My First House
Today I am reminiscing and wondering about a road not taken.
I went to college in The Bronx. I had always wanted to be a part of life in New York City. I loved, and still do love, New York. After college, I worked in Manhattan for nine years, married, had a child and got divorced along the way. As a single mother, I decided it would be far more beneficial for us (for my daughter and for me) to live somewhere other than New York City. I accepted a job as a sales manager at a TV station in Salt Lake City, Utah and my toddler daughter and I headed west for our new adventure.
After living in an apartment for so many years, I was beyond excited to have a house! Becoming a decorator/designer was always my dream job. I have been ripping pages out of shelter magazines since I was in grade school. I have always been drawn to antiques, patterned fabrics, color on the walls, blue and white decor, and an overall feel of comfort. I am sentimental about furniture and decorative objects. I love items in the home to have a back story - whether it's an heirloom, a hand me down, your child's artwork, the thrill of the hunt in finding the piece, the restoration of it, etc. If a house is filled with these great memories, the house is a big step closer to becoming a comfortable home for you and your family.
Our house in Salt Lake City was purchased in 1999 and my tastes have certainly matured and evolved since then, it's fun to see though that how I felt when I was young about home, design and decorating mostly remains in tact.
Here are some pictures of the living room soon after we moved in. The sofas and wing back chairs were hand me downs from my parents that I had slipcovered.
Fun fact, the fabric matches the fabric on the sofa in the living room of Kathleen Kelly's brownstone apartment (Meg Ryan's character) in the You've Got Mail movie (below). This was the vibe I was hoping to eventually achieve throughout my entire house. We still had a long way to go lol.
Here are some pictures of our kitchen. My mom and I went to look for dining chairs the day I moved in because I did not have any. It was serendipitous that we went to a consignment store that had just received these six chairs. The seats were covered in a faded Ralph Lauren type floral that went perfectly with the terra cotta tile floor and they were a bargain! We actually still have these chairs and I just recently changed the fabric on the seat cushions. I painted the walls yellow one night after work. They were white when we moved in and I wanted to add a little contrast. We did also eventually add some artwork to the walls :-)
Here is my bedroom with the little lady of the house. This headboard is actually a door I found on the sidewalk and you can see a few glimpses of blue and white here.
As for the road not taken. I entertained people I worked with at the house a lot and I was often complimented on my taste. I helped a few people from my office with furniture placement and fabric choices and was encouraged by them to do it for a living. I often wonder what my life would be like today if I had had the confidence then to give it a try. Timing is everything, praying now is the time!
Thank you for stopping by, Kerry
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