new houses!

Several posts ago, I mentioned that I have been living with my folks for about 6 months while trying to sell my condo. About 3 weeks ago, I realized it was time to get out on my own again, and instead of agonizing over the miserable offers that were coming in under my asking price, I would move back in for a year and see what the market is like then.

I moved OUT so fast that everything was just thrown into boxes and then into storage. I threw some paint on one wall to have it ready for buyers to look at it, and left it at that. I really wasn't very excited about the prospects of the work it would require to move back in that quickly. So I've decided to take it slow moving back IN, and really make this a fun project so that I would ENJOY living there again.

One of my colleagues took a feng shui class when she was moving into her condo, so I've borrowed her books to read through and learn more about that decorating philosophy. I'm pleasantly surprised at how many of those philosophies match the things I've been planning to do this time.

Before: Dark red wall in the dining room. GREAT for dramatic effect-- high on Energy. At the time I needed that high energy color in the front room. Now I'm ready for something more calm. I also had a large dining room table that practically filled the space.

After: Dolphin Fin Gray wall and small pub type table and chairs that will be more calming and provide more space for things like bike storage (gotta get a screen or something to hide that)

Before: Stark white walls in the living room-- the cheap paint the builders put on the wall. Dull khaki couch with poofie pillows, computer desk with a hutch-- revealing all sorts of clutter. Heavy (physically and color) entertainment center that, again, took up a lot of space in the room.

After: Sold the couch (its EXTREMELY comfy) to my sister, entertainment center to a neighbor. painted the walls "journal white". Bought a modern looking chaise lounge in Ivory. Will find a new home for the hutch. T.V. will go on the coffee table rather than on a new entertainment cupboard.

I'm contemplating what to do with the bedroom-- perhaps some beadboard painted a pale lavendar, or light shade of blue. I'm going to slip cover the head and baseboards of my bed and leave the mirror off of my dresser.

Hurray! it will be a completely new house. Which helps me understand a little bit more about why it was important for me to be home for a while. I needed some time and space to make these ideas gel in my brain. It's hard to do that when you are living in the middle of the other things you love that tell who you were at one point in your life. I also needed to be home to get my knee taken care of. S

It's sweet to see the way things work in life and how everything works for your good when you live the way you know you should. :)