By Mary Kathryn Decker
Growing up, my mom let me decorate my bedroom. From choosing the theme, artwork, and paint colors, I learned at an early age how meaningful it is to invest in where we spend our time. Little did I know, it would be through this early experience that God was building my foundation for a life of blessing others through art.
God loves beauty. Everything He created is a masterpiece. From the depths of the oceans, to the intricacy of the human body, to wildflowers. He has made everything around us beautiful in order to glorify Him! It is a privilege to extend that beauty through art in our homes, leading to blessing.
When my husband and I got married in 2019, we skipped our honeymoon and headed straight home to Tupelo to complete the house renovation we’d started during our engagement. It was a unique start to our marriage, but we knew it was glorifying to the Lord and impactful on our mental health.
Did you know art reduces stress by up to 75 percent (University of Westminster), and viewing art can lower cortisol levels and blood pressure? Art in the home also increases feelings of happiness and well-being by 86 percent (Homes & Happiness Study).
I filled our home with my paintings, and it served as a place of peace to us during the 2020 pandemic. When we felt called by the Lord to move, we sold our home off market to a man who loved every detail. He even asked us to leave it fully furnished, which we agreed to. Everything we have is the Lord’s, and we knew this was part of His plan.
Letting go and saying yes to God was a huge turning point in our lives. We moved back to my hometown of Madison and my art business bloomed. John is a home builder, and through the past several years he has grown in ways he has always dreamed of. We have now welcomed two precious boys into our family, which has brought us immeasurable joy.
Today, we are in the thick of parenthood and both working as entrepreneurs. Our home has been a place of rest and restoration through life’s daily stresses. Investing in your home is investing in your mental health; here are a few tips to get you started:
- Start with one room. It can be overwhelming to try to refresh your entire house. Choose a project and stick to that until it’s completed.
- Eliminate clutter and things you no longer use or love. Letting go is freeing.
- Bring in beauty. Through artwork, paint, a plant, or new pillows. A little color can offer daily inspiration!
Mary Kathryn Decker is the owner of MK Decker Designs. Built upon generations of Mississippi artists, this family-operated business creates and produces thousands of designs each year and ships them throughout the USA. Mary Kathryn is married to John, who owns Bloom Construction, building homes in the heart of Madison. They live across the street from MK’s childhood home raising their sons. Find MK at mkdeckerdesigns.com and Instagram/Facebook @mkdeckerdesigns!