The Art of Loving Where You Live: 10 Ways to Fall Back In Love With Your Home, Neighborhood & City

There is a difference between living somewhere and really loving where you live.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the routines of everyday life that we stop noticing the things that made us choose our home - or Arizona - in the first place.

We drive the same route.

Eat at the same restaurants.

Sit in the same room.

Walk past the same neighborhood park.

Put off the same little house project.

And somehow, the place that once felt exciting becomes the backdrop to our to-do list.

October feels like the perfect month to change that.

The weather is finally beginning to cooperate. Patio season is returning. Hiking shoes are coming out of hiding. Arizona's design, restaurant and cultural calendars are filling up.

And this October, there's an especially fitting reason to look at our surroundings with fresh eyes.

Desert Design Week returns October 6–11, 2026, with events throughout Phoenix and Scottsdale exploring architecture, interiors, art and the ways design connects us to the places we inhabit. One of this year's home tours even juxtaposes a historic 1926 Phoenix adobe home with a newly built Paradise Valley residence, exploring how two homes built a century apart respond to the same Sonoran Desert through shade, courtyards, materials, landscape and indoor-outdoor living.

That's a concept I love.

Because good design isn't simply about what looks beautiful.

It's about creating places that make us feel good while we're living in them.

So consider this your October challenge:

Fall back in love with where you live.

Here are 10 ways to start.

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1. Shop Your Own House

Before buying something new, look at what you already own.

Move a chair. Swap artwork between rooms. Bring a lamp somewhere unexpected. Clear everything off one surface and put back only what you love. Move a piece of furniture away from the wall. Pull something out of a closet that you haven't used in years.

We become visually numb to our own homes. Sometimes changing the way familiar things are arranged is enough to make a room feel completely different.

The challenge: Redesign one space without buying anything.

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2. Ask a Better Question Than “Is This Room Pretty?”

Ask: Does this room make our life better?

Maybe the formal dining room nobody uses should become a homework room, library or game space. Maybe you need a coffee station more than another decorative cabinet. Maybe the perfectly staged living room needs a giant basket for dog toys. Maybe your guest bedroom should become an office 350 days a year and a guest room for the other 15.

One of the most interesting things I've learned through years of real estate, construction and renovation is that the best homes aren't necessarily the biggest or most expensive. They're the ones that work exceptionally well for the people living in them.

Design your home for your actual life - not your imaginary one.

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3. Create an Outdoor Room

Arizona gives us an enormous opportunity that many parts of the country don't have:

For much of the year, our backyard can function as another room. October is when we get it back. Before buying anything major, look at the space itself. Could furniture be rearranged to encourage conversation? Would a rug make a covered patio feel more intentional? Do you need better lighting? Could oversized planters soften the space? Would a fire pit make you use the yard more? Is there somewhere comfortable to drink coffee in the morning? We put tremendous thought into our kitchens and living rooms and sometimes treat our outdoor spaces as leftovers. Don't.

In Arizona, they can be some of the best square footage you have.

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Try the $0 / $100 / $1,000 Home Happiness Experiment

Not every home project needs to be a remodel.

In fact, some of the best improvements have more to do with how a home feels than its resale value.

$0

• Rearrange furniture.

• Declutter one visually noisy space.

• Move your artwork.

• Style books you already own.

• Open the blinds.

• Create a reading corner.

• Clean off your patio.

• Move a chair toward the best view.

Around $100

• Try new house numbers.

• Add oversized planters.

• Replace an entry rug.

• Upgrade a dated light fixture.

• Add patio lights.

• Refresh bedding.

• Add a beautiful tray or organizational piece somewhere clutter tends to collect.

Around $1,000

• Paint a room.

• Refresh landscaping.

• Upgrade several light fixtures.

• Create built-in organization.

• Add outdoor seating.

• Improve landscape lighting.

• Give the entry a mini makeover.

The goal isn't:

“How much value can I add?”

The better question for this exercise is:

“What would make me enjoy living here more?”

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4. Date Your Own City

Here's a question:

When was the last time you experienced Phoenix or Scottsdale the way you would if you were visiting? We have a tendency to save our most interesting local experiences for out-of-town guests. Change that. Pick a Saturday and pretend you've just arrived. Tour Taliesin West. Explore Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Walk through Scottsdale Civic Center. Wander along Scottsdale Waterfront and see the Soleri Bridge. Browse the galleries of Old Town. Eat somewhere you've never tried.

Don't run errands. Don't make the outing productive. Just explore.

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5. Learn Something About the Place You Call Home

I think this makes people appreciate their community in an entirely different way. Learn why your street has its name. Look up what your neighborhood looked like 50 years ago. Find the original developer. Learn about the architecture. Discover what was on the land before your subdivision existed. Find the oldest house nearby.

Arizona communities have changed so dramatically that even relatively new neighborhoods can have fascinating histories.

This year's Desert Design Week provides a particularly interesting excuse to explore that idea. Its October 11 home tour looks at two Arizona houses created 100 years apart and how both respond to desert living.

Your own house doesn't need architectural significance to have a story.

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6. Walk Somewhere You Normally Drive

This one costs absolutely nothing. Pick a neighborhood, shopping district or part of Old Town that you normally experience through a windshield. Park. Walk.

You'll notice architecture, landscaping, businesses, public art and little details you've probably driven past hundreds of times.

Old Town's Arts District makes this particularly easy. Pop into galleries simply because something in the window caught your attention. Places such as Anticus - Fine Art, Books, Jewelry, & Design combine art, books, jewelry and design, while galleries throughout Main Street create an easy walkable art experience. No purchase necessary.

Curiosity is enough.

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7. Try Something That Didn't Exist the Last Time You Looked

One of the fun things about living in a growing metropolitan area is that the Valley never stays exactly the same.

Scottsdale has seen significant additions and transformations in 2026.

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is completing one of the largest renovations in its history in early October, including a redesigned lobby, expanded Scotch Library, new speakeasy and refreshed social spaces. Old Town's Hotel Solaya has opened following a major transformation of the former hotel property, and Scottsdale's dining scene continues to add new concepts.

You don't have to chase every new opening.

But trying one new place every few months keeps your own city interesting.

October challenge: Go somewhere that wasn't part of your routine a year ago.

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8. Borrow Inspiration Instead of Buying It

One of my favorite reasons to visit beautiful places is simply to notice things.

Not necessarily to replicate them. To learn from them. Look at the landscaping outside a resort. Notice the lighting in a restaurant. Study the way a hotel lobby creates conversation areas. Notice the materials in an older Arizona home. Look at how an architect creates shade. See how a restaurant patio uses plants, lighting and furniture to make a giant space feel intimate.

Then steal the idea - not necessarily the price tag.

Arizona design is particularly interesting because our environment forces design to solve real problems: intense sunlight, heat, indoor-outdoor living, water use and the desire to frame rather than compete with the desert.

That's inspiration you can bring home.

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9. Create One Small Ritual Around Your Home

This may actually improve how you feel about your house more than remodeling it. Saturday coffee outside. Friday pizza by the pool. Sunday morning walks. Dinner outside on Wednesday. Sunset cocktails. A neighborhood walk after dinner. Family movie night. Reading outside before everyone wakes up. Homes become meaningful because of what happens inside them.

Sometimes the easiest way to fall back in love with your house is simply to create something you look forward to doing there.

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10. Ask Yourself: Does My Home Still Fit My Life?

This is the more interesting question.

Not:

“Is my house worth more than when I bought it?”

But:

“Does this house still support the life I'm actually living?”

Maybe the answer is absolutely yes. Wonderful. Maybe it needs a few changes. Maybe the kids are gone and half the house isn't being used. Maybe you've added children, dogs, hobbies, aging parents or a home office. Maybe the neighborhood that made perfect sense ten years ago doesn't fit your life today. Maybe you're staying primarily because moving sounds exhausting. There isn't a right answer. But your home is such a significant part of your daily life that it's worth asking the question occasionally.

Which brings me to...

The October “Love Where You Live” Challenge

Before the month ends:

Change one thing inside your house.

Spend one evening outside your house.

Explore one part of your city you've been overlooking.

Support one local business you've never visited.

Learn one thing about your neighborhood.

Create one new ritual at home.

And then ask yourself:

What do I genuinely love about where I live?

Because real estate isn't only about property values, square footage or resale.

At its best, it's about creating a life in a place that feels like yours.

And sometimes you don't need a new house.

You just need to rediscover the one - and the city - you already have.