Monday, May 26, 2014

This Old (New) House

Almost three years ago we were blessed with a new house. We enjoyed the process of carefully selecting the floor plan. We watched the process of the foundation being poured, electrical and plumbing being put in. The walls went up and the beautiful stuff came. Granite counter tops, porcelain tile, a beautiful front porch, even a covered lanai (as we call them in FL). We splurged on a wood and iron staircase. It was the house of our dreams. Well for the most part. When you buy a house through a regular builder you get a builder grade house. Sure you pick a different color cabinet from your neighbor and maybe even splurge on a few extras but bottom line all the houses look the same.





So for the past three years I have been trying to make this house our style. I want to de-cookie cutter- ize it. I only have one problem. I like too many things! Why is it that someone can go to a home improvement store look at five thousand colors and just pick "the one"? I have picked about fifteen different versions of tan/khaki/beige. They all look wonderful on a tiny sample paper. Then I put it up on the wall and I hate it. It's too dark, too brown, not brown enough. If I like the color somehow I hate the paint quality. So right now I have three different tan/khaki/beige colors going on. One is a flat paint, the other two are egg shell but different brands. You can tell between the two which one saved me a whopping six dollars. It looks so cheap but the color is exactly what I was looking for. So I am going to try to match the color I like to the paint quality I want. I'm crossing my fingers it works. 

I pretty much know what I like when I see it, and I usually am looking for it on Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/venus615/), Pottery Barn, Ballard Design and Home Decorators. We love natural elements, rustic style with a modern twist. Kind of Tuscany meets Napa Valley meets NYC. If that even makes sense. I know for sure warm tones are the colors I tend to lean towards. So I have a plan in my head and on my boards. I see the finished product in my head, I just don't know how to get there. So as of right now I have started decorating every room in this house. Some are up to eighty percent done. Others more like five percent. I never finish a room in its entirety before I begin the next. Basically my new house looks like a really old house that has no flow, pattern or soul. I have a hodgepodge of things and a plethora of empty picture frames. But there is hope for me yet. I recently found a TV show on HGTV called Fixer Upper (http://www.hgtv.com/fixer-upper/show/index.html). It follows this wonderfully talented couple who flip homes. Their love and determination is very contagious. They have inspired me to keep working at making this house our home. I'm even going to involve the kids in a lot of what I have planned. Lucky for us one of my kids is an artist. I have commissioned her to paint some of her art on our walls. 

We love this house. It is our home. It is our safe place and our connecting place. We are comfortable here. I am looking forward to making memories with my children and my dear husband as we put our stamp in this place. Most of all I look forward to sharing this blessing with others.