“Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order,
a house of God.”
-D&C 88:119-
During the holiday season, both Jeff and I decided that we wanted to start 2012 with both of our homes in order. Jeff recently moved into a new place and wanted to make it feel like home. In his case, it would be a matter of decorating and organizing. IN my case, I wanted to complete gut my cute little home and live more simply than I ever have. When I moved into this basement apartment that I love, I was forced to get rid of so much, simply because of lack of space. However, I still held on to things that "I just might need someday." My home is just not big enough for really any storage...at all. Therefore, I decided that it was time to get rid of everything that I "might need someday" and really simplify things to make our home even FEEL more open, just by getting rid of things. While the little ones were with their Daddy over the holidays, Jeff and I spent a long evening in my home and completely gutted it. Jeff worked so hard with me...but more importantly, he was there to reassure me that it was okay to throw things away and/or give them to D.I.
The majority of the time was spent in my little kiddies' bedrooms..and mainly in their closets. We ended up filling 4 boxes and 6 garbage bags FULL of toys and clothes that I ended up taking to D.I. After going through my own things, I came up with another 4 bags. I gave the majority of my clothes to a dear girlfriend of mine, but donated a TON of things to D.I. Everything I gave away, I just might need again someday. I gave away every glass bowl, every platter...everything. Jeff told me that D.I., in a sense, would act as my VERY inexpensive storage unit. WHEN I do need those things again, I can go there and purchase what I need, for PENNIES...contrary to what I would spend on a storage unit. Love his support and rational thinking. Oh how LIBERATING it was to THROW...THINGS....OUT and GIVE....THINGS....AWAY!!!! We just didn't have room for everything we had.
My little ones are so wonderful at keeping their rooms clean, but with SO many toys and clothes, it was becoming a challenge for them to do so. Understandable when you have MORE "stuff" than you have space. We got rid of at LEAST half of what was in their rooms. I was a little worried about what their responses would be when they came home. BOTH of them felt EXACTLY what I did.....FREEDOM! Neither of them have even NOTICED what is missing. It was such a good feeling to clean things out, leaving them more room to play. HAPPY DAY! (P.S. Mama...my new vacuum is a DREAM!!!!!!!! LOVE IT!! Thank you so much for the fabulous Christmas present!!! LOVE YOU!) :-)
Making Jeff's house into a home has been something that we have both thoroughly enjoyed. We have worked so hard the past month and a half....making home decor, purchasing and assembling a LOT of IKEA furniture, painting his dining room table, etc. etc. etc. Who knew that assembling furniture, etc. could be fun?! It doesn't matter what we do....if we are together. Truthfully though, Jeff and I thought it was interesting that we both actually DO enjoy putting things together. There's something awesomely satisfying about taking something that begins in a million pieces and building something awesome out of it. :-) Together we transformed an empty apartment into a very cozy home with SUCH good energy. I love beautiful homes that just FEEL good. When I walk into a home that is beautifully decorated with "stuff," I am impressed. However, what I love even more, is when I can walk into a home WITHOUT the person present who lives there...and get a very good sense of WHO THEY ARE....simply by what their HOME tells me about them. Have you ever thought about that? What does YOUR home say about you? I love that we created together, a home that says SO MUCH about Jeff...without a single word being spoken.
Since I designed the beautiful print of Jeff's last name in Chinese quite early on in our relationship, I was excited when he favored the idea of an Asian-themed bedroom. So much thought went into this room...and I don't think it could have turned out more perfectly. I was so pleased that the vision I had had for the room was something that Jeff really loved. His bedroom is, by far, my favorite room of the house. It is so well organized and serene...with SO much of Jeff in the room. I love that the artwork displayed all over the room is not just a collection of pictures we found at a store. Every photograph in his room, in his entire house actually, are pictures that HE took himself. I was so thrilled to find that Jeff is a natural photographer. He didn't take a LOT of pictures on all of his amazing trips and study-abroad visits....but every shot he took is QUALITY. I did spend time editing his images to give them a more "artsy flare"....but my goodness...I had amazing pictures to work with from the start. So impressed. Hard to believe that all of the shots he took are with a little 5 megapixel "point and shoot." As pleased as I am with how everything came together (even down to the little water fountain and beautifully PERFECT "Asian-esque" candle sconces above his bed that Little New Year brought him)....I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know how much JEFF loves it. *sigh* I love that.
Jeff's sister Lindsay and her husband Lyndon were Jeff's first house guests...and the first to get the grand tour of his new home. We invited them over for dinner on New Year's Day. I admit, I was a little nervous, since Lindsay is the first member of Jeff's family that I was to meet. All of my worries were for nought, however, since I was immediately comfortable around BOTH Lindsay and Lyndon and loved them both right away. It could also be because of the circumstances of how I greeted them...which was Jeff's idea...and an idea that we both thought was too ridiculous NOT to do. LOL! When Lindsay and Lyndon arrived, I greeted them and mentioned to them that Jeff had stepped out for a second and should be right back, but had told me to go ahead and give them the grand tour of his home. We chatted for a bit in the living room...on into the kitchen and into the bedroom. After giving Jeff the "code sentence" we had discussed prior to their arrival, I took Lindsay and Lyndon into Jeff's bedroom...where we found Jeff meditating by candlelight in his calm and serene Asian sanctuary...accompanied by soothing Chinese erhu music. LOL! So silly. Love us!
What a fun evening we had with Lindsay and Lyndon, chatting over dinner at Jeff's and then heading over to their house to watch a movie. Such a blessing to meet some of Jeff's family...and to feel so welcomed by them. What a great night!
As for the rest of the house, we kept to the red/black/grey color scheme, but with little variations here and there. His bathroom is simple, but so classy and masculine. He even has a new black robe to match. (Jeff loves his fluffy robe so much....it makes me smile just thinking about it. There's something about it that makes him feel luxurious and...awesome. I love that.) And to both of our surprise, the picture of the Chinese bathroom is such a fun and even classy "finishing touch." :-)
At first, Jeff's front room seemed a little bit of a challenge. Jeff is "babysitting" two of his Mama's prize animals that she shot herself. They are beautiful...but they are HUGE...especially in a small area. However, with some brainstorming between the two of us, we were able to not only work around them...but create a really AMAZING space that not only reflects beautiful places Jeff has traveled, but also his most favored past time....HERPING. By adding some GORGEOUS plants that we found at IKEA and SMITH'S MARKETPLACE, the animals look SO at home in this space.
A few weeks ago, I downloaded some of Jeff's favorite herping pics and edited them to bring out the colors, etc. I am amazed...utterly amazed...at the AMAZING pictures that Jeff and his friend Devin have taken on their many herping adventures. These are, without exaggeration, National Geographic quality. How AWESOME to have these beautiful pictures that reflect one of Jeff's greatest passions, up on his wall!! Pictures that HE took!!! Love that SO MUCH!
We carried over that HERPING theme into his kitchen with pictures on top of the cupboards and on the countertops. Who would have thought that having SNAKES and alligators as HOME DECOR would not only be acceptable...but BEAUTIFUL!!!! Love it!!
My personal favorite (oh heavens...it's ALL my "favorite"...but this is ONE of my many favorites) is the display that we designed for above his dining table.
I fell in love with all three of these shots the moment he showed them to me. With some editing, these beautiful shots from Jordan and Egypt very literally look like gallery prints. The mosque picture takes my breath away. LOVE IT!!!! We were able to purchase all of Jeff's frames (16+ frames, including the HUGE frame for the print of the mosque) at IKEA for about $80! AMAZING.
After many discussions about seating ideas for Jeff's living room, he settled on the idea of a LOVESAC. Loved that idea...and we were thrilled to find an $800 LOVESAC with a beautiful BLACK CORDEROY COVER on KSL for only $175...which we ended up getting for $150. After dry cleaning the cover and airing out the sac, it is LIKE NEW..and the PERFECT finishing touch to his living room. He may still choose to add additional seating in the future, but for now, the LOVESAC is perfectly adequate...for us. :-)
Overall, we are both so pleased with how beautiful his home is...and my heart is so happy that HE FEELS so at home there (as do I). There is a wonderful sense of pride every time we spend time together there...knowing how much work we put into it. We started out at the beginning with a vision and the hopes of making Jeff's first "real home" (on his own) a place that truly FELT like home, reflected his personality and passions and was warm, welcoming and had good energy. After a little over a month of brainstorming and hard work.....Jeff's home...is all of the above..and more. He is so happy. And as a result....my own happiness is SO great!! What a blessing for each of us to spend so much together in hard work and preparation to begin the new year with "a house of order."
Heather,
This is exactly what I needed to read today. I too live in a small space and hold on to things that I might need someday. However, lately I have been feeling like I need to really put my house in order and take out the clutter that takes up so much space.
I love the way you explained it! I am taking your advice and going to just do it!!
I am so happy for you and where you are in your life right now!
Posted by: Yvonne | January 23, 2012 at 09:36 AM
What I love about your place is that each room is unique and has its own sense of character. It definitely represents each individual who lives there. I am crazy about the different Asian elements in one of the bedrooms. They made everything cohesive and coordinated. I like it!
Posted by: Brendan Amorose | February 14, 2012 at 03:10 PM