After months of checking for new real estate listings every 15 minutes, dropping everything at a moment’s notice to go see a house, and discussing the potential of one property and the ludicrous asking price of another over every meal, we finally settled on a house that made sense.
We were just one day away from being locked into contract on a house Bryan and I were okay with but not excited about when on Valentine’s Day 2023, our realtor texted, “are you guys free tonight? There’s a house I really want you to see that isn’t on the market.” Our eyes widened as we looked at each other and immediately replied, “Yes! We’ll be there. What time?”
We had been working with a realtor who swore that if we wanted to find a house in this one specific town, he was our guy...that he got “pocket listings” all the time. Yet after months of him telling us about potential clients that he’d been talking to for a year and he was just about to convince to list their homes, we had yet to see anything that wasn’t on the MLS. And the market. was. tough. Barely any properties available, and the ones that were had too many strikes against them to justify bidding over asking price just to win the war. But on this fateful night in February, our realtor saved us from following through on a deal that just wasn’t ideal.
So that’s where this all began…my journey of putting the brakes on client projects to focus on designing my family’s own dream home.
The house itself is nice, decent size, but nothing special architecturally. We don’t have an unlimited budget. Frankly, we have a pretty modest one. But I’m a scrappy designer and savvy shopper so I’ve got my sights set on sprucing up just about every dang room in this house before year-end 2024 and turning it into something inspiring.
There’s just one problem…
I still don’t know who I am.
I mean, I know what I’m like…I’m introspective, yet frivolous at times. I’m caring but driven. I’m creative yet can’t make a decision. And there you have it…I CAN’T MAKE A DECISION. I’m a Libra, what do you expect? 😉
Having loved visual arts my entire life, I’ve grown to enjoy just about every style out there. If it’s done well, I can appreciate it. This leads to “shiny object syndrome.” I see some photos of rooms that are so freaking cool and unique that I am off chasing them when they weren’t in the plans to begin with. And the plans are weak in the first place. Here’s why…
I don’t know what I’m trying to accomplish with my home. I don’t have a clear vision. I don't even know how I want to FEEL in my home. Energized? Wrapped in a warm hug? Chilled out like a hippie who just spent 2 hours meditating?
When I work with clients, they always seem to come to me with a clear idea of what they want. Whether it’s something I would choose for myself or not is irrelevant because their home is not about me. I can easily hear what they’re saying they want and translate it into a vision that speaks to them. For me, I can’t even articulate what I want. So I’ve been on this journey of trying to figure out how to define a personal style and my plan is to share that with you should you be struggling to do this yourself.
Hopefully, we’ll both come out the other side with our own unique aesthetics that we can translate into homes that we love, that feel like “us,” and that inspire us, comfort us, and allow us to live our best lives.