The Coziness Consultant

The Coziness Consultant The "Brene Brown" of interiors. I use values-based design to create beautiful, intentional spaces.

Last week was all about birthday. This week started slow. I don’t have much paid work right now, so I’ve been chipping a...
03/18/2026

Last week was all about birthday. This week started slow. I don’t have much paid work right now, so I’ve been chipping away at a personal project that feels both fulfilling and vulnerable. I basically just cycle between impressing myself by writing the most perfect sentence and feeling like a total imposter. It feels greeeat. Last night I cracked a tooth (on a Sour Patch Kid?!) and tomorrow it will be repaired.

If this sounds like a lot of real life, it’s because it is. Because that’s what most of our days look like. Sure there are mountaintops and sometimes valleys, but if you had to rattle it off most days are just plugging along, checking items off a shopping list, getting oil changes and trying to get the baby down for a nap, reheating that cup of coffee gone cold, and finally listening to the voice memo your bestie sent yesterday.

It’s tempting to romanticize everyone else’s lives in favor of yours. But I hope you can pause to see the beauty in it. Everyone else isn’t accomplishing more than you, materializing their dreams while you struggle to make any progress. We are all in the thick of it... just putting one foot in front of the other. I’m right there with you. 🩷

When we got home from church I was surprised to learn it’s my “special day.” It wasn’t enough to acknowledge my hard wor...
03/15/2026

When we got home from church I was surprised to learn it’s my “special day.” It wasn’t enough to acknowledge my hard work pulling together Winslow’s birthday week, she set up her room to spoil me. 🥹

She and Kyle gave me a heating pad, something to drink, a blanket, love note, and a small puzzle she and I completed twice. All things I love. Then I took a nap. And now we are watching a movie on this rainy day with buttery popcorn and Buncha Crunch straight from the theater.

I feel so loved. 🥰

Don’t ask me how my newborn baby is NINE. How she’s half way to 18…? Threw a small party today and of course it looks li...
03/15/2026

Don’t ask me how my newborn baby is NINE. How she’s half way to 18…? Threw a small party today and of course it looks like we hosted a crowd. 🤷‍♀️ At least I’m consistent. (And quite proud of my tracing abilities on those custom drinking cups though! 👀)

When I picked her up from school on Tuesday (her actual birthday), I asked how everyone liked the cupcakes she brought and if anything fun happened. She filled me in on the day’s events and added, “But I’ve been thinking. It’s my birthday but you’re the one who did all the work. We really should be celebrating you.” 🥹 I hope I have a heart as genuine as hers when I grow up.

🌼 Hottest home trend for spring: A basic 8-foot table you leave set up all the time in the middle of your living room fo...
03/08/2026

🌼 Hottest home trend for spring: A basic 8-foot table you leave set up all the time in the middle of your living room for puzzles. All the cool kids are doing it.✌️

So many of our hangups come from not being okay with good enough. (I realize this is especially rich coming from an enne...
03/07/2026

So many of our hangups come from not being okay with good enough. (I realize this is especially rich coming from an enneagram 1.) 😏

It’s why we don’t start the business, or write the manuscript, or host the dinner party. We’re so scared of doing something imperfectly, we do nothing instead, and our world is the poorer for it. But when you do choose to the take the risk, I hope you do it with clear eyes, expecting it will be clunky and cringe and vulnerable and messy, and that’s okay. Fumbles teach us to fly.

You have something special to offer, in a unique way only you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just start. ❤️

One thing about me, I’m always gonna overshare… because I value vulnerability. ❤️For so much of my life, I was the quint...
03/05/2026

One thing about me, I’m always gonna overshare… because I value vulnerability. ❤️

For so much of my life, I was the quintessential, good Christian girl. I had a sincere heart and wanted to do the right thing, but when I didn’t, my only option was to burn with shame. I didn’t feel safe to be honest. Mistakes weren’t okay. Perfection was the only option, and anything less had to be hidden or justified. Being human was never a good enough excuse.

But over the years, a truer message has gotten through. Safe people demonstrated that I can say the shameful, dark, ugly thing aloud, and I’ll still be loved anyway. And I’ve experienced the goodness of God, the very best Dad, Who can handle my honesty and failures, and still make something beautiful of it all. I can mess up and make it right, without fanfare or groveling or humiliation. I simply run to Him and I get to live free.

That said, stuff is still hard. I get hurt feelings, I get discouraged. I feel imposter syndrome and insecurity, and wonder if I’m making any real headway on the work that is mine to do. And I’m not afraid to admit it here because I think it’s important you know you’re not alone if you feel this way sometimes.

I’m so glad you choose to follow along here. But more than any inspiration or smile I may bring to you, I hope you feel that it’s a safe place to be vulnerable - and be valued. No one is doing things perfectly. We’re all just figuring this out together. ❤️

When she came back from the coffee shop bathroom I couldn’t help but ask the girl working next to me, “Excuse me, do tho...
03/03/2026

When she came back from the coffee shop bathroom I couldn’t help but ask the girl working next to me, “Excuse me, do those little guys have a job or are they just watching you?” And just as I’d hoped, she replied, “just watching.” 🥹😍

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, whimsy will save the world. Whimsy interrupts our rumination, inspires us, provides delight in the mundane, reminds us that hope and goodness and magic still exist and they’re

✨ right here ✨

More scenes from last night, through the eyes of a guest. 😍 How did I cook for two days and forget to take pics of the f...
03/02/2026

More scenes from last night, through the eyes of a guest. 😍 How did I cook for two days and forget to take pics of the food?! 😆 These were lovely to wake up to, . Thanks for taking and sending. 😘

Hosted a “Farewell to Winter” dinner tonight with some couples we love, as Spring inches nearer. says events should alw...
03/02/2026

Hosted a “Farewell to Winter” dinner tonight with some couples we love, as Spring inches nearer. says events should always have a purpose, which is brilliant, but also maybe it’s just a fancy way of saying you should find a “good excuse” to gather. Time with these couples was a great one. 💙

We shared loads of comfort food, good drink, and fun conversation. I’m always amazed when people from different pockets from my life show up and already know each other. And I’m always thrilled when new recipes I haven’t road tested turn out to be a hit. 😉

As you scroll through these photos I hope you take a moment to notice how simple the tables are set - and how easy to emulate. This is two tables of different widths pushed together end to end. The chairs are mismatched. So are some of the plates and bowls. And tne napkins. And the candle holders. And definitely all of the silverware. The flower bulbs double as decoration and guest gifts to take home. No one noticed anything amiss.

Your tablescape doesn’t have to be perfect to be elegant. 😘

Was asking for a posed selfie, got surprised with this instead. Zero complaints. 🩷 Sending love this Sunday.
02/28/2026

Was asking for a posed selfie, got surprised with this instead. Zero complaints. 🩷 Sending love this Sunday.

Sometimes I need the reminder that slow progress is still progress, especially here, where only the biggest “wins” and n...
02/24/2026

Sometimes I need the reminder that slow progress is still progress, especially here, where only the biggest “wins” and numbers seem to matter.

But there’s something to be said for diligence. For quiet, small wins that happen in obscurity. For being faithful with the tiny thing in your hand, in your real, offline life. For the good work you do that no one else sees. For the way you keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting it’s the next right step.

Sometimes progress is measured in lattes and word counts. Sometimes it’s the inward choice you make not to retaliate.
Sometimes it’s the fact that you got out of bed this morning when all you wanted to do was stay under the covers and cry. It’s all still progress and it all still counts. ❤️‍🩹

I may not know the details of your tiny progresses, but I know you’re making them. Here you are still showing up even though it’s hard, and thankless, and unseen, and offers no guarantee of success. You’re still doing it anyways… I am right there with you.

I’m so dang proud of us.

Everyone wants to belong, but any new relationship starts with a little bit of risk, some effort, a dose of vulnerabilit...
02/23/2026

Everyone wants to belong, but any new relationship starts with a little bit of risk, some effort, a dose of vulnerability. It shouldn’t be as hard as it is to say hello… but community has to start somewhere. 🩷

I host a lot of gatherings, and as much as I enjoy doing it, there’s always a cost. It requires a decent amount of planning and prep, even when it’s a simple gathering.

This little phrase has been floating around social media and it really resonated with me. It is sometimes daunting and inconvenient to be the “inviter.”

But is it always worth it?
100%

❤️

Address

Grand Rapids, MI

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Coziness Consultant posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category