I used blue on two walls, keeping the other two walls fresh and white as I wanted a cool and airy feel. The plants I’ve chosen for the master bedroom are ones that have great air-purifying qualities, and I’ve grouped them together to create a sanctuary feeling. I also have a diffuser with relaxing essential oils, such as lavender, that adds to a good night’s rest! The first change was to the garden: I created an outdoor “living area”—a space that we could enjoy as a family during the day and where my husband and I could go to chill out during the evenings. I also made quite a few changes in the kitchen. We added open shelves, and I completed my first attempt at tiling! We removed a large shelving unit and created a “mini pantry” in the kitchen too, which has made a huge difference. I also decorated the nursery for my daughter, Banks, and added a pink ceiling, which has completely transformed the room. My husband has always had our home office for work. However, I redesigned my desk into a space that I could enjoy working from and seek out some peace and quiet when needed! Being at home has definitely made me more conscious of my design and décor choices. The biggest challenge has been balancing decorating and DIY projects around a toddler and baby, but it seems to be working well so far! The newest thing is probably the DIY pantry in our kitchen, which used to be a closed wall unit/cupboard. I am obsessed with incense sticks and diffusers, so I have a couple on the go most of the time. (Since we have dogs, I am especially conscious of how our home smells!) Years ago, our home used to belong to my grandparents, and although we have made changes to suit our family, everything in our home feels massively sentimental and special. I think they would love what we’ve done and would be very happy to see us bringing our family up here. Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
