I have been meaning to write about this topic for the last few weeks, but as some of you may know we are moving (starting today) and it has been quite the time suck. Since we’re relocating from what was our main house to our vacation property we have some big design decisions to make once we settle in. We’re downsizing to half the interior square footage so there will be some inevitable sacrifices coming.
When we decorated our vacation property, it was from a confusing exhibit of things we’ve collected through the years along with some newly purchased additions. The interior design wasn’t consistent but worked for its purpose. Now that we will be living in this property full-time, however, everything needs to have its place since clutter is out of the question. It’s like living on a boat or in an Airstream—which is exactly where were headed next for those of you who have been following our Live Historic adventure.
One of the many design decisions that we’ve made in anticipation of our full-time move is to change the layout. Our house essentially consists of three pods on the first floor including the first room you step into when you enter the front door, a middle room, followed by the kitchen. Our upstairs consists of one bedroom, a bathroom, a tiny den, and a roof deck. Initially, we had the living room designed as the first room you entered when you came through the front door. The room had an existing custom-wood built in that matched the stain of the floor which made it feel dark and cramped even on a sunny day so we painted it a bright glossy white to open it up.
Now that we’ve spent some time in the home we know how it needs to flow to meet our needs. We’ve moved the former living room to the middle space, which has four windows, tons of natural light, and a cozy fireplace. It’s significantly smaller then the front room, but far more inviting now that it’s not the first room you enter.
The front room is now the dining room and I brought up re-designing it with a graphic-styled wallpaper. Peter wasn’t completely sold on the idea until we read a timely interview with one of our design partners, Annie Elliott, principal of the DC-based design firm, bossy color by Huffington Post writer, Bonnie McCarthy. Annie perfectly breaks down the ins and outs of using wallpaper while dispelling a few myths about using wallpaper in small spaces. If this article got my husband to get on board it can convince anyone! To read the interview click here.
Once we settle in our home, we will be chronicling the changes that we incorporate into our new space so stay tuned for some updates. In the meantime, I am off to pack up our moving truck. As we say goodbye to a decade of our personal history in our soon to be former home, we are excited to embark on our new journey.
