When you first meet someone, do you ever wonder just who they are? What are their likes and dislikes? What are their passions in life? Often, the best way to truly get to know someone is to visit their home.

For me, it's always exciting to visit a home well lived in, one that has been decorated with love and personality. Like their owners, homes come in all varieties. Homes can be tastefully furnished and simply practical, or distressingly impersonal like a model home or a show house.

I never expect a well lived in home to be perfectly decorated with everything rigorously in place as portrayed by the shelter magazines - that's not how we live. I love homes that reflect the true expression of the owner, be it or a passion for books, china, children's art work, or the love of flowers that flourish on textiles, furniture and just about everything.

It's okay for a chair to be worn or for fabric to be faded, or furniture to have scratches and dents. When my son was four he took a play saw to my new dining room chair. At first I was horrified. Later it was hard for me to part with the chair because of the memory.

I often find people don't want me to see their house because it's not perfectly decorated. I guess I find myself doing the same. Not everyone has an artistic eye – that's why I have a job. However, most people have an ability to express their true character through their home. Our homes should always be a work-in-progress; it's what keeps life interesting.

It's never too soon or too late to start making your house into a home. For someone just starting out or starting over it's more of a challenge, especially in a new house. On the other hand, lifetime collectors find it easier to move on and take their possessions with them wherever they go.

Your home is your sanctuary, your security, your social means, a place of good times and sadness, your nest. Forget about impressing or copying your peers. Whether it be classic or eccentric, elegant or informal - express yourself. I know my favorite homes display an eclectic mix of the unexpected, born from years of living.

Seek out what makes you smile. Use your favorite color, not just what the latest trend is. Blue makes me smile. Don't let the TV be your focal point and get sidetracked of who you are. Let your home reveal your most sentimental emotions.

Show me a well lived in home, and I'll show you a life well lived.