photo by fine focus photography
Party at The Jones's
Does this sound familiar? You go to a party at a friend's fabulous new home. They have everything you ever imagined: high ceilings, exotic materials, a fancy wine bar, top of the line appliances, and giant windows overlooking a zero-edge pool. And they can't wait to tell you about it! At the end of the evening you walk back into your own home to find dingy baseboards, dated paint colors, old windows, and piles on the countertop for lack of storage. You think to yourself "I need a new house".
Every House Has Potential
So here's the deal – every house has a personality, and every house has potential. In twelve years of doing remodels I have yet to find one that doesn't. The challenge is tapping into which unique qualities of your home should be preserved, and which should be changed. The key is to appreciate what your house is rather than trying to make it something that it's not. Make it the best it can be and embrace it! If it's a traditional red brick home, play up the qualities that give it character and create a charming and functional version of itself. Is it a nineties spec home that seems to lack soul? Inject some! Identify it’s core style, and then head to Pinterest to get inspired. There are millions of fabulous and fresh ideas out there!
What’s Important to You in Your Home Environment
There’s a lot of pressure in our world today, and we carry the burden of high expectations and a desire to be successful. It's overwhelming! Your home should be a place to renew and recharge. Often when I find myself caught in the mode of running hard and struggling to keep up, I try to take a step back and say "what am I doing this for?" It's a vicious cycle and it's easy to lose sight of what's important. In light of that, the same applies for the vision for your home. What's important to you? I urge you to let go of any competitive feelings about this and do some true soul searching (I have a questionnaire I give to my clients to help them with this exercise). It may seem impressive to walk into a friend’s house with high ceilings and fancy finishes, but is that really what's important to you? For me it's not about square footage or expensive things. It's about flow, freshness, and livability. That's me. What makes you happy? Is it natural light? Warm and cozy textures? Getting in touch with that is how you can express yourself through your environment and learn to love where you are.