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Homes & Gardens
Homes & Gardens
Ashley Montgomery

The Secret to Great Design? It Starts with Preparation –Here’s How I Get Ready for Real Life

Wood dining table with wood cabinet next to wall behind it.

There’s a moment in every home – usually around 4 pm – when real life quietly takes over. Backpacks get dropped in the entryway, junk mail multiplies faster than fruit flies, and toys somehow form a colony in the living room like they’re paying rent. No matter how beautiful a home is, living in it always brings stuff.

That’s exactly why designing for real life is less about chasing perfection and more about thoughtful preparation. A truly well-designed home doesn’t hide the signs of everyday life – it anticipates them, and creates spaces where they can exist gracefully.

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