What exactly makes a house a home? Is it all the contents inside? Yes, but there is more to it than that. In essence, your home is a collector of all things that matter to you and is, therefore, a manifestation of your soul. From the moment our antecedents chose a cave — and later a hut — to establish their place of gathering, the notion of home was created. Important factors in that process were also where and how it was arranged.

It is a primal desire to define our space from the moment we are born. An infant always craves a stuffed animal, a comfy pillow or a soft blanket to provide soothing comfort in their new surroundings. As their motor skills and eyes develop, they also will gravitate toward certain colors that captivate their attention. Everyone has specific ideas of what is important to them in their environments, even if they do not realize it. So it's time to do some soul searching and begin to let it shine.

The most interesting interiors, in my opinion, aside from any stylistic preference, are the ones that reveal something interesting about their owner. Often homeowners are worried that their home has to reflect a certain image that is thwarted upon them by their social peers or economic bracket. These types of interiors are reflective of a "Keeping up with the Joneses" attitude, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it is almost always a recipe for a boring, impersonal and predictable room. A great interior lets you discover a person or a family's interest, background, hobbies and outward look on life. In other words, a soulful home is one that tells a story.

Whether reviewing magazines as a guide, or using the services of an interior designer, you owe it to yourself to participate in the design process and make clear what your preferences are. You can design your environment to make you happy and feed your soul.

As a process, one of the best things to do is to step back and think of yourself outside your house or apartment and pretend to look in through the windows: What do you see, and what would you like to see? If it helps, jot down the things that come to mind. Avoid general words like "welcoming" or "warm" by themselves. Instead, try to create descriptions such as: "a warm and welcoming entrance hall with seating and dark walls." These visualizations can be very revealing about what you consider important highlights of your desired room. Do this for every room in your home, but you don't have to do this exercise all at once; it can be done slowly. Doing this kind of design visualization is the best way of soul-searching for your home.

Creating this awareness within yourself will allow you or your designers to make sound and pleasing decisions about your interiors. Revelations about your taste, color preferences and style will come forward. As a result, each decision made is not a guessing game, but rather a slow reveal of all the layers of your soul.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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