Simply Beautiful
- Christine Lusk
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
It's Guest Blog Time!
I have been quietly admiring the open, simplistic designs of Chuzai Living for years. Every time Kaho shares a new look from her recent relocation I am equally filled with admiration of her style and curiosity about her process.
Starting over is often daunting. It can be challenging to find time, inspiration, and resources to pull it altogether. One of the simply beautiful elements of Chuzai Living's interior design aesthetic is that the base is what already exists in your assigned housing. Golden couches and dark stain wood furnishings can coexist in an inviting and airy style!
Yet having the opportunity to start over and seeing this in the positive light that it can be, offers you a way to explore your style. Maybe you have used bold patterns and colors the last couple of tours and it is time for something more subtle and soft. Or you finally found a way to embrace purging the extra treasures that have joined you on this nomadic journey, and are ready to live with less and still feel at home.
We are delighted to welcome Kaho of Chuzai Living to share with us the way she lifts up her homes' designs from country to country and what she finds to be the best investment towards a simply beautiful home.
Guest Blog by Kaho
Decorating a house abroad is tricky. While it’s exciting to decorate your new home abroad, it comes with the prospect of dismantling it after a few years. When I design my home abroad, I’m always conscious of the amount of work required to dismantle decorations. These are two opposite stages in the nomadic life, while decorating your home is fun, dismantling it at the end of your assignment is emotional.
However, knowing I will have to undue my work doesn’t deter me from decorating in the way that makes our rental home abroad feel like our home. No matter how short your stay is, it’s worth investing some of your time and energy in creating your rental house abroad yours.
Organize Your Home With Less
Being minimalist may not be everybody’s cup of tea. I would still advise all expats to move with only things that you love and you need, and instead of sending unsure items to storage, go through them and purge. It will help make your life easier later on. I can’t emphasize enough how downsizing is important for this lifestyle. The less you own, the easier it gets to unpack and pack again.
An organized home with less helps you achieve a refined look. Imagine walking into a beautiful hotel room. It feels clean and airy because there is no clutter. When you pair down to only items you love to decorate and remove the clutter, that itself creates a comfortable home.
Need some tips on how to declutter? You might find some guidance you need in the list of home design ideas and tips here
Four Items to Instantly Lift Up any Dwelling Spaces
When you work on your home, I suggest that you start with a room you use to relax or gather. Most likely that would be a living or family room. Here are four items you can invest your money in that will elevate the design of your gathering space at home.
Lamps
Beautiful lamps not only define the space, but they also become a statement. Regular decorative lamps are made with single wiring. All you need are adapters for plugs and the appropriate light bulbs for the local voltage and you can use your lamps anywhere in the world. Invest your money in lamps in great design that you would love to move from post to post. It’s worth it.
Big Painting or Two
Undecorated homes usually have some big blank walls. It’s helpful to move with one or two big statement paintings or some kind of statement wall decorations to instantly make the space feel like home. If you have a big painting on canvas, it’s usually light. The nice thing about canvas art is that you can hang it on the wall with removable hooks, which is also rental home friendly.
Rugs
Think of a rug as a piece of art on the floor. The design matters. Not the price. Rug size is a key. Make sure it's the right size for the space. Multiple rugs in different styles randomly spread out in a big floor space (I have seen this many times) can make a room look cluttered. I personally don’t recommend it. Rugs can elevate or downgrade your living space. Use them strategically.
Decorative Throw Pillows
Pillows are versatile, inexpensive, light to pack, and easy to clean. You can use them on couches, chairs, beds, benches, and more. Need to spruce up the space, but you don't want to spend a ton of money? Pillows are your friends. Pick two colors and patterns you like. If you’re a beginner, I recommend a simple plain design to begin with. In terms of size, for a loveseat, you could have two 20” square and two 18” square pillows and for a three-seater sofa, you can add one rectangular pillow in the middle.
Embrace The Process
Lastly, I hope you will cherish the process. Living abroad is complex. It’s stressful mentally and physically. The adjustment period takes time and may feel frustrating at times. When we move to a new home, it takes me easily three to four months to get to where I want it to be. The key to successful home decorating abroad is to plan, organize and have fun with it. These four items above can be used over and over again in different homes, so invest your time in curating the products.
Interested in more home decorating tips? Here is an example of a blog post of mine that has many more tips the for expats with many before and after photos for your guidance: Transform A Rental Home Into Your Own Home ☆ Before & After Photos
Kaho's Bio
My name is Kaho. I am an interior design consultant for expats and blogger. I'm Japanese of origin, married to an American husband from Texas. We have three children whom we raised while living abroad. With my husband, we moved 11 times internationally. The countries we lived as a couple and family include Japan, the U.S., Senegal, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. Besides my family, photography, and yoga are at the core of my happiness wherever I am.
Comments