New Beginnings

Don’t cry over the past; it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future; it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful.

How many times in life do you get the chance for a do-over? And totally on your own terms? That’s the silver lining way to think about life after a divorce. This was the foundation for interior designer Kristin Lutz’s client, who was looking for a new place to call home. Her kids were in college, and her original home had become too much house. She was searching for a fresh start where she could write the next chapter of her life.

“No, no, no, you’re going to have to do so much to this place,” laughs Kristin’s client, as she recalls her first meeting with the designer at the house. “Esthetically I didn’t love it, but it had 50 feet of West Bay frontage, and by pure coincidence, it was right next door to my neighbors from my previous home. They were like family, so there was an emotional attachment,” she says.

Even the way she bought the house was unconventional. “I knew who the owner was, and we negotiated via text.

My realtor laughed and said, ‘you can’t buy a house with a text,’ and I laughed [and told her], I just did.” It all worked out for the realtor though; she got to list the old house.

Working as the project manager, Kristin had a lot to accomplish. Her client wanted a master bedroom on the first floor, which originally housed two bedrooms. “I also wanted to add a breezeway that went all the way to the garage. It was a new build and lot financially, but it turned out great.”