Even as a 10-year-old, I remember trying to explain to my mother and stepfather how upset and frustrated a messy room made me. But they just couldn't grasp it. They wanted me to be playing with baseballs and frogs while I wanted to be scouring garage sales.

Go outside! I mean, even leaves from a park are beautiful in a clear glass vase. I'd rather see that than fake anything any day.

I always want objects in my home that have a connection to me or something I've loved. It's still stuff, but it's stuff that has meaning.

A lot of guys go in immediately for status, as opposed to comfort and allowing their home to tell a story about them.

You can find a lot of reasonable buys at Wal-Mart. But one key to making it on a budget is by donating your time and labor to the project. Do-it-yourself projects will always help you save.

Home has always been one of the most important things. If I don't feel at home in my space, then I feel really unmoored.

We're not handling things anymore before they arrive on our doorstep. I like to feel how thin porcelain can be, run my hand over a textile, see if I want to sit in a chair.