5 minute read
In Vino, Veritas
PL
From House to Home
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By Sundi McLaughlin
Unless you have been living in a very dark cave in the middle of a beautiful forest, most of us have witnessed—and have been astonished by—the real estate boom in our area. Houses are selling quicker than they can get on the market. With all of this opportunity, many of us who are lucky enough to own a home in the area have perhaps considered putting our own house on the market, however the obvious problem is that, unless you are relocating to a land far, far away, you still have to buy another house with the same elevated price.
This sudden change of circumstance has caused me to sit back, reflect and take stock of our home. When my man and I moved to our house over a decade ago, it was a real fixer-upper. We tackled a lot of projects immediately, but the less emergent projects we’ve completed at a slower pace. Every year we will choose a project or a corner of our property to tackle and then proceed to kill ourselves accomplishing the work. Will there be hollering? Yes. Will there be hurt feelings (mine)? Absolutely. Will we finish the project over budget? One hundred percent of the time. Will we be proud as punch when it is completed? No question!
When you are in a home for a while, like we have been lucky enough to be, it isn’t just how many bedrooms or bathrooms you have, but the memories attached. Like the time I almost got heatstroke putting in that rock patio or got stuck on the roof when an angry swarm of bees attacked the ladder. The baby and wedding showers we have hosted. The time I came home from work to find a fine dusting of drywall everywhere when my dude ripped out the drywall in our loft because we wanted to build bookcases instead. Or the memory of our neighbors standing beneath us while we were on the top rung of our ladders as they wondered aloud how we could be certain of getting the circular window perfectly centered in the front of the house.
Each project, no matter how hard, always brings us such a sense of accomplishment. Every time we do a project it marries us just a little bit more to our home. After so many years there isn’t a wall, floor, cupboard or fixture we haven’t touched. Maya Angelou believed spaces held memories of feelings, and I hope that is true. When we inevitably have to move on, I hope whoever buys our house can feel the love and laughter, the parties and milestones celebrated. Have there been
tears? Of course, but luckily there has been more joy than sadness.
Celebrate your life by living in a home that is authentic to your tastes and individuality. I want to be able to walk into a home and get a sense of who you are and what inspires you to be your best self. Now if you are a slob, keep that to yourself please, but if you are obsessed with cats and want a kitty cat portrait wall, I am all about it!
Have your home be a reflection of your best self and I think it will inspire you to strive to be that very thing. We all have our own idiosyncrasies and peccadilloes that make us who we are and hopefully we are always learning and striving to our best selves. So wake up every day and make your bed and just like that, you have accomplished your first thing and when you come home after a long day of work and you flip the lights on in your room it actually does make you feel better to see your room tidy and bed made with that cute duvet you had your eye on.
Trust me, it is the accumulation of the little meaningful things which make the difference. As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression my whole life, I have found a few life hacks which help me stay in the light. It is very easy to find the darkness and almost impossible to find Have your home be a reflection of your best self and I think it will inspire you to strive to be that very thing. We all have our own idiosyncrasies and peccadilloes that make us who we are and hopefully we are always learning and striving to our best selves.
your way out. My passion for helping people find their personality and joy through decorating has come from years of searching for my own little rays of sunshine. My goal for our home is to be calm and peaceful and for me that is achieved through home design, colors and finishes. Someone else might need energy and movement with bright colors and bold pieces, while others feel at home with all things midcentury: whatever your thing is do it and have fun. If you get stuck or need someone to help you from getting overwhelmed, that is what people like me or a dozen other great designers or decorators in this area are here for: The goal is always to bring out the best in you and your home.
Whenever I am asked to help decorate a home I love getting to know the person and celebrating and elevating what makes them who they are: • Traveled the world? Wonderful! Let’s get those things you’ve had in boxes out on the shelves. • You don’t use your dining room but love old ’80s video games? Let’s bring them in! • Want to polish and showcase Grandma's silver collection? I am pumped!
Your house should embody your individuality, not the fad of the moment, even if there is always room for both. Now when you go to sell your house, yes the arcade will have to go into storage and we will bring in a gorgeous dining room table, because selling a home is about allowing someone else to see their future beneath that roof and not be reminded of someone else’s past.
Living in a home that is yours and staging a home for sale are very different beasts. While a staged home may look beautiful, I sincerely hope that we are all living in homes we love—homes that are just as unique and wonderful as each of us … right here Under the Pines. PL
