From One Place to Another

It’s that time of year when we transition from Maine to Houston. Whether we are coming from or going to each place, it’s always a little bittersweet. I never like leaving Maine, but returning to Houston his year is special because we came back to our house rather than the condo we came so close to moving into.

Yes, the idea of living in a condo had its perks and the one we chose is architecturally stunning. It was exciting to think about having a new place and creating a different look, but it just wasn’t enough to convince me it was the right thing to do.

Having made the decision not to move, some changes had to occur at this house. Because we had stripped it to a bare minimum and converted one filled with color to a neutral palette to satisfy realtor recommendations, it needed some new touches.

Believe it or not, the changes began with pillow covers, the pattern of which reminded me of Maine’s rocks. With those in hand, I began the search for what would lead to a new look.

The first find was fabric with a quirky puzzle pattern for reupholstering. From there everything got easy as solids and pattern were added to the mix.

Furniture was moved from one place to another and with different fabric and color the new look evolved. Best of all, those neutral walls the hubby said were not going to be repainted became more palatable!

We considered new dining room chairs, but these are so very comfortable it seemed a shame to replace them. With new padding and recovered, they are perfect. For fun and to tie the living room and dining room together, the two head chairs were partially reupholstered with excess puzzle fabric. Finishing the space is a rug from Wayfair. Man, did I do a lot of looking to find this one!

One of the few colors that I couldn’t bear to change when we repainted was this one on the shelves above my desk. Its cheeriness makes me happy!

That led to finding a rug and chairs for the breakfast room that would provide the same joyful energy as that is a space where the hubby and I spend so much time. Maizy is just as happy to lounge here as in the dining room!

With major changes done, we began the process of rehanging art work. With few exceptions everything went in a different place which added to the feeling of everything being new. Until we got to the turret, the effort had few challenges. Here, however, we spent hours trying to figure out how to arrange and hang these leaves that are so perfect on the round wall. After the fact, the artist said we should have called him. Had we only known!!

As said in the beginning, I am so glad to be returning here. Everything about this house is so us, and I’m happy knowing that I can open the door and walk outside. In these unusual times, that is much more appealing than the thought of relying on an elevator!