Sounds so very profound, RIGHT?

For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with home decor, considered going to interior design school when I was younger and legit could spend hours in the aisles of Home Goods or Hobby Lobby dreaming up ideas to style a room. It doesn’t even have to be a room in my own room, I dream up imaginary homes, with imaginary rooms, think of what the client would look like, what their personal style would be and how I would accommodate their needs. 

Honestly as I am typing it out here right at this moment I realize that my obsession is more like a passion. Something I really enjoy and something that fills my cup. 

How does it translate into my own home… well.. It depends on if you ask me or my husband.

If you ask my husband it is a full blown obsession. Every detail just right down to pillows, lightbulb choice (this is a big deal and can make or break the feel of a room… in case you read that thinking I am a total weirdo), color scheme and how the blanket lays just right on the edge of my couch looking like it was thrown with ease but actually carefully placed it there to look just right. Nothing out of place because the placement of each item serves a purpose where it is. Yep, again as I am typing I realize I am bat shit….. Passionate… not crazy… passionate.

I moved into my then boyfriend’s ranch style home 11 years ago. It was a bachelor pad if I had ever seen a bachelor pad. Mismatched furniture, formica oozing from every room, rust colored wall paint, and two of the three bedrooms in the house unfinished filled to the brim with god knows what. 

Since moving in we have repainted more times than I care to admit, renovated the two spare bedrooms into an office and guest room, only to renovate them both again, back to back, after having our kids. We went from renting out the basement to remodeling after the tenants moved out to accommodate the kids toys and the overflow that was taking over the upstairs. 

Then about two years ago we did a mini remodel again, updating some furniture and making it fit a more modern clean look… which is my jam… modern farmhouse to be exact is what makes my heart sing…. Told you, bat shit passionate. 

Now for the good stuff, although I loved my home, I always dreamed of having an open floor plan, where I could watch my kids swim in the pool and we could enjoy an open indoor space to entertain. Hubby and I have always talked about what would make sense, how we would reconfigure the floor plan of the home and make it exactly what we wanted for it to be our forever home, without breaking the bank and building an extension out or up. 

This summer we decided, it was time, time to take the plunge and dive into a full remodel of the entire living space and our bedroom. 

Let’s start with the stuff I didn’t consider, or more so didn’t take as seriously until I was knee deep in dust and dirt sleeping on my mattress on the floor in my basement with rolling racks of clothes all around me.  

The chaos is REAL when you begin a remodel. You suddenly become aware of all the crap you have been hoarding since 2011 and discover things you never even knew you had. 

Your marriage gets tested. Big time. Jay and I are the fighting type. We bicker on the regular to begin with, that’s how we communicate best… don’t judge me lol. But man oh man the fighting about everything from me incessantly cleaning, to him leaving a dish in the sink to the fact that he could care less about the stuff hanging from the ceiling because we legit ran out of space to even put our keys at the end of the day. 

You think a couple weeks is quick until you are a couple of weeks in. All in all it took about 2 and a half months to complete our reno but if you asked me what it felt like…. I would say seventy five years. Truly felt as if time was standing still while we were in it. 

You better like your contractors… cause man oh man do they get exposed to the good, the bad and the ugly when they are showing up at your home at 7am to start work for the day. I am eternally grateful for the contractor and his partner we had in our home, he was incredible and never ever judged the multiple meltdowns that occurred in my home during the reno… and I am not talking about just the kids meltdowns… if you know what I mean. 

But at the end of the day we have created a space, a home we are OBSESSED with. From the floor plan to all the trips to home goods for new pillows. We have created a home we love to be in. A home we love to entertain in… well will entertain in once covid decides to find its way out of here. 

And most importantly a home my kids will enjoy for years to come.