A HOME YOU LOVE
It took years and I am now, finally, in a house I chose for myself. I love it.
Since we moved in, complete with furniture in December 2011, our home has been a work in progress. Discovered once we moved in, there were a number of things that had to be fixed - I think we're finally at the end of that process. Now I can focus on the things that will not only provide function but bring us joy as well.
The assignment: how do you make your house feel like home?
Everything in my home has to have form as well as function. I am very sensitive to colour and I enjoy the depth it gives each room.
Year round, my home is kept at 20C (68F) - any warmer and I feel like I can't work properly. In the winter, if it's too cold, I put on the fireplace and there are always a few throws around. In the summer it can be a wonderful relief from the often-sticky heat of outside. One of the first things I did was replace the inefficient air conditioner and added two room units to the top floor of the townhouse.
I have huge book shelves in the living room and each of the kids have space in their rooms for books. Not only are they wonderful for absorbing sound, but they make me feel grounded and happy. I love books and am happy my kids do, too.
With four teenagers it's a good idea to have a leather couch. and we do. A big wonderful dark brown sectional with big pillows and throws. It's placed so that you can enjoy the warmth of the fireplace and watch the tv and talk to whoever is in the kitchen.
I have a glass desk which is located in between the kitchen and the living room. In the evening my kids are doing homework or watching television and I am in the midst of the chaos. Just where I want to be!
Throughout my home we have an eclectic mix of art - some formal with ornate frames, some photographs and prints, some fun and funky pieces. There is a flow to it all but I can't tell you what makes it work. It just works!
The walls on the main floor are +10 feet high. They've been painted an icy gray-blue (Puritan Gray, Benjamin Moore). This was an experiment when I first moved in. I put all of my earth toned furniture, rugs and extras, normally housed in a home with earth-toned walls in this cool interior. It works. I like the change - far more subtle than you'd think.
It might be my age and stage, but integral to my happiness in my home is a ceiling fan. I have one in my bedroom and one in the living room. Lighting is also very important - and all must be on a dimmer switch!
My personal space? It's becoming personal again as opposed to a dumping ground for kids things, laundry piles, projects and crap. The best part? I took five of my favourite photos, the most evocative I have taken in the last couple of years, blew them up to 12"x12", framed and hung them above my headboard. My room continues to be a delicious colour of orange. The mattress is new and perfect, my sheets are decadent (made of a bagillion count bamboo) and my pillows are fluffy and multiple. I love the crisp white of my bedding and pillows against the orange and dark brown/oyster accents of the room.
I do not have a green thumb so not many plants are in my house - just a couple of bamboo plants I have not (yet) killed off. I love spring and summer and have plenty of container plants on our back deck as well as two big pots at the entrance to our home. Last year I put together some simple lavender at the front door and everyone remarked how lovely it was to come into the house. I plan on doing the same this year.
The location of our home is very central. The kids can walk to school in one direction, west 1km and walk to the downtown core in the other direction, east 1km. If we don't want to go "all the way" downtown we are in the heart of Kerr Village which has a ton of neat stuff: restaurants, shops and galleries. We have a huge park with ball diamonds, a pool, a rink and tennis courts, north one block away. The lake is a couple of blocks from us heading south. We enjoy the hustle and bustle right outside our door, and the quiet anonymity when sit in the comfort of our home.
Another bonus, we live down the block from a fabulous grocery store. I don't have to fill up the fridge as we go to the store almost every day. The one thing I have noticed is that I miss having a full fridge, the choices it affords as well as the opportunity for more spontaneous gatherings and meals. This is one thing I plan to fix in the near future. Just a few more fresh choices.
As much as they drive me bonkers, I can't seem to get away from the piles! I prefer clutter free, but I love learning and enjoy projects that stretch my creative limits. Piles seem to be part of the deal.
I do feel a purge coming on. Oh how I love Spring Cleaning!
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Like Bree Hester, I believe you choose to be happy. Sure there are bad (out of your control) things that happen, but how you handle them is completely up to you. Your choices are your responsibility - there is no blame, no shame, no nothing but accountability. Your attitude is your decision. I choose to be happy. Happy within the context of not wearing the proverbial rose-coloured glasses or any expectation that those who populate my life have made the same choice :) Last October, Bree put together 31 DAYS TO A HAPPIER YOU and, armed with her PDF, I'm using March - that dreary time between winter and spring that seems to drag on forever - to make the conscious choice to be happy every day this month!
