Move over man cave — this story is all about a mom cave. When HomeGoods offered us a gift card to create a mom cave in someone’s home, we asked if we could pay it forward. They said yes. But first we asked: what exactly is a mom cave?
A mom cave is a small personal sanctuary in the home designed for rest and recharge. Think of it as a mom’s answer to a man cave. It can be a cozy corner with a chair for reading and relaxing or a whole room dedicated to crafting, pedicures, meditation, or anything else that soothes a busy mom. We set out to find a deserving mom who needed a peaceful spot to restore her batteries. Farah — mom to two-year-old Laila and creator of eMommie — was the perfect choice. Here she is with Laila and her husband Luke.
We visited their home to see the space we would transform. Farah showed us an underused office she’d been meaning to turn into a quiet room for reading, meditating, and decompressing after long days of work and parenting.
You can see paint swatches on the wall; Farah wanted a serene blue but was stuck in paint paralysis. We brought paint decks and helped her choose Catalina Blue (a Benjamin Moore shade color-matched to Behr satin). Then we shared the exciting news: we had HomeGoods furnishings to add in. It felt a little like announcing a big prize — everyone was thrilled.
After the excitement settled we gave Farah and Luke a homework assignment: pick up the chosen paint and tackle the walls. While they painted, we shopped at HomeGoods and a few other stores for furnishings and accessories. Here’s John with the lamp and print we thought would be ideal for the room.
And here’s the mom cave after the makeover:
The new wall color immediately set a calming tone. Farah already had some useful pieces we could reuse: two Ikea tables by the window, a pair of white Ikea curtains, a white armoire tucked away behind the doors, and small accessories like picture frames, a blue vase, a blue pillow, a blanket rack, and decorative branches. Rearranging those items revealed that only a few additions were needed to finish the space.
We focused on a handful of key pieces: a comfy new chair for the corner, a trio of hanging lanterns to create soft ambient light, a textured cozy rug, a sculptural table lamp, affordable art, and a small basket to hold books and magazines.
Farah’s favorite item from the makeover is the chair, covered in a greeny-yellow Ikat fabric that warms the cool blue walls. The chair’s tones tie in with the lampshade and the lotus artwork, creating a balanced, inviting palette — and it’s very comfortable. Clara and I put it to the test (I even nursed in it during the makeover).
We pride ourselves on finding great deals, so for finishing touches we hunted down bargains to stay on budget. We scored a set of three paper lanterns from World Market for $15 and a 4 x 6 Thomas O’Brien rug on clearance at Target for $15 — steals that added a lot of character without breaking the bank.
Budget breakdown:
- Paint: $20 (Benjamin Moore Catalina Blue, color-matched to Behr)
- Chair: $120 (HomeGoods)
- Lamp: $50 (HomeGoods)
- Lotus art: $25 (HomeGoods)
- Rug: $15 (Target clearance)
- Paper lanterns: $15 (World Market)
- Magazine basket: $16 (Target)
- Total: $276 (only $81 out of pocket for Farah thanks to HomeGoods)
Not bad — especially when a good chair alone can cost $300 or more. We managed paint, seating, art, lighting, a rug, and accessories for under $280, and Farah only paid a small portion. The makeover wasn’t quite finished: we also spotted potential in Farah’s living room and planned a follow-up mini-makeover, too. That will be a separate post because there are too many photos to combine here.
In the meantime, what small mom caves do you have at home? I admit anywhere I nurse becomes a temporary sanctuary — a few quiet moments to focus on Clara every couple of hours. Those small pockets of calm can make a big difference.