a wide place

Hello there!

We’ve been busy settling into our new home in these last weeks, so I thought I’d take some time to show you around downstairs, both the good bits and the unfinished bits. This is for all of you, dear readers, but mostly for my parents, who aren’t going to be able to visit for awhile due to my dad’s health.

Let’s start with an unfinished part because it’s right inside the front door.

This long, dark, narrow hallway is my least favorite part of the house, along with the carpeted staircase (so hard to keep clean!). The positive side is that it will be a fun makeover project one day.

For now, let’s turn around and ignore it:

Isn’t this a much better view? Judah’s room/guest room is to my left, with a full downstairs bathroom across from it.

I’m happy to say we’ve already had several visitors from South Carolina. After many years of living in small houses, we’re overjoyed to have space for overnight guests.

Judah’s bedroom is ready and waiting for him to come see us for fall break today. Even though he’s never spent more than a couple of nights in it, I’m always happy to walk in here and see his childhood books and record player and Deerfoot paraphernalia.

Confession: it’s so cozy that sometimes we come hang out in here.

In our last house, our guest bathroom was also my and David’s primary bathroom. It’s a luxury to have three bathrooms.

Now I’m going to turn left out of the bathroom and back into the living room.

I can’t express how comforting it is to have all our beloved books unpacked. It’s like seeing old friends. This basket is where I keep my Bible/devotional books/journals for easy access.

And now for some shots of our kitchen. Unfinished: I’m waiting for a sale at West Elm to buy two more counter stools.

This is the door to our garage. We love having a garage! It’s amazing. The basket is where everyone’s phones live during the day.

Another confession: I desperately miss my old kitchen and dining room. I’m surprised that it’s what I miss most about our last house, even more than the pool and the yard full of trees and shrubs.

I miss the vaulted ceilings with their stained wood beams, the dining room built-ins that were chock-full of homeschool books, and the way the morning light fell across the honey-colored hardwood floors. Our general contractor, Scott, and I designed that kitchen together so many years ago, and it was a perfect fit.

I give thanks that I got to have a custom kitchen for a few years. I hope the next owner loves it every bit as much as I did.

Now I’m enjoying both a full pantry, and a utility closet by the back door! There’s just nothing like the storage opportunities in a new house.

Let’s turn around and see the living room.

Is that little wrought-iron mouse cute or what? It was peeking out of a gift basket our real-estate-agent-turned-friend, Anna, brought us the weekend we moved in.

This month David hung curtains for us and Ami designed the gallery wall. After 10 years, we upgraded to a larger TV, just in time for college football season. David promises to mount it on the wall eventually. Ami has an amazing eye for decorating and we have fun working together. As you can see, decorating our house is a team effort.

See what’s happening right outside those windows? Lots and lots of construction at our end of the neighborhood these days. More on that later. I’m determined not to keep my blinds closed all day just because it feels like the nextdoor neighbors are 5 feet away.

Bring in all the natural light!

Here’s something fun about a new construction house: all our stuff fits!

Because there’s no wonky spaces or odd-shaped rooms — and because we now have an upstairs — we’ve been able to find a spot for every single piece of furniture. Downstairs, I purchased a larger rug for the living room and curtains, but that’s it.

If you’re wondering where I got all this fun stuff, the answer is: time and travel. Truly just about every item in our home has a story. I remember the dusty shop in Tunisia where David and I found that painted ceramic bowl. The shop owner welcomed us like long-lost friends and serve us clear glass mugs of piping-hot, sugary, mint tea.

I remember the Mother’s Days and birthdays that Judah and Ami put their allowance money together to gift me the next installment of illustrated Harry Potter books, and the quilts my grandma stitched and my friend Ashley, who sold me the wood side table for $25 even thought it’s worth more, just because I liked it so much.

I like a home that tells stories.

Ami and I sometimes watch HGTV and play a fun game where we have to name our decorating style in three words. I’d say my style is global, bookish, and cozy. Ami says it sounds cooler to change “global” to “nomadic,” so there you have it: nomadic, bookish, and cozy.

Decorating our house is my creative outlet. I want it to feel welcoming and homey to our family, and also to anyone who walks in the front door and down that long narrow hallways. Of course I’m bursting with ideas to add more character to this space with moody paint colors and millwork. But for now, I’m ready to sign out of Instagram and Pinterest for awhile and just live my life here, with these people.

Happy fall, dear friends!

Love,

Julie