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Like so many other young couples at the time we had so many hopes and dreams for our new place but very little time or resources to make those dreams happen.
I could have never imagined at the time how beautiful it would turn out, what a soulful space it would become for me and my family, and the amazing personal journey I would undertake to get here.
In 1996 I was a young mom with one small child and another one on the way; when I wasn't working part time at my design business I was at home with my son while my husband worked at his high tech job.
Our new home was a vintage 70's throwback - dark & outdated - NOT a representation of who I was or the person I wanted to become.
My life was chaotic, my self esteem was low and my home environment was not feeding my soul.
Day after day I spent time in a home that was draining my energy; I felt trapped and was desperate to make a change, any change that would make me feel good.
I knew I didn't have a lot of time or money but I needed to do something! One day while my son was napping I took a walk around each room in my home and began to daydream, to ask myself questions: What do I really like about the space? What don't I like? What colors can I imagine in here that would make me feel good? How do I want this space to function? What is my intention for this room? What particular items in this room make me happy? How does this room really make me feel? I had to shut off my designer mind...
the one that was telling me the room should look or function a certain way, and really got in touch with how I felt deep down - what my soul was yearning for this space to be like.
I knew from experience that I didn't want my home to look like a magazine or a trophy home; one that looks great but not a space you can truly "live in" - being a designer I had seen that mistake made too many times before.
I wanted my home to be a space where my boys could be boys...
play and be messy without me totally freaking out that they were trashing a $3000 sofa or rug; but I also wanted it to be a space that reflected my love for art and my husband's love for sports - a space where we could entertain family and friends in style.
Taking the time to figure this all out was not only a necessity in beginning to make our house a home but it was also an exercise in learning how to take some time for me - something I didn't do very much of in those days.
You see like so many of us women I am a giver - So much of my day was spent giving of myself to others that by the time I collapsed into bed each night there was absolutely nothing left.
Little did I know that this small soul searching exercise about how I truly wanted my home to look, function and feel was the first step down a road to great personal growth.
It made me realize that what is important to me matters and this realization had a profound effect on my overall well being.
I knew right then and there that I would use my home as a laboratory, an experiment so to speak, in creating an environment that would feed my soul and make my spirits soar.
Fast forward 16 years.
My boys are now teenagers and as I look back I'd have to say my little "experiment" was a smashing success.
With the help of my husband, two boys and one very handy father, we have created a home that is warm, welcoming and one we all love to come home to.
The road has been long and at times the journey wasn't easy...
frankly there were times when I thought the remodeling wasn't happening fast enough; but honestly I wouldn't have changed a thing.
The look of sheer joy on my son's face when he smashed down the wall to our dining room with a sledge hammer was priceless, and the night we spent talking and laughing while having a picnic on the living room floor when our kitchen was being remodeled is a night I'll never forget.
Today our home is a colorful one filled with special things that have meaning and fond memories for all of us.
For each family member it is a sanctuary, a space that reflects our individuality and very different personalities...
To me it is a little piece of heaven.
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