Fig & Farm at Home, Decorating Home, Interior Design, Decorating Home Ideas, Home Design, Decorating Ideas Room

Breaking Free from Perfectionism with Monica Packer
Have you ever put off decorating a room because you can't decide what to do? Or spent so much time trying to make the right decision that you never make one at all? Friend, perfectionism might be at play, and it doesn't always look the way we expect.

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, I'm joined by Monica Packer, host of the About Progress podcast and author of Sticky Habits, to talk about the surprising ways perfectionism shows up in our lives, our decisions, and even our homes.

We often picture perfectionism as the person who has it all together, with every detail just so. But perfectionism can also look like procrastination, indecision, overthinking, or avoiding the very things we want to do because we're afraid we won't get them right.

And if you've ever found yourself endlessly saving decorating inspiration, second-guessing a purchase, or waiting until you have the perfect plan before you start a room, this conversation is especially for you.

Monica shares her personal experience with perfectionism and the profound cost it can carry. We talk about what it means to rediscover yourself in any season of life, including Monica's Do Something List and the Joy List I've created for myself. Both offer a way to reconnect with what matters to us, make room for joy, and begin taking action without needing everything to be perfect first.

This conversation reminded me that creating a home we love isn't just about choosing the right paint color or finding the perfect sofa. Sometimes, it's about learning to trust ourselves enough to make a decision, take a small step, and let our homes evolve along with us.

Because a cozy home doesn't require perfect decisions. It requires us to begin.

In this episode, we talk about:

The unexpected ways perfectionism shows up, even when we don't think of ourselves as perfectionists

How indecision, overthinking, and procrastination can keep us from making progress in our homes

Monica's personal experience with perfectionism and why this conversation goes much deeper than getting things right

Rediscovering yourself and what brings you joy at any stage of life

Monica's Do Something List and how it can help you reconnect with the things you want to do

My own Joy List and what happens when we intentionally make space for the things that light us up

Why waiting until you're sure, ready, or confident can keep you stuck

How to stop hyper-fixating on decorating decisions and start making progress in your home

The freedom that comes with taking imperfect action

A little something to think about
Where might perfectionism be keeping you stuck?

Maybe it's a room you've been meaning to finish for months. Maybe it's a decorating decision you've revisited a dozen times. Or maybe you've been so focused on getting everything right that you've forgotten to ask yourself what would actually bring you joy.

You don't need to figure everything out today. Start with one small thing. Make a decision. Try something new. Give yourself permission to learn as you go.

Your home, and your life, don't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

Ready to make your home feel more welcoming this holiday season?
If you've been putting off getting your home ready for guests because you don't know where to start, I'd love to invite you to my Home for the Holidays workshop.

I'll help you focus on the spots guests notice most and show you how to make meaningful, budget-friendly changes without turning your home into another overwhelming project.

Save your spot in the Home for the Holidays workshop here: Home For The Holidays

And if this conversation resonated with you, share this episode with a friend who might need the reminder, too. Sometimes the permission to start imperfectly is exactly what we need.

Connect with Monica Packer

Listen to the About Progress podcast

Find Monica's book, Sticky Habits

Why Budget-First Decorating Can Leave You With a Room You Still Don't Love
Before you spend money redecorating a room, there are five questions worth asking yourself. The answers can help you decide what to keep, what to change, and where to spend your decorating budget so you create a home that reflects your style, supports your life, and feels good to live in.

Because here's the thing: your budget matters, but it shouldn't be the only thing guiding your decorating decisions.When you start with price instead of purpose, you can end up buying things that don't solve the problem, don't fit your aesthetic, or leave you wishing you'd made a different choice.

Whether you're ready for a complete room refresh or just feel like something in your home needs to change, these five questions will help you approach your next decorating reset with more clarity and confidence.

In This Episode

Why you're ready for a home decorating reset and how your motivation should shape your decisions

How to recognize when your design aesthetic has evolved and why a little refinement doesn't mean starting over

How to evaluate what your room needs to function better for your everyday life

Why the things you want aren't always the things you should buy first

How to prioritize decorating purchases based on the impact they'll make in your space

The three filters every decorating decision should pass: your aesthetic, your feeling word, and your budget

The 5 Questions to Ask Before You Reset a Room
1. Why am I ready for a reset?

Are you preparing for holiday guests, working toward a deadline, or simply ready for your home to feel different? Understanding your motivation helps you make better decisions. And while hosting might be the reason you start, your home should ultimately work for you, too.

2. Has my aesthetic changed?

Our tastes evolve, and that's perfectly normal. You might find yourself drawn to different colors, materials, or styles than you were a few years ago. If your aesthetic has shifted, think refinement rather than replacement. Use what you've learned about your style to edit what you own and identify what no longer fits.

If your style has changed dramatically, you may need a more comprehensive plan than a simple room reset.

3. What do I need this room to do?

Whether you're decorating from scratch or refreshing a familiar space, start with its purpose. What's working? What's frustrating? What would make the room more functional for the way you live now? Your home should work harder for you, not the other way around.

4. What do I want?

It's easy to see something beautiful and immediately decide you need it. But there's a difference between wanting something and needing it. When you understand both lists, you can make more intentional choices. And when something you want also meets a real need, that's an especially good place to focus.

5. What will make the biggest impact?

This might be the most important question of all. Once you've identified your needs and wants, decide which change will make the biggest difference in the room. The answer isn't always the least expensive item or the thing you've been eyeing online. It's the choice that moves you closer to the home you're trying to create.

The Three Filters for Better Decorating Decisions
Before making a purchase or committing to a change, run it through three filters:

Aesthetic: Does it fit the look and style I'm creating?

Feeling word: Does it help my home feel the way I want it to feel?

Budget: Does it make sense for the money I have available to spend?

All three matter. A beautiful bargain isn't a good deal if it doesn't fit your style or help you create the feeling you're after. And the most expensive option isn't automatically the best one, either.

The goal isn't to buy more. It's to make thoughtful decisions that help you love the home you have.

Before you start your next room reset, take a little time to answer these five questions. You might discover that you don't need a whole new room. You might just need a clearer plan.

Want a little help with YOUR reset? The Cozy Home Reset is the best place to start. with one 60 minute decorating strategy call + 6 months inside the Cozy Home Collective, you get both a personalized plan and ongoing support to see the plan through to the end. 

Book your COZY HOME RESET here. 

 

// Links mentioned in show: //

✨✨ Start your Cozy Home Reset: https://www.figandfarmathome.com/cozyhomereset 

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How to Create a Cozy Home All Year Long
(Not Just in Fall)
A cozy home isn't about pumpkins, chunky blankets, or decorating for fall. It's about creating a space that feels warm, welcoming, comfortable, and good to live in, no matter the season. The secret? Cozy is a dial you can turn up or down, using elements like lighting, color, texture, and the way you arrange your space.

Why Does Everything Feel Cozier in Fall?
There's something about fall that makes us crave a cozier home. The days get shorter, the light changes, and our routines often shift toward spending more time indoors. Our circadian rhythms respond to the changing patterns of light and darkness, and that seasonal shift can make the desire for warmth, comfort, and a welcoming place to land feel especially strong.

But here's the thing: you don't have to wait for September to create a cozy home, and you don't have to pack away your favorite cozy elements when spring arrives.

In this episode, we're talking about what cozy really means, what it doesn't mean, and how to create a home that feels cozy all year long without turning every room into a fall decorating display.

In This Episode

What makes a home feel cozy, and why cozy isn't a decorating style

The difference between a cozy home and a home that's simply full of stuff

Why cozy is a dial you can turn up or down depending on your preferences, your space, and the season

How changing daylight and our circadian rhythms can influence our desire for cozy spaces in fall

How to create a cozy home that feels just as welcoming in spring and summer as it does in fall

Simple ways to turn up the cozy in your home without buying a whole new collection of seasonal decorations

Cozy Is a Feeling, Not a Season
You don't need to decorate for fall to have a cozy home. And you don't need to cover every surface with blankets, candles, pillows, and accessories to make a room feel warm and inviting.

Cozy looks different from home to home. For one person, it might mean deep colors, layered textures, soft lighting, and a comfortable chair tucked into a corner. For someone else, it might mean light-filled rooms, natural materials, a few meaningful pieces, and a space that feels calm and welcoming.

The goal isn't to copy someone else's version of cozy. It's to understand which elements create that feeling for you.

Think of cozy as a dial. You can turn it up with softer lighting, layered textiles, richer colors, or a more intimate furniture arrangement. You can turn it down with lighter fabrics, more open space, brighter colors, and a simpler approach to styling.

And you can make those adjustments without changing your entire home every time the seasons change.

Accessing feelings and memories from past fall memories helps incorporate story in meaningful, intentional ways. 

Ready to Create a Home You Love?
You don't need a bigger budget or a house full of new things to create a cozy home. You need a plan that helps you understand what you love and make your rooms work together so you can start decorating with confidence.

Start your Cozy Home Reset with a strategic plan and accountability along the way.

 

// Links mentioned in show: //

✨✨ Start your Cozy Home Reset: https://www.figandfarmathome.com/cozyhomereset 

Become a Design Bestie by joining the newsletter: https://bit.ly/designbestie

Email: https://figandfarmathome.com

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How to Create a Cozy Man Cave: Ralph Lauren Style, Color Drenching & a Decorating Plan
Creating a cozy man cave doesn't mean filling a room with dark furniture and calling it done. In this behind-the-scenes decorating session with Dani (yes, another Dani), we're creating a warm, masculine space inspired by Ralph Lauren style, complete with leather, plaid, flannel, basketball installation art, framed golf clubs and deer heads. And yes, we're color drenching the room, too.

The best part? Dani wasn't nervous about the bold plan at all.

When I asked if she was scared about color drenching, her answer was simple:

"No... I LOVE that I have a plan."

And honestly, that's what this episode is really about.

In This Episode

How we're creating a cozy, masculine man cave without making it feel cold or overly themed

Using Ralph Lauren-inspired style as a jumping-off point for the room

How leather, plaid, flannel and wood create warmth and coziness

Incorporating personal interests and family heirlooms without making it feel like a sports bar

Why color drenching can actually make a room feel more cohesive

How having a decorating plan gives you the confidence to make bolder choices

The difference between collecting individual pieces you love and creating a room where everything works together

A behind-the-scenes look at how I coach a client through real decorating decisions

Creating a Masculine Room That Still Feels Cozy
A masculine room doesn't have to mean gray walls, a brown leather sofa and a giant television.

For this room, we're leaning into the things that naturally create a masculine feeling: rich leather, traditional patterns, warm wood, darker colors, vintage-inspired details and a little bit of that classic Ralph Lauren aesthetic.

But the goal isn't to copy a Ralph Lauren room.

It's to take the elements we love about that style and translate them into a room that works for this particular home and the people who live there.

That's an important distinction when you're decorating your own home, too.

Inspiration is a starting point. It's not the plan.

Yes, We're Color Drenching the Man Cave
Color drenching can sound like a pretty big decorating commitment.

Instead of choosing one color for the walls and then adding a bunch of different colors and finishes around the room, color drenching brings the same or closely related color across multiple surfaces, creating a more enveloping, cohesive feeling.

And in a cozy man cave? It can be really good.

Rather than being afraid of a darker color, we're using it intentionally to help create the mood of the room.

Which brings us back to my favorite moment from this coaching call.

I asked my client if she was nervous about the idea of color drenching.

She wasn't.

She said she loved having a plan.

That is exactly what I want for you, too.

Not a house full of perfectly coordinated furniture.

Not a Pinterest board you never actually act on.

A plan that helps you make the next decision without second-guessing yourself.

The Bigger Decorating Lesson
You don't need to be fearless to make bold decorating choices.

You need to understand why you're making them.

When you know the feeling you're trying to create, the style you're working within and the plan for how the pieces will work together, decisions that once felt scary become much easier.

And sometimes the boldest choice in the room is also the one that makes everything else make sense.

Want help creating a plan for your own home?
If you keep buying things you love but can't quite figure out how to make them work together, you're not alone.

That's the exact kind of decorating problem I love helping women solve with a  Cozy Home Reset

 

// Links mentioned in show: //

✨✨ Start your Cozy Home Reset: https://www.figandfarmathome.com/cozyhomereset 

Become a Design Bestie by joining the newsletter: https://bit.ly/designbestie

Email: https://figandfarmathome.com

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What If Your Home Needs Less? Backwards Decluttering & House Hushing with Myquillyn Smith
If you’re wondering how to make your home feel calmer, cozier, and less cluttered, one of the best places to start is by removing things rather than adding more. Backwards decluttering and house hushing can help you see what your home actually needs by temporarily clearing a room, creating visual quiet, and then intentionally adding back only the things you love and use. In this episode, I’m talking with New York Times bestselling author Myquillyn Smith about why a cozier home doesn’t necessarily mean more stuff...and how embracing cozy minimalism can completely change the way your home feels.

Have you ever walked into a room and thought, Something is bothering me in here...but I can't quite put my finger on it?

Maybe the room isn't technically messy.

Maybe everything has a place.

Maybe you've even decorated it.

And yet...it still feels like too much.

That's where my conversation with New York Times bestselling author Myquillyn Smith gets really interesting.

Myquillyn has a completely different way of thinking about decluttering. Instead of starting by deciding what to get rid of, she starts by removing most everything from the room.

Then she creates what she calls a "hush."

And when you can actually experience the room without all the visual noise, you can begin to see what belongs there much more clearly.

It's a fascinating approach to decluttering, but it also made me think differently about decorating.

Because sometimes decorating your home doesn't mean adding something.

Sometimes the most powerful decorating decision you can make is to take something away.

In This Episode

What backwards decluttering is and how Myquillyn uses it to help you see your home differently

How to "hush" a room by temporarily removing everything from it

Why starting with an empty room can make it easier to decide what actually belongs

The idea that every item in your home has a volume

How to turn the "volume" of your home up or down

What cozy minimalism really means

Why a cozy home doesn't necessarily need more stuff

How decluttering and decorating can actually work together

Why the things you remove can sometimes have as much impact as the things you add

The simple action Myquillyn wants you to take if you're ready to start decluttering

Your Action Step
Don't just listen to this episode and think, That was interesting.

Go try it.

Choose one room.

And instead of immediately buying something to fix it, start by removing something.

You don't have to empty the entire room if that feels overwhelming. You could start with one surface, one corner, or one category of stuff.

Pay attention to what happens when you create a little more space.

What feels quieter?

What suddenly looks better?

What do you actually miss?

And what...well...you don't miss at all?

That's information.

And it might be the beginning of a much cozier home.

About Myquillyn Smith
Myquillyn Smith is a New York Times bestselling author and the creator behind a simpler approach to creating a beautiful, welcoming home. Her work focuses on making home less about perfection and more about creating spaces that support the people who live in them.

 

// Links mentioned in show: //

✨✨ Start your Cozy Home Reset: https://www.figandfarmathome.com/cozyhomereset 

Become a Design Bestie by joining the newsletter: https://bit.ly/designbestie

Email: https://figandfarmathome.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/figandfarm/

FREE Facebook Community: https://www.bit.ly/design101group

House Hushing by Myquillyn Smith: https://amzn.to/4yII153