Your Home Isn’t Behind. It’s Just Not Cropped.

You’re scrolling in bed and it’s late, probably later than you meant for it to be and you’re definitely not doing the thing you picked up your phone to do (actually, per the experts, you should be reading and not scrolling at all — tsk, tsk).

A bedroom appears on your feed. Sunlight hits a flawlessly styled reading nook. A throw blanket is perfectly draped over the bed and you think to yourself, “How in the hell did they do that?”

There’s also a fireplace. One with a fluted marble surround complete with a framed family photo hung directly above. There are no clothes on the floor, no stains on the carpet, and no empty water glasses in sight. And a small, annoying voice in the back of your head goes: why doesn’t my house look like that?

You take a look at your own bedroom and spot your unpacked luggage from the trip you took over Memorial Day weekend. You see buckling carpet, sconces with dust (and maybe a spider web?! Ew, David!), drywall that needs patching, and a ceiling fan that looks like it’s from 1980.

Well, guess what? I’m an interior designer and I just described my own bedroom.

I’ve come to realize that in the interior design industry, we excel at sharing the highlight reels (quite literally). We post only the good stuff. For example, the dining room photo where furniture was rearranged simply so we could achieve the perfect editorial shot (guilty as charged — see below).

We’ve gotten so good at cropping our homes, and our lives, that we’ve forgotten what real homes actually look like.

I mean, heaven forbid you get too real. The one time you show a sliver of vulnerability (you know, the BTS story that is too messy, too unfinished, too human), your views tank and everyone hits unsubscribe. And if you’re a celebrity or influencer (thank gawd I’m not), you may even get (gasp!) canceled.

Now, I’m as guilty as anyone. For every “perfect” space I share, there are multiple rooms and details in my own home that are unfinished, imperfect, or held together with good intentions but no budget, time, or energy to execute. You see the one styled corner. You don’t see the pile of empty boxes three feet to the left of it.

So here's my proposal for 2026: imperfect, unfinished homes as the trend of the year.

I'll go first.

Welcome to my kitchen where the electrical outlet covers are taped (yes, taped) to the white subway backsplash. An easy and affordable item to tackle, but have I? Absolutely not.

Below is our formal dining room, which has sat empty since we moved in, over five years ago. It’s also the first room you see as you enter our home, so I am consistently asked (a) what are you doing with this space?, and (b) are you moving?

We are not formal people, therefore, we don’t need a formal dining room, so I don’t know what to do with this space. However, it admittedly has loads of potential with its natural light, paneling, and coffered ceiling. But I haven’t had the time or energy. And with our disposable income, my husband and I tend to prioritize travel over any home project.

And no, we are not moving.

The primary bedroom (aka the bedroom I previously referenced). I wasn’t lying when I said the carpet was buckling.

Missing wall sconces, four years later (I’m sure this is a violation of code — oops). But I just haven’t decided what style of sconce I’d like, what finish to go with, and whether the sconces should match throughout the two-level stairwell or simply play off one another.

Our deck that is rotting away as we speak. And yes, I realize this is now a safety issue so we will be addressing it soon.

Back in 2022, when we were completing our bonus room addition, we had our GC quote a new deck and stairs. Mind you, our deck is less than 200 square feet, yet the quote back then was $30k.😭😭😭

I can’t wait to see what the bids are now…

Here’s the thing. None of these are emergencies (except maybe the deck). They’re just photos of a real, normal, unfinished home. And I’d bet money most of you have a version of this, too.

But, here’s the part my finance brain can’t stay quiet about. An unfinished space isn’t only emotionally fine. It’s usually the smarter money move.

Time and time again, I see people move and right away they begin to tackle every space in their home. And guess what? 99% of the time, those people come to me and say, “I wish we would have waited.”

The pressure to finish an entire home, or a room, fast is what empties wallets quickly. It also usually creates a home that lacks cohesion, functionality, and character. Feeling like you must immediately have a Pinterest-perfect home is what makes you buy the trending rattan floor lamp (that you really don’t like) simply because the corner looks empty. It causes you to select a paint color you end up despising because you didn’t have “time” to thoughtfully test it beforehand. And it causes you to purchase an expensive hand-knotted rug that is actually too small, but you had out-of-town guests arriving and how embarrassing for them to see bare floors.

An empty corner costs nothing. A wrong purchase costs you twice: once to buy it, once to replace it. The most expensive room in your house is almost always the one you rushed.

So the next time you find yourself comparing your home to someone else’s cropped photo, please reference this post. Because imperfect and unfinished homes are where it’s at.

As always, thank you for being here. Truly, thank you. It means more than you know.

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In the meantime, choose kindness, say “hi” to strangers, be goofy, and hug your loved ones. Life is beautiful, but also so precious.

Cheers! — Alyssa