TW: This house was taken back to factory settings. Brace yourselves.
One night, I was sitting in bed and decided to Google our old house. Rookie mistake. I knew I shouldn’t. What I experienced as I boldly typed our former address into the search bar was akin to googling an ex whom I am sure is now up to no good, and then finding their mug shots online. Dissappointed, but not surprised. {For the record, this has also happened to me.}
No one should ever do this; let that be known. I’ve googled my childhood homes before. It’s always the same. For some reason, I’m perpetually thrown that the lovely lavender color adorning the walls in my former bedroom is now a garish red. But this one. This one was special. Doesn’t the universe know this?! It was the house that built us. We brought our babies home to this house. We experienced heartbreak and laughter here. The day we moved out, we listed all the paint colors and gave details on how to care for the plants in the back, and how to properly clean the marble tile in the shower. We adored this home. It’s always hard to say goodbye and we didn’t expect things to stay the same. But now the shrubs are square like a McDonald’s drive-thru, the tree we planted in the front yard is gone, and the original hideaway is gray (StOp PaInTiNg ThInGs GrAy– Beige on beige is the new gray is the new shiplap. STOP.} What we have on our hands is a classic Americana tragedy.
Yep, we homeschooled for a while. This guy just finished his first year in college.
And then, I couldn’t resist. Because if I have to see it, so do you. I was left with a few mixed feelings. Most of them are good. A lot of them are really focused on the poor execution of gray. The fact that I’m a designer for a living, mixed with my emotional attachment to this house we owned for nearly nine years, affords me some humorous acknowledgment. Here are a few things I learned from Googling my house.
LOL they even replaced the hardware. Where did the fun go? At least they kept the PB chandelier.
The kids on Christmas Eve, looking at all the damage those elves did.
You can’t control what other people do,
And at the end of the day, we can be nothing but grateful. This is a living metaphor for that. Let it go, but also maybe freak out a little first because you’re allowed to. It’s equal parts cathartic and horribly disappointing, just like finding your ex online. You don’t want to see it, but also, you really do. Please tell me I’m not alone here.
You may remember that we took this house from UPS brown to fill it with personality and memories. This house started my career. It’s now been sent back to its factory settings. I realize this says more about me, looking it up with high expectations, hoping that little house is happy, than it does about the succession of owners after us. I am highly aware of that. We hope someone someday will have a little fun with it. In the end, that location, town, and city were never for us. We’re so grateful that we were able to take the leap, move, and change the trajectory of our family and careers. It was clearly the best decision of our lives. At the end of the day, I can be nothing but grateful. Looking back is always a reminder of how things have changed for us personally.
Nothing is forever.
We work hard on replacing the floors, painting the walls, and choosing the perfect window treatments after gazing at the latest box store catalog. But nothing lasts forever. And the material things really just don’t matter. We can’t take it with us. We have to be at peace with that.
It was about the memories for me. It’s the only thing that matters.
We were so proud of this mantel makeover.
Give yourself permission to break the rules.
To try new things. To make mistakes and have fun. This house shows my growth as a designer. It was far from perfect. It had also been featured in multiple publications and a few TV shows in its heyday. When we sold it, no one cared. At closing, the new owner declared she was ripping out the loft bed. And the barnwood shelving in the front room. And the built-ins in the playroom. She also declared she was painting over everything. Yes, she did have children. Ok. I guess she was going through some stuff. The realtor herself was appalled and nearly fell on the floor. I think what I’m trying to say is that people are afraid to try new things. If she wanted a boring house, she could have purchased one three houses down with the very same floor plan.
My point? We should all give ourselves permission to have a little fun. My style has changed. I made mistakes. Duh. Let’s be clear. I don’t expect perfection in the new photos that I found. I would have obviously made significant changes if we’d stayed. Give yourself permission to break the rules and have a little fun, and learn something about yourself in the process. Because the muting of colors and ripping out of everything… is a crime against humanity. You’re boring. Gray is not the answer.
Gosh I loved this room.
Each house tells a story.
It’s really quite interesting when you think about it. We went from this brand-new build to our current home. What we uncovered here were old linoleum floors underneath tile, wallpaper remnants, and toys in the air vents. Each owner left their mark in their own way. These photos of this house show the results of a domino effect. It wasn’t the work of just one person but of multiple owners. It’s like a game of telephone, but instead, it’s a house. One person ripped out all the fun stuff, and well, it just got grayer from there.
This was a process when I went digging into all the listings, where the walls were sad, owners slowly stole the lights, and the curtains became much shorter. {Like, make a decision, because hovering lengths is NEVER the answer–did someone actually shorten those beautiful linen curtains in the primary??? I made those. Yes, I am offended. I would have no soul if I weren’t.} So, each house tells a story. Each owner changes it to what they want it to be.
PS. If I died right now, and my soul left my body, I would probably go back to haunt the people who left the photos of the house looking that way in the last listing. Oh, wait, it would be the lady who ripped out the loft bed.
But, at the end of the day, let them. {That doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to take a trip down memory lane and write about it first.}
No, loft beds do not serve everyone. This house clearly fits the needs of those who live there now. I am not coming after anyone’s choices on how to live there. Let me make that clear. These owners in the last listing don’t even know an awesome bed once existed there. I hope they are living their best lives. I just want this house to be happy.
I just want to know… where did all the lights go? Another tragedy. We left these sweet little shelves behind. It was such a fun walk-through closet, too. That’s gone now. Should’ve kept all this for my art supplies.
But also…Grey everywhere needs to die.
And maybe pay attention to the tones on your floor before defaulting to that color. It’s not working in the living room. A gentle suggestion to the new owners is that Shoji or Alabaster might be a nice warming effect to try if you wish to stay neutral. I have no idea what we were thinking choosing floors with so much red in them. That one is on us. But grey is not the answer. It was the loft bed hater lady’s favorite color. This will haunt me for the rest of my life.
While I’m at it, side tangent: What is this beige mom aesthetic? Nurseries with zero color? Add that to the list of things you’ll regret. Stop being allergic to color and hire a designer already. You’re clearly afraid. There I said it. Yes, I sound like the next breed of old lady, but I’m also right.
So many sweet memories were made here when we finished off our porch and added this small addition.
It’s more than just a house to us.
I truly wish each owner the very best, as all joking aside, I do not know their life circumstance. I hope they have fun holidays, sweet memories, and wonderful moments. Just like we did in that house, this doesn’t mean they have to have a loft bed or star walls. Maybe pick a fun color or two. I really hope they’re enjoying each space to the fullest, and making a real home there. I also really hope it’s not now an AIRBNB. And to the person who painted over these stars: kick rocks.
Before you come at me with “BuT iTs ThEiR HoUsE NoW”
you’re missing the point entirely and didn’t read. Yes, these are sterile listing photos vs. my life and memories. It can appear I’m being petty on the surface. That’s because I am. My daughter sent me this on TikTok. If you get it, you get it. If you don’t get it, you love grey. Photos borrowed from here.
Okay now I’m offended. Where did my jasmine go? It was full and beautiful when we sold it. Do people not want to enjoy their lives? Shocked the back door is still yellow… but I guess it goes wonderfully with grey.
Have you googled your old homes? What’s something you learned? I realized that I can be salty. Oh, wait, I already knew that. So, if you haven’t googled your home… don’t do it. Learn from my mistakes. Let that house live forever in your sweet memories, and try not to have nightmares of what happened to that antique light fixture. That house was full of life. I hope the last people who purchased it recently filled it back with life again and allowed themselves to have fun and make mistakes while doing so. And that’s the conclusion of this little trip down memory lane.
It’s a good reminder to keep moving forward, and that living in the present is the only thing that really matters.
Have an inspired day!
sweet family photo by @ light by iris
