Last week I taught a class I never thought I would:  Interior Design.

As part of our practical Life Skills class, I was requested to teach our girls about this subject, with my small house as an example.

So, I made sure my house was in order.  In fact, up until this point, I had been trying to decorate my house, in anticipation of teaching this session.  Little by little, I put things together…for the most part.

I began class with the honest confession that I am certainly not an expert in this topic.  Additionally, I tried to make the content of the class relevant and not too American (you know, like the Yankee candle burning on my bookshelf).

Before getting into the meat of the subject, I talked about why interior design is even a topic we decided to include in the ABIDE program.  As women, the responsibility for creating a welcoming environment in our homes typically lies on us.  I took the platform that as wives, mothers, and/or hostesses, we need to be mindful of the environment we are creating in our homes.  In fact, Proverbs 14:1 says The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. I may be wrong, but I don’t think this is talking about building a house with bricks and timber.  I think this is referring to the effort a woman puts into the environment of her home.

We also discussed a few of the many verses that emphasize the importance of hospitality.  Hospitality is a HUGE cultural value here in Uganda, so it only made sense to connect it to interior design.  Then I had to mention my motivation for some of my decorations:  Deuteronomy 6:9, which says, Write [Scripture] on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

Getting to the practical side, we talked about the five senses and what we can do concerning each one of them to establish an atmosphere in our homes that cause our friends and family to want to be there.  I found several practical tips from my own experience, Google, and a friend back home.  Hopefully when people visit my apartment, they truly feel at home.  I trust that something I shared last Friday has stuck in the mind of my students and will be evident should I have the privilege of visiting their homes someday in the future!

Before getting into all of that information, my students walked around my house and wrote down what they noticed.  After going over the material I had prepared, we went back around to see what they noticed (even some of my mistakes!) Here is a look at my classroom…by that I mean, my apartment.  Of course my camera does not capture it exactly, but you’ll get the idea.

Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Bathroom

Kitchen

Kitchen & Back Door
(Rruit of the Spirit on the wall decorations)

Living Room

Living Room

Close up of my wall art (the four on the sides are made from cardboard and scrap fabric)

Wall art (made from cardboard, scrap fabric, and pages from an old, torn-up Bible)

I had my furniture and cushions hand-made in town.

Curtains

Front Door