Happy Holidays!
Holiday Greetings, Dearly Beloveds! If Any Remain (Bon Jour, Remains of the Day). Let The Merry Bells Keep Ringing, Both for the Season, and also
Because I am MOSTLY DONE Making My House Pretty !!
(Mostly Done, as opposed to Miracle Max’s Mostly Dead— a grievous, less animated, almost-but- not-quite hopeless state). At last,
I Can With Unabashed and Ebullient Narcissism Show Off My Life’s Work!
(ok, the work I’ve been up to the last couple of months). Beginning (appropriately) with “The Hall of Days”.
House For Sale, and The Hall of Days
Perhaps you know (because you’ve read past blog posts here, or because we’re acquainted and you’ve seen paint splatter on my person) that my family and I have been sprucing up our place, getting it ready for sale. I just have to say, it’s been hard. And tedious. And slow. Lots of painting (exhausted after construction five years ago, we moved in before we had painted the trim or even some of the rooms). An endless trickle of small repairs and treks to donation centers, a storage unit, and the dump. We even put siding on the little backyard barn, and painted it on a rare warm day.. It feels Mostly Good to be taking “finished” pictures and putting a for sale sign up, at last. Bittersweet. This home is the third we’ve owned and loved. The second we’ve designed and built (my design, with my husband’s cheerful support and help with implementation).
Each home has been more than a shelter…it has been a haven, a refuge, a place where we can be…We. Us. Which is probably why I’m feeling a little sad as I post this. Leaving is part of a good plan. We’ll build another, make more memories… but there are memories here. A profound sense of belonging—not only to each other, but to a place. So I thought I’d begin my little House Reveal (pretty at last) with one of my favorite places in the house.
I call it “The Hall of Days”. A little wordplay. Plus it sounds sort of Lorien-ish.. Mystically romantic. It is the back hall, where you enter from the garage and mudroom to the living spaces beyond, where you find the loo (powder room, or main bathroom, realtors would say), the laundry room, our bedroom. We all pass through The Hall of Days a lot. The walls read sort of like a family photo album, with favorite, defining pictures of all of us taken through days past. Ezra’s first haircut with a real barber. The kids playing in the ocean, or the mud. Nora with bedhead on a sunny Saturday morning. The Hall of Days captures our family’s mood, memories…mission. I love it.
Notes on the Hall of Days design: The colors and mood of this space are inspired by our family’s favorite getaway spot: The Oregon Coast. Beachy white trim (painted mdf, very inexpensive), muted aqua wall color, and swirly curliques. Also the eclectic mix of picture frames. Most of the frames I used in the Hall of Days were thrift finds…usually a dollar or less. A few were found cheap at Ross or TJ Max. I sanded some to give them a vintage, driftwoody look. Some I painted black, some I painted chippy gold. Some I left alone. I hung them somewhat evenly, remembering what I’d learned as a high school annual staffer about even internal margins, and then breaking the rules sometimes for balance or convenience. I love how they all work together. Next time I do this (and I plan on it), I would add another horizontal line…wainscoting (more painted mdf) about three feet up the wall, before I filled the remaining top completely with pictures. Our downstairs ceilings are ten feet high, another whim of mine that I hope to repeat in our next house. In narrow spaces (hallways, bathrooms), high ceilings can make a space feel like an elevator shaft. Horizontal trim helps the space feel, well, a little more horizontal. Or at least whimsically eccentric.
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Oh it is so lovely!! I’m bittersweet about this whole thing (as if I have the right to be emotionally invested, but I feel that I know you and yours). I am sad to see you leave all of this behind, but rather excited about what you will do wherever you land!!
Tabetha recently posted…Holiday Door Bells: How To
Thanks Taby. Leaving hardly seems real, since we’ve not sold the house…nor even shown it to anyone besides a boatload of realtors yet. But that’s another story…meanwhile, we’re making more memories here. Nice to be here through the holidays one more time…
Can we come next Sunday? Will bring food for tour!
Yes, please do!!! Food for a tour sounds too good to be true!
Love your pictures…and yes kind of sad to see you move. But your children and all those loveely pictures are more important. Such sweet memories, such beautiful children…love them all.
Just in case you did not know…David is home and doing much much better. He was a very sick boy. Love Mother.
I’m so relieved David is better… tonight we signed with a realtor who totally reminded me of David. The resemblance sealed the deal for me. Lucky realtor. Little did he know. He probably thought he was clever. Which perhaps he is…but that would be just one more parallel to David, wouldn’t it? Love you Mom.
I love you. It is a beautiful home… and oddly, I was thinking that I was sad for you… knowing you put so much into this house, created memories, and lived there… and, yes, I am sad for you… but I realized too, that I’m a little sad for me too!… that it really is a beautiful haven and I have a few memories there, with you and your family, sweet memories that I will cherish… they are tied into that house… more than just space, but truly a haven… it will be sad to see it go… but, I know it will be fun and exciting and hard work (again) to build a new one… I’m looking forward to new and more adventures… hearing about them, reading them… or maybe even help you! and participate! 🙂 I love you, you are so brave, courageous, intelligent and creative!
Thank you, Andie. I love you too.
When can I move in? I love it! I would go so far as to request you do not remove the nails…then I can easily add my own frames. I’m assuming you painted the curliques free hand…genius!
Thank you Sue! You might think twice about moving in today…minus 8 degrees outside this morning!!! But thank you. I would love it if I didn’t need to spackle and spot paint upon leaving this place…if I could just leave the nails in place.
Wow, you’re home is beautiful with all of the light pouring in. I hope you’re looking forward to your next one! It’s a journey for sure. Moving has taught me to hold things lightly and pour myself into wherever God puts me.
Love all of your home decor ideas,
Deb
Deb @ LakeGirlPaints recently posted…Stocking Hook Board, Chevron Chair, Christmas Sign
Deb I love how you phrased that…”moving has taught me to hold things lightly and pour myself into wherever God puts me”. I think I will make that my homesteading mantra.