Our Home
When we built our home seven years ago, we were very young and didn't have the money to do anything special. But creating a home for my growing family was something that was very important to me. We had builder grade finishes and I knew it would be a challenge to create the look I wanted on a small budget. I tried to put quality where it counts and knew I could add special features over time. The house could then grow with us, instead of moving into something that was more than we could keep up with.
3 years of waiting (un)patiently and I am FINALLY getting to enjoy the spaces we recently remodeled. With that being said...know that at times the house wasn't always the prettiest. Even within the last year a few spaces had me feeling depressed and I could barely walk inside without getting upset. A cluttered, disorganized space is very stressful to me by nature. I couldn't rest well and everything I looked at needed work. Making other spaces beautiful at work and coming home to this was hard, and took a toll on me. I know you're probably thinking how stupid I sound and there are a lot bigger things to worry about. But my home does matter to me. It is where I am most known and best loved. It is the same for my family, there is nowhere they would rather be than at home. So when it became overwhelming to me instead of recharging, I felt I was letting them down as well.
I couldn't be my best self when I was only seeing the negative around me. I wanted to have a pretty home so I could feel better and in return, my family would feel better as well. I knew I needed to change my perspective and the way I saw things at home. My boys made that bare concrete floor their nightly basketball court which I was always called to referee. Daizy created works of art with markers that will remain on that slab forever. We got the kids a puppy last year and were able to potty train her before the new floors were installed and we lived very freely to say the least. I wasn't running in circles trying to perfect a house that was never going to measure up and that is when I found there is sweetness in the wait. Even though pretty things/spaces make me happy, when we can create memories, no matter the situation we are in and make the best of it, that is what counts in my book. Finding the positive in the waiting has always been my struggle, and I mean a DAILY STRUGGLE. But even through this, God is showing me over and over again his blessings are in the waiting. I am very excited to come home to a well-loved space now but never was this not a well-loved HOME and that took time to process, even for me.
I have been slowly collecting found pieces that I knew I could use to tell our story. I took the time to really think through what works for us, and I didn't have to rush to make decisions I would regret. If I would have settled and done this 2 years ago, I wouldn't have known what I do now. And if I know myself at all, I would have already wanted to change it. Designing can become overwhelming and I always tell my clients, do not rush out to buy things to finish a room quickly. It's the little details found along the way that create a beautiful end result. There are far more beautiful things than a perfectly designed house, like those that live inside, and they truly make any space feel like home. Thank you to Dylan, Slayton, and Daizy for encouraging me to tell our story within these walls without having it being perfect, and for allowing me to thoughtfully create a space just for us. I hope that wherever you are, you can find a way to love your home at the time it is serving.
Construction: J. Steele
Design: Shayla Graham
Furnishings & Decor: Homegrown Design
