When I was taking pictures today, I noticed two things:
1) Now that we have storage, we use it! Our enclosed storage places are crammed to the gills with stuff; it already looks like we've been here for years. Then again, we did get about eight months' worth of cleaning supplies on accident this week. On the other hand, we were very minimalist about our open spaces, keeping them... well, open. Even though we have more square feet here, we got rid of several items of furniture. I think we were just ready to be able to move around without having to skirt inanimate objects.
2) Our apartment looks kind of like my college apartment, when I would do things like make a stylized wall mural of a garden out of construction paper during my down time at work. Some of my friends post pictures taken inside of their houses, and the homes look like they could be in a magazine, or that their art could be hanging in a museum, or that their furniture was goblin made and will only attract that which imbues it with more power. Or something like that.
Our place isn't like that. It's full of things that have sentimental value to us, or make us happy. I looked around and saw things made by my mom, James, Daphne, myself, James' mom (a LOT of stuff), my friend Jana, my niece Mackenzie, a lady here in Austin I've never met but feel like I know because of her awesome Etsy store, a talented artist we had the privilege of meeting in Haiti, and even a quilt started by my dad's mom and then finished by his stepmom when his mother passed away. Then there are things that used to be James' grandmother's (our couch, the toaster oven, that wobbly green cup), or things in Mal's room that were Daphne's, mementos from our wedding, the Wall of Awesome II (Team Dave's version), gifts to me from James, toys from both James' and my childhood, etc.
And our place will never be in a magazine, but it's "us" and I love it. I hope you like it, too!
P.S. It occurred to me AFTER I took the pictures that I could have turned on more lights in the front rooms and they wouldn't have looked so "blue," but I never turn on the lights in those rooms and didn't think of it! I <3 natural light!
The entryway, with an homage to The Nuthaus. That awesome old chest has all of our games in it, and since my dear housemates will take off their shoes at the door (here, it's better for the carpet, anyway), we're putting them on top of the chest.
Needlepoint of my favorite Bible verse by my mom, key holder by James when he was in maybe middle school, picture and other Nuthaus remnant from James' mom, and an homage to the RV my friend Lauren gave us before we left Sherman. Good stuff. Oh! And an entry closet for coats and our vacuum. I know that might not be exciting to you, but it's pretty thrilling to this gal!
The living/dining/kitchen. Carol reluctantly welcomes you.
Right as you walk into the main part of the apartment.
Above the couch is our "Haiti wall": Three pictures I took when we were there, and then a painting by Cadet Richard. To keep the country in our thoughts all of the time, and to remind us that we need to go back as a family.
To save floor real estate, we stacked! Here, there's a bookshelf that used to be in our bedroom on top of a shelving unit that was in the dining room. Then we also put one piece of a bookshelf from Daphne's room sideways, the only way it would fit. It works!
The kitchen...
...with all of its glorious cabinets! Oh, and we ordered plate hangers today. James' mom gave him a set of plates from the 25th WDW anniversary, and we're going to display them above the top cabinets.
I have a pretty awesome view from the kitchen, not counting the cat's butt.
The kitchen features a real, live pantry, believe it or not!
And the laundry room is the most ridiculously packed place already! Washer, litter box, recycling, and dryer.
Plus our cleaning supplies, tools, Christmas stuff, memorabilia from James' and my 40 years of pre-married life...
... more cleaning supplies, cat provisions, bags (you have to take your own to the grocery store in Austin), and beer-brewing supplies.
Then there's our room. we bought a king-sized bed. We realized, finally, that Mal will probably be sleeping with us a bit longer. We put the bookshelves that used to be in the living room in here.
Have I mentioned that we have a great view?
All by Daphne: pencil, marker, and ink tile.
The print on the right is one James had bought because he loved it, and I had it framed for him last year (after he'd had it for several years!). It's called "Leaning Lovers." so I paired it with a few of our own things; two photo books, one from when we first started dating and one from our wedding; the rose and ribbons that were attached to my wedding dress; and the heart we saw a blacksmith make at a Celtic music fair.
Next to the bookshelves is a set of doors that looks like a little closet.
But it's actually a magic portal into another dimension. Well, okay, it's two closets and a bathroom.
The closet to the left, jammed tight with all of our clothes. We needed to save the other closet space...
...for James' office!
And here's our bathroom, home of the best shower curtain ever, and one more of the three litter boxes. (And, yes, I LOVE our new litter boxes!)
The hallway going to D's room and bathroom (which is also the guest bathroom).
Daphne's humble abode.
The new desk ended up being a perfect fit with her bed! And she can look at herself in the mirror if she needs to reference a facial expression. She just has to access her closet through the right door.
She downsized a lot of stuff when we moved! But there are probably close to 100 stuffies in her closet. She loves her stuffed animals.
Little buddy's room.
What? How did this happen?! Two Mals?
Since Mal's just a baby and doesn't have an opinion about that kind of thing, his closet became storage for a lot of our stuff. James' guitars, amps, a heater, and some other stuff is in there. Also, several cool toys D has outgrown but that I want to save for him, and also all of the free Pull-Ups (8 bags) that we ended up getting for free (see previous post).
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the patio. I'm just going to post some pictures and you'll get the idea. Thanks for touring our new place!
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| Okay, this is technically the view from Mal's room. Nice, huh? |
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ReplyDeleteLove the photos. As you say storage is very much needed, especially when you have children. I love that you have bookcases in every room. You could possibly make a small reading den when you get yourselves settled. It is a beautiful home, I hope you get settled soon and that it starts to feel like home.
ReplyDeleteJustin Garrett @ Buzz Homes