Church Life

Myquillyn Smith

The Nester celebrates creativity at home without going overboard.

Courtesy of Harper Collins

Midland, North Carolina | @thenester

Across Pinterest, Instagram, and design blogs, homeowners find more inspiration and how-to resources than ever: tips for arranging wall art, picking paint colors, restoring furniture. At first glance, Myquillyn Smith’s popular site, Nesting Place, with its strands of tassels and chalkboard mantel, seems to fit right in.

But it quickly becomes clear that Smith has a different approach. Living with her husband, three sons, and “plenty of brown dog hair,” she can’t ignore the constraints of budget and practicality, but still cares about aesthetics. Her motto: it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

This cozy minimalism offers a refreshing sense of balance. Smith and her readers “desire something more than the next DIY craze or perfectly decorated space. We want to truly love, appreciate, and use our homes,” she wrote. “We enjoy beauty and love a pretty room, but we aren’t willing to destroy our finances or realign our priorities to get there.”

Smith’s embrace of imperfection has freed her to create unique pieces for her own home—wall art twisted from cotton mop strings, a wreath made of book pages—and more importantly, to create a space where she, her family, and their guests feel comfortable. The Smiths also host events and retreats in their refurbished barn.

Also in this series

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

CT Makers: 20 of the Most Creative Christians We Know

Editorial

Andy Crouch: Stop Engaging 'The Culture,' Because It Doesn't Exist

Kulandei Francis

New & Noteworthy Books

My Top 5 Books on Faith and Football

Review

D. L. Mayfield: ‘What If I Made Everything Worse?'

Review

Where the White Working Class Went Wrong

Ajith Fernando: How Church Leaders Can Serve God's Family Without Neglecting Their Own

Manny Pacquiao, Championship Boxer, Has a New Opponent: Philippine Poverty

Testimony

Professional Soccer Was My God

Creating for Good

Catalina Bellizzi

Health Is About Way More Than Weight

Why Christians Should End Their Search for 'Relevance'

Porn Is More Criticized and More Popular Than Ever

Excerpt

Why Every Christian Should Be Ambitious

News

Preventative Play: Sesame Street and World Vision in Zambia

Let Deuteronomy Awaken Your Inner Child

Why Married Sex Is Social Justice

Reply All

How Neuroscience—and the Bible—Explain Shame

The Gift of My Anxiety

News

Who Gets to Count That Convert?

News

NGO No-Go: More Countries Make Christian Charity Harder to Give and Receive

News

Gleanings: July/August 2016

Chris and Will Haughey

Andrew Peterson

Lara Casey

Megan White Mukuria

Jeremy Cowart

Eric Wowoh

Christine Moseley

News

Releasing God's Word: Do Copyrights Help or Hurt Bible Translation?

Ryan and Amy Green

David Bailey

Pete Docter

Enoch Ho

Rebecca Bradley

Nury Vittachi

Jon Batiste

Sajan George

Alex Medina

Becca Stevens

View issue

Our Latest

Latino Churches’ Vibrant Testimony

Hispanic American congregations tend to be young, vibrant, and intergenerational. The wider church has much to learn with and from them.

Review

Modern ‘Technoculture’ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who don’t perceive God to conclude that he doesn’t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamar’s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But it’s the work of God’s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive God’s Word—together.

Review

Safety Shouldn’t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube