Finding your forever home is no small feat. What if your space unexpectedly finds you and it happens to be the house you grew up in? This is where my client found themselves when they reached out to me. All of the finishes, lighting, and much of the furniture and artwork were original to the childhood home, meaning my client wasn’t just moving in, they were moving back in time and trying to meld two households together.
Room by room, we walked and talked about every part of each space and how they wanted it to look, feel, and function. Budget was a factor, and they were willing to repurpose what they could even if it wasn’t their taste. Their greatest hope was to somehow make this dated house “ours” and a new era for their young family.
Since meeting a year ago, they’ve taken our discussion and made incredible changes, most notably removing what didn't work, and PAINTING! Both brightened their entire main living area and enabled them to reframe how they saw each space (i.e. they saw more potential!). They’ve generously agreed to anonymously share their story with you, so I’m going to let their words and progress photos take it away.
“We realize our home isn’t winning any awards at the moment, but we wanted to share these pictures because even though they’re not perfect, they’re a reminder of how much progress we have made and how important little changes and wins are.
Moving into my childhood home suddenly and while it was filled with my parents’ possessions was a challenging situation, complicated by grief over the death of my father. It was hard for my mom to see the space change, and hard for us to figure out how on earth to make this home our own. And, of course, we are on a budget.
For us, the two biggest things we did were to subtract (art, furniture) and repurpose what we had leftover. Part of this has been learning to live in the in-between (we still have 10 large pieces of furniture waiting for auction we have to exist around!) and appreciate little things we could do in the interim. The other thing was to splurge and paint. The distinctive paint color and wallpaper in many of these rooms just had to go. While it was expensive, it was the right choice for us given that we weren’t looking to add any new pieces of furniture.
We could never have done ANY of this without you Jennifer!!"
Primary Bedroom: "Having a first-floor master has been tough on us with a young child, but there's not really an ideal setup for us to move upstairs. We decided to do our best so treated ourselves to matching lamps, painted the room white instead of the older butter yellow...and...moved our bed 90 degrees. It feels silly, but moving the bed has made the space feel smaller and cozier--more of what we are used to with our years of apartment living." (Paint: Sherwin Williams 9541 White Snow)
Mudroom: "We are so happy to have the wallpaper gone from the area and a new light in place. We are just trying to live with this as is for a few months while we figure out what hooks we want to hang where, and what art to use!" (Paint: Sherwin Williams 6253 Olympus White)
Dining Room: "When we first met with Jennifer, we didn't realize that this unused dining room was actually one of the biggest sources of tension in the house. Choosing to work on it first ended up being a great decision even if it remains sort of an all-purpose room. The difference from then to today is this room hosts projects--making Henry's art collage to photograph, going through and sorting boxes of household items, and a designated Goodwill donation area. Things come through this space--and they leave. We also tried really hard to work with some of the furniture in there--by removing the top part of a hutch we got a buffet with needed storage space, but more room for art. We also have had to manage living with several large pieces of furniture, such as the chest, that are going to be auctioned. We found that we couldn't allow the presence of these things to hold us back from other work and projects." (Paint: Sherwin Williams 6504 Sky High)
Family Room: "This room is still very much in progress--but we are so, so much happier with the color. It even inspires us to keep it tidy to maintain the lightness of the room. We plan to add some art, but we are trying to be intentional about what we choose." (Paint: Sherwin Williams 6253 Olympus White)
Kitchen + Breakfast Nook: "We love this area now, and are working on Henry's art collage for the wall. It's much easier to tidy up and removing the dough tray means the clutter doesn't have anywhere to go!" (Paint: Sherwin Williams 6253 Olympus White)
I love how much appreciation this client has for the progress. It's completely changed their outlook on their home and is empowering them to make slow, steady changes, one room at a time. In fact, they've made even more since sending me these photos! I hope their experience inspires you to see the efforts you’ve made to your space as big wins for the home you're making.
*HUGE thanks to my client. Thank you for sharing your voice and wins with us.
To me, you've won the greatest reward—finding what feels good and falling in love with the journey.
My biggest inspiration for pursuing my own interior design and organizing business is hearing about the life-changing transformations my clients experience after working together. For me, making where you live function for how you live is what truly makes a space beautiful. And when you embrace the house-to-home progress, you appreciate how any step, small or big, can make a positive change toward creating a home you love.
Always,
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