let the search begin!

it all started with this house. sure it may look cute and innocent, but don't let it fool you. it lured me in with its 15 panel original wood door, 1930's basketweave tile kitchen, glass door knobs, and sun-room and took me on an emotional roller coaster.

this little 2 bedroom/ 1 bath (with bonus room) house in the historic neighborhood of pensacola is every history and design lover's first-time home dream. before i knew it, one click on a website led to loan pre-approvals, worked and re-worked budgets, what-if's, add-on plans, and i won't even go into the amount of tile configurations i planned out at work.

yesterday i saw the house, and i can proudly say i stuck to my guns and kept my feet on the firm ground (well on the off-grade wood floors). it may not be this house, but it has opened the door to a whole new world for me. new job, new attitude, and now it looks like i might be a new home owner in the near future. who knew? God is just that good.

wish me luck. and if any of you are home-owners, i appreciate any tips!

worn, old, and cheap

this is so peaceful to me. i don't know why. it's not fancy, it's not new. it's surely not everything you think great design would be.

but i think it's wonderful.

i've made a lot of personal journeys in the last 2 1/2 years. when you spend 4 years busting your tail to become what you think an interior design student should become, it's only natural for some of us to realize it just ain't happenin. for me, there was more that came into play besides just not loving what i once loved. my mind has been transforming. shiny, new, and expensive is not only what i don't love anymore, it's not even what i would want for myself.

kind of ironic considering that i sell high-end tile now. but that's not to say other people can't have shiny, new, and expensive. hey, do what you want with your money. it's not my place to say. but if i ever had the money for shiny, new, and expensive, i would not spend it on shiny, new, and expensive. so, as a designer by nature, i've had a lot of mental battles going on, trying to figure out "ok, so what do i want?"

and i think, right now, it boils down to this:

i don't want my floors to be shined and polised (or anything require polishing for that matter).
i don't want perfect 90 degree angles in my walls.
i don't want my comforter to be 9" thick.
i don't want silk window treatments.
i don't want designer pillows that cost more than what i can find at target.
i don't want new furniture.
i don't want my mullions to have anything short of 3 layers of paint on them.
i don't want a new house.
i don't want anything that would make me cry if my dog chewed it up (because she probably will).
i want leaves in my gutters, i want my doors to squeak, my windows to stick, and my floors to make that wonderful groaning that old floors make.

{is it obvious yet that you become who you are more by knowing what you don't want??}

can i have all this and still have a great looking space? of course! the folks above pulled it off. so i know i can.

and in case you're wondering where the "before" is, check it out here.

just a glimpse

i'm just now catching up to my new life. i realize i have fallen WAY behind on blogging. my apologies.

for now, here's a glimpse of my new work life. i love it love it LOVE IT :)

there's more to come. not sure when, but there is.