How to Find DIY and Decor Inspiration

As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage, I can’t help but think of all the ways growing up as a first-generation Chinese American immigrant has impacted my decor style and DIY journey! To celebrate this special time and our culture, I wanted to share a little bit about my background, my inspirations and how my culture played a part in our decisions for our home renovations.

My biggest inspiration in life is my mom! We have moved across three different continents together. She taught me to be bold, to learn new things, that family always comes first and not to be afraid of a little color. In Chinese culture, it’s common to live in a multi-generational space with your grandparents. My mom is always here playing with the kids, teaching them how to plant in the garden and make Chinese food. When I began renovating our home, I knew it had to be a welcoming space for all the generations within it. While choosing colors for each room, I wanted to use colors that reminded me of my mom. My mom loves vibrant colors which reflect her vibrant personality. In Chinese culture, red, orange, and peach colors mean good luck.

I wanted to incorporate the peach color in the guest bedroom which is a happy and uplifting color to greet our guests. We used BEHR Fresco Cream!

For the guest bathroom, we chose a soothing jade color that ties back to our Chinese heritage. The importance of the Jade stone in Chinese culture is reflected in its status as a symbol of
goodness, preciousness, and beauty. The color is BEHR Sage Green. With these two colors, we felt like it gave off good energy and feng shui.

In our guest bedroom, we included an arched niche. We added a slat wall to add some texture around the niche. This was an easy DIY project we tackled ourselves. We went to The Home Depot to pick up some wood trim. The trickiest part was measuring around the niche. Once we measured (several times), we cut the wood trim to the sizes we needed. I was always taught to measure several times and only cut once! Using our handy nail gun, we were able to place the wood trim on the wall evenly spaced out. It turned out better than I imagined!

My mom always taught me that having rounded spaces, arcs and not sharp corners will bring good energy. We also focused on letting the outside in by installing big open windows and bringing in flowers and plants.

I love being able to include parts of my heritage in my home. Seeing it come full circle with my mom now making memories in the same space with my children.