Kate Arends

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

When you’re selecting art, the biggest mistake people make isn’t choosing the wrong color or style; it’s choosing the wrong scale. Here’s something I don’t think we talk about enough when it comes to choosing art: I don’t start with style. That surprises people, because we’re told that the first step is to define what we like: Abstract or figurative? Photography or oil painting? Modern, vintage, colorful, neutral? But in my experience, style is not actually the most helpful place to begin.

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

I think when people say they’re stuck, what they really want is for someone to take the struggle away. To tell them what to pick. To make it feel easy again. Honestly? Same. Every time I hit resistance, I go looking for the shortcut. The easy button. The thing that’ll make the discomfort disappear so I can just move on already. At the end of May, I asked this on Instagram:What’s one part of designing or decorating your home that gives you anxiety or overwhelm right now?

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

School’s out, and we’re somewhere between systems collapse and summer magic. We cleared out under the beds and unearthed the usual artifacts: overdue library books, lone socks, curled snack wrappers, and two half-eaten mummified cheese sticks. We packed away the uniforms, set up a landing zone for damp swimsuits and sandals, and tried (with middling success) to establish some kind of rhythm. One day had no screens. The next had no childcare and too many deadlines. This is what transition looks like.

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

Small oddities that are full of character make the space memorable. It’s not a new concept, but it is a design tool that’s fun to incorporate in any room.It feels like a little bit of a wink to the unique personality and interests of the people who live in the home. I have a rule I want to share with you that guides just about every design decision I’ve made in my home.

3 weeks 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.