It has begun. The all-consuming, never-ending dive into all things home decor. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you know I’ve posted a couple “progress” pictures, as I am in the fourth quarter of the new home build process. Yay!!! And hopefully, in a couple months, I’ll be moving in.
What you may not know about me is that I LOVE home decor. All aspects of it. I am into painting walls, re-purposing items, organizing and setting up drawers, cabinets and closets, and placing furniture and accessories to create lovable living spaces. I fall off to sleep at night these days decorating my house in mind, allocating chandeliers and furniture and artwork, and questioning placements like… “Am I going to paint that desk white or leave it the way it is?” Yep. And it’s only going to get worse. When I am in decorate-mode, I am insanely driven. I know, there’s something wrong with me, lol! And it started this weekend with the Maricopa Home and Landscape show. My mom and I went this past Sunday and spent four whole hours out there!!! I was mainly interested in the landscaping and window shutters, and with measurements and pictures in hand, I got what I came for, which was ballpark pricing on some items and on the spot consultations.
With a few more complimentary on-site consultations scheduled, I’ll be able to add some things to my To-Do, Get Done and Wish Lists. So the trip to this Home show was exhausting, but good. One consult I’ll be having later this week is with a popular closet organizing company, Closet Factory. While my house has many things I like about it, one of the biggest compromises was the size of the Master Closet. I almost didn’t buy it because it was so small. But that would have been silly, right? Great house, great price, perfect location for me. And you can’t always get everything you want, right? I’ve always been fortunate enough to have a large closet, or a “large enough” closet, so I’m a bit spoiled, I’ll admit it. But I’ll be darned if I have to move one shoe into this new closet unless it’s suitably glammed and princessed up!!! Before really checking into custom closets, my initial, targeted budget for it was way off. I wanted to go totally “big girl” with my new closet, but that comes with a “totally big girl” price tag too! So I knew I’d have to re-arrange and re-prioritize, because what I know now is that closet organizers by the likes of Closet Factory, Classy Closets and The Container Store’s Elfa and TCS Closets, are NOT cheap!!! Since this is going to be such an investment, I picked the four already mentioned and began comparing prices. I’ll keep you posted on which one I choose. A photo of my last closet is pictured below. Nothing fancy, but it worked for me. You can’t really see it, but there was an ottoman in there, and I would sometimes go there in the wee hours of the morning and have a little prayer time before starting my day. AND… every home I’ve moved into, the closet has always been the first room I decorate, followed by the kitchen. I can’t function day to day, even for a little while, during the normal, cluttered, settling-in chaos when it comes to getting dressed and fixing a meal. Again, I know, not normal, lol!
The other place where I’ve already spent quite a bit of money but stayed on budget, (Yay Ingrid and thank you Jesus), compliments of the builder’s design center, was the kitchen, and I still wasn’t able to get everything I wanted. Kitchen items are outrageously costly! And I’m a bit obsessed when it comes to my kitchen, especially when it’s an “open concept” home, because you see it from every sight line. Below are a couple photos of my eat-in kitchen table from my last home, (sigh and reminisce), my favorite Sunday morning, patio doors open, with chai tea, my Veranda magazine, and Chris Botti playing in the background room.
For the last six and a half months I’ve been roommates with my mom at her new house, and while she was gracious enough to allow me to crash, I just can’t wait to get out and get this thing going! And while I’m not the construction site stalker type at all, I mean, have you seen my heels? HaHa! I must admit, I’m getting a little antsy and have started planning items I’ll tackle first, and lining up budgets for smaller ticket items. The basics of the house are all planned out of course, (flooring, cabinets, countertops, paint color), but I learned a long time ago, that it’s better to “live” in a space for a moment before you fully commit to outfitting it with window treatments, lamps and other accessories. Determined and looking forward to creating new favorite rooms in my next dwelling place, I am waiting patiently and excitedly for all those Home Goods, Pottery Barn, World Market, and yes, Target runs!
