A Good Home

"A good home must be made, not bought." ~Joyce Maynard

Noah and I believe in this tenet and in the last ten months since "buying" our house, we have begun the journey of "making" it our home. This process has involved not only tangible projects, but also opening up our home to friends and family in order to allow experiences that will fill our home with memories full of warmth, love, and laughter. In Danish there is a word that encompasses this whole concept of warmth, comfort, and belonging called 'hyggelig' (pronounced: hoog-uh-lee). We want our home to be hyggelig.

The tangible projects are intended to take all of the potential that we saw in the house when we first stepped in the door, and realize it. As we do this, we make it our own and turn it into a place that reflects our personalities, interests, beliefs, and character. By no means would I presume to say that it is or ever will be perfect, but it is us (for better or worse :-)). We are on a budget, and have been/will be doing most of the work ourselves, which will result inevitably in instances of not-so-professional results. But in a way, by doing much of it ourselves, we are accomplishing both of our objectives in building our "home" - the tangible and the intangible. Both the end product of the project and the memories gained by going through the process.

So, to give you an idea of some of what we have done so far...

1. The Deck:

• The Project - Re-laid about 700sq ft, replaced warped boards, and built/installed benches and planter boxes.
• The Goal - To have a reliable, long-lasting outdoor space that will be able to host large barbecues and get-togethers.
• Lesson learned - Get the right sander the first time! Home Depot didn't have one that would work, but United Rentals did. Only the vibrating ones work, do not even attempt the circular kind!

 

2. Painting:

• The Project - Painted the formal living room and the kitchen/dining room.
• The Goal - To have a warm and inviting space for smaller, more intimate gatherings.
• Lesson learned: Caulk edges of crown molding (or really edging of any sort) to cover shabby installation and gaps. Another tip from our house inspector that has turned out wonderfully for us is to use tape while caulking just like you do for painting to get a straight edge.

Living Room Before:

  

Living Room After (still have a ways to go on the decorating, but I love the color!):

Kitchen Before (didn't have a good before pic, but you can kind of get the idea, and it includes my very handsome brother visiting for Thanksgiving ;-)):

Kitchen After:

  

 3. Furniture (bought off Craigslist for a steal):

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  The Project - Refinished/painted bar stools, painted/glazed an entryway bench, restored/scrubbed a neglected patio set.
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  The Goal - Have unique and functional furniture that fits the space and accommodates guests at a reasonable cost.
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  Lesson learned: Spray paint can be your best friend! The bench I painted took MUCH less time than the stools which I painted with a brush. Some of the other blogs I follow (listed on the left) give great tutorials on spray painting and glazing.