New House, New Possibilities

There are a number of high stress events in life such as changing jobs or careers, changes in relationships, having children, and building a new home. All of these events have a number of factors in common: they all include major life changes to everyday life; take money (a lot of money); and they all require lots of decision making.
We decided me we needed more space, wanted to be out in the country and closer to family, and we were ready to invest in our home/property so we decided to build a new home. But the idea of having to make millions of decisions worried me at first but now (thanks to Pinterest), visualizing, making decisions, finding pictures of what you want instead of trying to abstractly convey my thoughts with a contractor, I can show him pictures, ideas, concepts, etc. Shows like “Fixer Upper” and HGTV help to provide building ideas, concepts, themes, etc.

Therefore, I have found the building process a lot less stressful. But the process really started almost a year ago with a local bank and lots of documents, numerous meetings. I can’t lie, but waiting to hear back and the request for more documents, was the most stressful part. The building of the house has been easier. But we had planned, picked out house plans, on Pinterest we had created boards with houses and yard ideas, kitchen ideas, cabinets and storage ideas, etc. We knew pretty well, what we wanted.

Like most people who build houses, I want as much room for my buck. Therefore, organizing space and making sure the space worked for us as family, was challenging. I want the house to flow, so that movement from one space to another makes sense. That spaces are functional. 90% of my life is probably spent in the kitchen and the kids normally want to be close to me. The living room and kitchen have to be connected for us in order to do this. A lot of house plans include a more open concept while others put up lots of walls and block of space.

I also wanted everyone to have their own space. Space to play, read, retreat from each other. I have always been told that your home should consists of roughly 500 sq. feet per person. So, if you have 4 people in your family, your house should be around 2,000 sq. feet total. Not everyone will agree with me on this and it is personal opinion but I do believe this to be true.

The creativity that I have been able to put into the house, the rooms, colors, textures, use of space, light, etc. has been very exciting. I wanted to create spaces that have meaning, that are functional yet relaxing, spaces for kids to play, spaces for work, spaces to talk and relax. The walls have been mudded and painting, trim, and flooring are next. To see it all come together is very exciting. I hope that all of my ideas, planning, and Pinterest boards don’t fail me.

I think that most people overlook the aspect of space in a home. How space is used, location of different spaces, how it makes you feel, how this establishes flow or makes sense as you move throughout your house. I would encourage you to think about your favorite space in your home and figure out why it is your favorite. Do you find the space calming; makes you happy; love the color; love the objects in the space; etc. If you love your house and your space, that is reflected in the style and character of the house.

I think that most people want to walk into their home or their favorite space, and smile and be happy. However, if you walk into a room or space and you are annoyed, your shoulders go down, its disorganized or useless space, its poorly lite, etc. this only shows that you need to redefine your space which can be cheaply done or costly but you can really make a difference in your home for a small cost. You just need to be able to visualize and be creative. I plan on adding some pintables and more blog postings about space and design in the next month. If you are unhappy with spaces in your home, hopefully these pintables will help you think more deeply about the space and how to make it more purposeful and enjoyable.

To be honest, for as much as I feared building the house, I have found it a creative outlet. I love interior design, home design, paint colors, studying home styles, home brands, etc. Making space functional, beautiful, and calming. Space that tells a story about our lives, what we love and value as a family. All spaces tell a story. What story does your space tell about you? I am very excited to see what the next month brings when flooring and painting come into play. I have loved the endless possibilities.