Guest Post: The Art of Nesting in Your Home

Hey lovelies! I’m so excited to introduce you to Hannah, our guest author today. This lady has a zest for life, dives deep into friendship and community and loves to engage with others! Adventurous and passionate, ready with a smile and a warm hello, Hannah’s kindness and care for you shines through the moment you walk in her door. I asked Hannah to share with us what Nesting looks like and why for the first time in her life Nesting matters.

I never fully understood why some people have a desire to “nest”. Build their home, create a warm atmosphere, a place to sit and talk. I just need to get work done, and find a place to focus.

For over six years, whatever space I called my own — whether that be office, bedroom or trunk of my car— I saw as a space for getting things done. Hashing out work projects, writing term papers, answering phone calls, storing clothes and food — and maybe a place for catching a few winks at the end of a long, busy, productive day. That’s the life of someone who is working full-time in a director role, getting her degree, and committing to 90% of the opportunities that come her way. I remember taking a survey in the middle of this season to measure if the amount of my commitments fit into 168 hours a week (including sleeping) and the result: 200 hours of commitment, way over stretched. I didn’t buy it, I couldn’t be that busy. I took the survey again only to get the same result. I continued to run life at a 6 minute mile pace, only stopping in my living space for 6 hours of sleep and maybe a meal. Who in the world has the time or the need to create a warm living space? And what in the world does it feel like to “nest”?

And then, 4 weeks early with no crib or carseat in place, my first born son came into our world.  Everything changed.

One beautifully overcast California morning a week after our son was born, I sat on our couch, nursing. Looking around our living room and across to the blank white wall opposite me, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled, empty. Blank. Had we just moved in? No, it’s been about a year. Wait, over that. Has it always been this empty? Have those un-opened boxes always been stacked there? Where are the photos? Where are the frames? Where will people sit when they come visit us? How can people hold conversations when these chairs are so far apart? What pictures will I look at while I sit here, nursing? What kind of home is my boy welcomed into? This isn’t a home. It’s a storage unit with a kitchen.

For the first time I lift my head, peering over my jam-packed max-capacity life and take in the unfinished living space around me. Slow down. It’s time to nest, I decide.

Thank the Lord for get-her-done mother in laws. Susan came to our rescue like an angelic Joanna Gaines — she made us food, held our boy and encouraged us as new parents. She also re-arranged closets, turned our dump of a balcony into a southern-chic back porch and turned our baby’s room from storage room to nursery. After her visit, I was inspired and over the next few months home projects fell into place. Frames, mirrors, printed photos, my first money-tree, more succulents. A second arm chair from a friend. Inherited throw pillows. A home office on purpose. Places to gather, places to cultivate relationship and laughter. A home.  

My life running pace slowed down as I not only cleared clutter from my closets but my schedule. Now I spend a good chunk of my day at home, and it feels so good. There’s places to sit, and chairs for friends to come sit in. I can’t tell you how many summer nights we spent sipping drinks with friends or just as a couple out on our Susan-inspired porch.

Our home is a place to dwell, a place to be together, a sanctuary for worshiping our Lord and a space to cultivate deeper friendships with people. That’s why people nest. Ah ha! It all makes such harmonic sense now.

Hannah Messerly

Thanks for sharing Hannah! Connect with Hannah on Instagram. Tell us, have you learned the art of nesting in your home? What makes your home feel like a home to you? Share in the comments below!