Coal & Cove Values

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Have you ever stopped and wondered when your living space actually starts feeling like home? Is it when you’ve finished decorating and furnishing your home? Or when enough time has passed and you’ve established some daily routines? Maybe it's the people that you surround yourself with that makes it feel more like home. At Coal and Cove, we believe it’s a bit of all of the above. Our mission is to help people make their living space “feel like home.” 

Home is a place where you can raise a family, entertain guests, try new DIY projects, unwind, relax, and just be yourself. Regardless of what you do, your home should reflect your lifestyle and who you are. By embracing a “less is more” mentality, you can eliminate clutter and unnecessary items in your home, allowing you to focus on the more important things in life. Coal & Cove helps people do this by curating well-designed products that are practical for a functional home. Our belief system stems from 4 core values that help simplify your life, allowing you to get more time to enjoy life a little more.

1. Authentic Life

Living authentically means your actions align with your core beliefs and values, in other words, being true to yourself, regardless of social or societal pressures. This sounds a lot simpler than it really is. We live highly complex lives–as individuals, you belong to many different social structures (or groups) such as your family, workplace, different groups of friends, peers or acquaintances. Each of these groups have different expectations of you, which applies pressure to your identity. People who continuously succumb to these pressures lose more of their authentic selves over time. 

Home is the one place where we are able to live authentically to the fullest. This is a great starting place–slowly expand your authentic self to close friends or family and then other social groups. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. It's important to be aware that each social group has different expectations of you, however these expectations should never be so overbearing that it questions your core values and beliefs. By living authentically, your life becomes simpler–you can be yourself without putting up an act.

2. Design

Great design combines an appealing aesthetic with practical function. Your living space should reflect who you are and cater to your specific needs. Nowadays, there’s an abundant amount of resources that show you the latest home trends, such as unique architecture and interior design, popular color schemes, and trendy furniture or decor to spruce up your home. Something you see online may work for others, but may not work for you. Instead, you should use these resources as a source of inspiration, applying certain aspects of the design that fits your style and preferences. Keep in mind that functional design and practicality will impact your home life and well-being more than eye-catching aesthetics. 

Great design applies to smaller, everyday products as well. Before making your purchase think about how you will use the product and what it will do for you. Will it make your life more enjoyable or convenient? Does it have longevity or will it be for a short term basis? These are some simple questions that will help you decide if you have real use for the product.  

3. Organized Space

Having an organized space is essential for maintaining the upkeep of your home. It reduces visual tension as well as the thought in the back of your mind thinking “I should clean this up”. Being clean and organized removes these thoughts and gives you more headspace to focus on more important matters. It’s easier to continuously maintain a clean and organized space rather than doing a deep clean every once in a while.

Make it a habit to clean up after yourself when you’re done in the area. Leave the area neat as it was before you started. There are many simple but effective routines that help you stay clean and organized. Making your bed after you get up. Wiping down your stovetop and countertop when you’re finished cooking. Tidying up your work desk before you finish work for the day. Fluffing your pillows and folding up your throw blanket when you’re done on the sofa. These minor tasks take very little time and help make your place look tidier and more organized. 

Save some time on the weekend for larger undertakings such as cleaning the floors, dusting your home, organizing your pantry, or cleaning out your closet. It's recommended to do these tasks in the morning as it will set you up for a productive day–it always feels amazing to finish a large cleaning project. By getting things done in the morning, you have time to enjoy your afternoon and evening. 

4. Working Smarter

Being productive is good, but being efficient is even better. By working smart, you get the same amount of work done in less time and effort. Most of the time, the work we need to do needs to be done, not perfect. Your typical everyday tasks shouldn’t take up a lot of your time or effort—if they are, you’re probably thinking too much and overcomplicating things. Our time and energy should be invested in more meaningful work that stimulates or challenges us. 

One way to work smarter is to do less multitasking. Doing multiple things at once is distracting and slows us down due to the fact that we have to constantly shift focus every time we jump to another task. Instead, prioritize your most important tasks first and focus on completing them, one at a time. If there are multiple small tasks that need to be done, schedule some time in your day to do them in batches. 

Working longer hours doesn’t make you productive or efficient, it actually does the opposite due to diminishing returns. Working smarter implies getting enough rest and downtime in order to fully recharge. If you’re at home and your mind never really leaves work, you’re not getting the necessary downtime needed. Practice mentally detaching yourself from work and actively rest during your off-time. 

Summary

At Coal & Cove, we’re on a mission to help people make their living space “feel like home.” Our core values are living an authentic life, great design, maintaining an organized space, and working smarter. By simplifying your routine with practical home solutions, you get more time to enjoy life a little more.

Join us in building a community of enthusiasts that are striving to improve their homes and lives, one step at a time. Check out our blog to find more information, ideas, and inspiration on how you can improve your home life.