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Welcome Home...they're two of the simplest words yet put them together and they bring a different meaning to each person. For me, the words comfort me when I step in after a long, busy day, a few hours out or even a vacation. Isn't it ironic how we all long to go on vacation, yet walking in the door we always say "it's soooo good to be home!" Many of us take for granted what we have in our homes. I know I am guilty of it. I see all the gorgeous homes in magazines and on social media and I immediately pick apart what they have and I don't. However, my home is where we began our family. We have so many cherished memories of family and friends here that I know deep down how special my home is. It isn't just 4 sides, it is a place I see myself growing old(er) in and watching where life will lead us.
It shouldn't take a disaster for us to appreciate what we have but sometimes it does. For my clients, Alison and Eammon, they were visiting family in NJ when they got word that their house in Texas was hit by a tornado. Grateful that no one was hurt, they had to return to face the devastation, and the long process of starting over. At that time, I had just launched my interior decorating business, and she reached out for my help. Mind you, I am located in NJ and traveling to Texas was out of the question since I had two babies at home. There was no hesitation though for me to help them with all the many decisions that come along with building or renovating a home.
What color grout would go with black and white tile? What size knobs, pulls, door handles? What colors work best with an open concept layout? Where can I go to select furniture and accessories for my budget? These are just the beginning of the many questions that need to be answered. They are also questions that can become overwhelming and may lead to quick decisions that in the long run, are not the correct ones. Which leads to spending more time and money trying to fix the problem.
With that being said, Alison and Eammon's home holds a special place with me. No school teaches you what it is really like being in the midst of a large project, starting/running your own business, while being 1500 miles away. Experience teaches you. Not being able to physically step inside the house created a whole other level of difficulty. Alison and I relied on emails, documents from the contractors, Facetime, videos and LOTS of text messages. She became my first message in the morning and last one at night- something our husbands still joke with us about! Working on this taught us both how to compromise. Interior design is NOT about me coming in and telling you how and what to put in your home. It is about me learning your style, your visions and coming up with a design plan that compliments both of what you want and how I can get you there while adding some ideas of my own.
Here's a quick tour of my favorite aspects of this home:
The mantel is my favorite part of their living room. Why? Because it wasn't a part of the original house. They had a teeny tiny mantel that she could barely fit anything on and it was the same stone as the fireplace. This mantel gave this room the desired farmhouse character we were going for AND a place for Alison to display that gorgeous mirror!
The dining room is another one of my favorites. You can have more than one favorite right?! Yes, definitely since I have two favorite sons haha. Keeping with the farmhouse style and working with their table, made by Davis and Grey Restoration, that luckily was not destroyed by the tornado, the dark navy blue and cream rug balances out the sheerness of the curtains, which by the way, I found on clearance from Potterybarn!
Last, but certainly not least, is the master bedroom. After this entire ordeal, Alison and Eammon deserved to come home to a master retreat (as I like to call them). This room is the perfect balance between farmhouse and glam and the master bath off of it makes this master suite a great place to unwind after a long, crazy day. Just look at that gorgeous barn door made by Davis and Grey Restoration!
Alison reached out to me a few weeks back to tell me that they will be moving to Houston to begin another journey. As thrilled as I am for their new endeavor, I feel like it's my own home that went up for sale. It took almost a year for them to get back into this house and to have been a part of creating this home for them, especially so early in my career, was so awesome-no other way to state it! To see more images of the house click here, there are other cool things to see in it! Now, onto their next home...
Until next time friends!
Maria
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