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Slowly but surely

Some mundane updates on our home, two months in.

By Life & Muse

June 22^nd, 2019

"How’s the new place coming along?

This is probably the most common question we get nowadays. And rightfully so, as it’s been just over two months since moving into our new home. That said, the anticlimactic response has been: “Slowly.”

The truth is, we haven’t really done much since the move. At least, it hasn’t felt like much.

In reflection though, I suppose we actually got a handful of small things done. These updates aren’t glamorous enough to leave a dinner table oohing and ahhing, but they’ve been fundamental to making the new space feel more like a home, so I guess they should count for something.

Read on for some mundane updates on what home ownership has looked like for us so far. No feelings will be hurt if you choose to wait for a future post covering more substantial progress though.

I’ve referenced products where available only for the benefit of your curiosity. This post doesn’t include any affiliate links.

Living room

Most things we own currently fit into the living room. The large bookshelf in particular has become a magnet for all our random knick knacks (and even a few books!). Our blue velvet couch fits decently into the bay window, with Big Boy (our giant Bird of Paradise plant — healthy, despite all odds) filling the nook behind it. The coffee table definitely fits awkwardly into the shape of the room and the media credenza, sandwiched between Jacob Jr (our pink Ficus) and a mound of Zoey’s toys, looks minuscule against the wider wall. But hey, it holds our Netflix machine (aka tv), so it still serves a pretty noble role. Meanwhile, our area rug keeps everything visually connected and the neighbors safe from our heavy footing.

The only piece that truly contributes to the eventual vision of this space is our beloved Eames lounge chair. Then again, that chair will make any room feel like a bespoke palace.

Guest room

Up until June, this was our bedroom. Fitted with our existing queen bed and our gray dining-turned-decorative chair, this bedroom hosted us temporarily while we waited for our new bed.

Master bedroom

Our new king bed finally arrived recently and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying the newfound real estate (though let’s be honest, Hanna and I have the same space as before, while Zoey has gotten a serious upgrade). That said, choosing the right bedsheets, duvet, and pillows is still an ongoing adventure (your recommendations are appreciated).

Hanna also spent a bunch of time organizing our closet. I mentioned this was probably our least favorite part of the home, but we’ve managed to make it work for now. We also learned pretty quickly that the previous owners were tall and the height of the closet shelves is a daily reminder of that.

Office

Beyond the minimal desk setup, the office is pretty much a catch-all for miscellaneous things we haven’t found a permanent home for yet (and yes, our desk is a mess already). Our old ladder shelf makes for a great space for old notebooks, camera gear, and electronics, while the dual closets offer phenomenal storage for shoes, jackets, and other miscellaneous items.

I’ve taken a few work calls from this room already so throwing down our old living room rug was a must for sound dampening.

Kitchen

The kitchen in all its functional storage glory has been Hanna’s personal playground. While I need to revisit the notes from her orientation session, I feel assured that there’s a method to the madness of how she’s organized every dish, spice, and utensil. One thing’s for sure, it feels liberating to have a place for everything.

Dining room

The shell of our future gathering space remains indeed just a shell. Though with a stocked liquor and wine cabinet (a necessary investment from the first weekend we moved in) and our new dining table and chairs, one could argue we’ve got the foundational elements for a gathering already. Our dining chairs also give away a first glimpse at our future color scheme for this room, which we’re equally intimidated and excited by.

Hallway

We’ve yet to define a solid vision for the connecting artery of our home, but it’s also given us some time to better understand its functional needs. In a few short weeks, we’ve already seen habits develop around where we keep our shoes, hang our jackets, leave our keys, and wipe Zoey’s paws after her walks. As such, out of necessity, the hallway has inherited a few old pieces to support some of these workflows; our bar cart has been repurposed as an entry way table, while our heavy-as-hell console table now sits midway down the corridor. Both surfaces are also strategically placed to facilitate better Wifi access points. Speaking of which...

Electronics

Left to my own, ahem, devices, I’d easily find myself living out the rest of my years researching, buying, installing, and tinkering with home electronics. Luckily, fate found me Hanna, a real life ground that keeps me from short circuiting (that metaphor got away from me quickly). With that disclaimer out of the way, I’m happy to say we do have a minimal set of devices that help us live out our best lives at home.

Google Wifi routers: a necessary investment to help the signal travel down the length of our home and through all the walls. These are hands down the best routers I’ve ever used.
Sonos speakers: we already had a Play 3 and Play 1, and plan to pickup a few more to equip each room with. The newer models that support AirPlay are a game changer.
Phillips Hue smart lights: I’m on the fence with whether to invest further here. Timers and scenes are nice, but there are a lot of scenarios where manually flicking a switch is actually more efficient (though I suppose I could install smart switches too... you see how slippery this slope gets?).
Nest alarm and cameras: researching what home alarm system to go with was a dark and endless rabbit hole. In the end, I chose a brand that I trusted and had the best hardware and app usability. So far so good!

Interior designer

Lastly, and probably one of the more exciting updates worth sharing: we’ve decided to hire an interior designer to help us bring our vision to life. As our first time taking on a project like this, we felt like some focused expertise would be beneficial in safe guarding our intent to design a home that was functional, beautiful, and meaningful.

That said, this is the kind of project we wanted to get our hands dirty with. Unafraid of rolling up our sleeves, we sought out designers that could collaborate closely with us — push back on dumb ideas, riff off the good ones, and bring even better ones to the table. We’re just getting started with the engagement (also one of the reasons we’ve temporarily paused some decisions) but I’ll be sure to share more details soon.

Slowly but surely

Our spaces may not be Pinterest worthy (yet), but it certainly feels more like a home than when we first moved in. We're unbelievably excited about this project and can only imagine how well this post will serve us in the near future as a reference to what came before.

If you run into us, don't stop asking how the new place is coming along. It adds some much needed pressure to maintain momentum, even if that momentum slows to a crawl occasionally.