How to Create an Uncommon Home That Works for Your Life
The Uncommon Home
Why Normal Home Life Is Not Working
What would it be like if you went home to a home just like everyone else’s home that you know?
The same-sized house. The same type of activities, such as eating dinner on the fly. The same types of pastimes, like watching television or surfing the Internet, until you fall asleep. How about receiving your bills in the mail on random days and trying to figure out which week you’ll pay which bill? How upsetting would your home be if an unexpected need arose, like car trouble?
Sounds pretty normal, right?
It is normal.
Well, I am sure you are not surprised when I say, I don’t believe every home should be just like the next. You should see your home as your very own masterpiece. Your home can be your very own world if you stop allowing “common” to creep in.
There is something inside of us that no matter how hard we try to look like someone else, we can’t—at least not easily. We may get it right for a while, but like a boat drifting offshore, our lives begin to take on a shape unlike the one we’re trying to model.
Why is this the case?
Because we were never meant to exist like another.
Ordinary Is Like a Formal Living Room
When I was growing up, everyone in my hometown had a formal living room.
Do you know what a formal living room is?
It’s a room that can only be used when special guests come to visit. It was the room where children were never allowed to enter. In many cases, it had white carpet or even white furniture—something that was clearly a disaster waiting to happen.
That formal living room represented “the best” room in the home. We wanted our guests to see our best.
Many reading this may say, “What’s wrong with that?”
Absolutely nothing—if you want to remain ordinary.
Ordinary is presenting a version of your life to others that the people closest to you don’t even experience. It’s giving guests the best while your family lives with something less.
Why go through more trouble to impress others than to serve the people who live there every day?
Your home should be elaborate—not just in a special room for guests, but in the way it actually functions for you. Not elaborate to someone else’s standards, but to your own.
An Uncommon Home Reflects Wisdom
History gives us a powerful picture of this.
When the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, she wanted to see if what she had heard about his home was true.
“When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built…” [1]
What she found was that what she had heard did not do it justice.
She saw that Solomon’s home reflected his wisdom. It wasn’t just the structure—it was the detail. The food on his table, the seating of his servants, the way his workers were treated. He treated his workers like royalty.
That raises a real question:
Does your home reflect your best qualities—or is it just another ordinary home?
How are you treating the people who have a part to play in your home—the ones who are usually overlooked?
Your home is yours. So what are you doing with it?
Common Is Like Hiding Your Clutter
Have you ever had to prepare quickly for guests?
You throw dirty laundry in the closet. You hide unfolded clothes. You make the beds. Then you run through the final checklist—make it smell good.
But what would happen if your guests saw your home exactly as it is?
The truth is, a home often gets in disarray because it is not functional for the people living in it. It may have been designed for someone—but not for you.
What if you went on a journey to make your home fit your life?
What if instead of forcing your habits to change, you designed systems that actually worked for you?
If clothes tend to land in certain spots, place baskets there.
If your routines feel overwhelming, simplify them.
If your home doesn’t support your life, change it.
When you clean up to impress others, it reveals that you’re not fully comfortable with the way your life currently works.
Being uncommon means you stop living like others—and start living like you.
Common vs. No-Longer-Common
Common: Designs a home to match others.
No-Longer-Common: Designs a home that fits their life.
Common: Prioritizes appearance for guests.
No-Longer-Common: Prioritizes function for daily living.
Common: Hides the reality of life.
No-Longer-Common: Builds a life that actually works.
Your Home Is More Than a Structure
Your home is not just a place—it’s how you live.
At home, you get to be yourself. If there is any place on earth where you should be free, it’s home.
It’s where you think your own thoughts.
Where you create.
Where you reflect.
Where your life takes shape.
Picture yourself at your best—doing what you naturally do well. That version of you often shows up at home before it ever shows up anywhere else.
No-Longer-Common Thought
A common home follows patterns.
An uncommon home creates them.
You don’t have to keep living a life that doesn’t fit.
You can create a home that reflects your values, supports your life, and works for you—not against you.
More on this subject is available in our book:|
No Longer Common: When Ordinary Is No Longer Enough
Available where books are sold.
👉 Visit: kerryaclark.com/nolongercommonbook
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[1] I Kings 10:4-5 NKJV, Bible.com, accessed April 16, 2026, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1KI.10.4-5.NKJV
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
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