Big Project/Tiny Reveal . . . The Start

As far as the past 2 years have gone, 1 step at a time, we have found our way. Big Move . . Check.

Care for Margot . . Check. Calm the Cottage (renovate & bring a little cohesiveness to the space) . . Mostly Check.

Big Move take 2 . . Check.

Now sitting at the kitchen table, no longer having a designated office space, I remember back to the beginning when I presented the first inspiration picture to my beloved. We then began the work, or the BIG ASS "H", as we refer to it in episode 60. We were starry-eyed and full of hope along with the promise of a space to settle into and call home.

In this series of recordings, we hope to share room by room all the work done and the things we have sought out and loved. You can jump over to the "Things We Are Loving" page to see a few photos & find something that you may love too.

If you are beginning a home project of any kind, I would like to offer these couple of nuggets so that you may not feel alone.

1. I have painted many rooms. It was my good friend Teri who once told me that when we go to sell our home on Rebecca Street years ago, they would have to remeasure because surely the square footage would have shrunk due to the layers of paint on each wall. She was not wrong. In every single room or dresser, cabinet or chair painted, there comes a moment just after the first brush stroke when I wish I would have never started the project to begin with. I do not love to paint. I do not like to paint. I am sloppy. I use too much paint. But here we are. We have started, and now there is nowhere to go but completion, so have your moment as I have had mine and then get on with it. I do find that I get into a rhythm where I lose myself in thought as I apply 1 coat and then the next. Then, like me, I bet you will love the result. This does come with a caveat; sometimes you will not love the result and be resigned to "live with" a color you do not like. I do not live well with this situation and have been known to repaint a room sooner rather than later.

The lesson learned:

It's just paint.

Do it. Have your moment.

Then do it again if need be.

There was a season, I imagined our family in Tuscany. This was during the early 2000's when a rich Italian plastered wall was cosi chic. I decided a lot of drywall mud, paint, and an oil-rubbed topcoat would be the ingredients needed to make this vision a reality. Rick came home from work that day to find I had not only done our bedroom but the open hall and stairway to the kitchen. I know he had words, but following the wise advice of a marriage counselor to leave 5 things unsaid every day, he kept them to himself. I went on to do this wall treatment in a few friends' homes. I have not asked, "Hey, whatever became of those walls?" Maybe it's best not to speak about Tuscany.

5 years later it was Rick who scraped every last patch of that "plaster" off the walls so we could come back to the States where we belong. Saint.

2. There are so many people and places wanting to lend vision to your home. When starting any project, be it a room or a whole house, I like to start with the things that make me happy, that make us happy.

*The Holiday. That movie makes me happy. When I think of whether I would choose Kate Winslet's charming English cottage or Cameron Diaz's gorgeous LA estate, it is Kate's cottage that wins for me. The stone of the fireplace, the stacks of well-read books, and the kettle on the stove next to the worn wood countertops; step aside Jude Law (even though he is delicious), I need a better look at these design details. *A library with worn leather chairs and dim lighting over study tables. Thick gold frames depicting an eclectic bit of art from different eras. Yes, please.

*And lastly, a New York brownstone making the most of every nook and cranny. They are stately and sophisticated while being comfortable. They offer warm wooden floors with a creak here and there and perhaps a bold lighting fixture with a pop of whimsical wallpaper. A myriad of photographs on the wall make it so personal. Whatever a brownstone does, it can't help but be classic.

These were my thoughts when we began this project in our bathroom. These were the thoughts and visions in my mind as we continued from room to room. Not everyone will see this space in the same way we do. I do hope you enjoy the peek and find a bit of inspiration to do something new in your space. Rick and I believe our home should be a reflection of us and those we love. It should welcome others in for a bit of a respite. Our home should be a good time and not be taken too seriously because it is simply a gift to take comfort in and offer the same to others.

We finished 1 day not long ago, and when we sat on the couch, I turned to Rick to say, "It's great, and now the kids need to come and muck it up a bit to make it wonderful." And they did: 6 adults and 6 littles in this little 2-bedroom cottage. There are a few scars that prove it true. When someone asked Ruby what she thought of the work we had done, I overheard her reply, "I love it! It looks exactly like them."

I beg to differ, dear girl; I believe it looks exactly like us.