chaos. Mother’s Day landed a little differently this year. I didn’t cry or spiral or secretly wish someone would hand me a medal. I just felt… loved. Like I didn’t have to recount the year for evidence I’m not f*cking this whole thing up.
Home Stories

1 month ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

When we look back, we tend to use broad brushes to make neat and tidy judgements about a specific time and era; in doing so, we miss out on all the nuances that make up the fabric of our story. This storytelling format doesn’t tell you to do anything specific to your home. It just invites you to remember.It’s about life unfolding. Last weekend I was home with my family celebrating my dad’s 70th.
Kate's Five Things #54

1 month ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

I went to Target to buy lightbulbs and left with a bath mat, two frozen lasagnas (BOGO), and a citronella candle shaped like a lemon. I did not leave with lightbulbs. Just that familiar sinking feeling that follows me out automatic doors. It happens all the time. I walk into stores with such good intentions and walk out confused, holding plastic bags full of proof that my brain short-circuits under fluorescent lighting.
How Movement Transforms Body and Mind: A Chat With Berit Ahlgren of Sunna

1 month ago | witanddelight.com | Kate Arends

I see such a deep connection between our interior lives and the way physical movement creates space—not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Movement has been the foundation of my healing journey, and while my body may look different than it did a few years ago, it’s just a small reflection of the deep transformation I’ve experienced. When we move with intention, with presence, we start to feel what it’s like to really live in ourselves. To fully occupy who we are.
My 8 Favorite Nonalcoholic Drinks to Enjoy Any Night of the Week

1 month ago | witanddelight.com | Kate Arends

After four months alcohol-free, I started my “soberish” chapter in early March. It began as unceremoniously as it ended—no dramatic moment, just a quiet shift. Since then, it’s been going well: a drink or two a week. Dinner parties now wrap up with one glass of wine, a feat I never thought possible. What’s made this shift feel manageable is knowing why I want a drink when I do—and finding something else that gives me exactly what I was looking for. That part surprised me.
A Good Enough House

1 month ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

Upgrade to paid to play voiceoverWe tell ourselves our homes aren’t done because life got in the way. We wait to invite our loved ones inside, because our spaces aren’t done. But what if this not-done-ness isn’t a detour? What if it’s a choice? A conscious honoring of energy, time, money, and clarity. A decision not to decide yet. There are choices that hang in the air of a home like humidity. You live with them. Walk past them. Pretend not to notice.
Current Listings #006

1 month ago | housecall.substack.com | Kate Arends

This is a bonus post with a roundup of everything that’s on my radar at the moment. Paid subscribers get access to this full post and other perks. Subscribe for $5/month here. Every now and then, you find a thing that makes you go “ohhhh that’s good.” That’s what this list is. Stuff I saw and immediately wanted to put in a corner of my house just to make me feel something. Like delight, for instance. No theme, no vibe. Just a pretty mix of weird, useful, and fun home decor items.