This post has brought so many feelings of anticipation as well as sadness as we are preparing to move from our beloved Owen home and begin our adventure somewhere new. Our family of four will soon be five and though our home has been good to us, we are rapidly outgrowing our space, but will forever cherish this house we have called home for the last 6 years. This home is what had brought Zac and I together through a mutual friend when he hired me as his designer. It is the place where I spent most of my interior design career getting to put my design skills into practice, leading up to what it is today. And lastly, it is the place that we got to bring our two boys home, and have continued to cultivate many memories here as a growing family.
When I had first moved into this home in 2017, Zac had already lived in this home for about 3 years by then. He had bought this home the year we had met in 2014 and it was mostly empty when I first saw it (months after he had bought it). I walked in and immediately noticed all the windows that welcomed all the natural light the sun had to offer. I also noticed that he had no furniture but a dance floor and maybe a small square table and chairs! When he hired me to decorate his home, he made sure that he was going to be apart of the entire process (unlike many other clients I previously had)... going shopping with me, sitting on a hundred sofas together, making little road trips to design stores, etc. Over time, it became evident that we were in this together for the long haul and our relationship grew over making this house a home. First, I actually made it a bachelor's man cave for him, and then as we got more serious and decided to get married a couple years later, he sweetly wanted me to make it completely ours. Since then, it has gone through many transitions in decor, but finally in the summer of 2019, we decided to renovate before our first son, Liam would make his arrival in April 2020.
Bringing home Liam, watching him take his first steps in the hallway, and then also welcoming Noah to our sweet home as well has made me fall more in love with this place as we slowly began to add more kid-friendly additions, and then eventually their own playroom. Design to me has always been more than just making a beautiful space, it's about creating a space for moments of joy and connection to be shared through beauty and enjoyment for everyone, including little ones! Over the years, our home has been a place where we only collect things that add value to our life and enjoyment as a family. It didn't matter if we got pieces from Target, Amazon, or Ikea... it's more about if it will fit our lifestyle needs as well as our personal taste. Every detail put into our home has come from an expression of creativity through simple pleasures and minimalism. Even our 3 year old enjoys a creative and uncluttered space! I believe that your home is a reflection of your story and values, and that whenever someone walks into it, they will get a sense of your lifestyle, your history, and what matters most to you. I have seen this time and time again as an interior designer, and have sought out to bring out people's story in the designs I have created for them.
So on the happier note, I cannot wait to share with you my best project yet, as I have poured in so much love, sweat and tears over the past 6 years of being here. Welcome to our Owen Home story! In my previous blog, I shared just a sneak peak of our home by sharing my oldest son's toddler room. It is just a glimpse into our life at the current moment, so full of life, fun, and simplicity. These are themes I have followed throughout our home, but each room feels according to its own purpose.
Before
The renovation process took about a month, and Zac let the home be my blank canvas for design. It was truly my dream come true! I knew I wanted white walls, white oak floors, and a softer but brighter color palette as I have always gravitated towards neutrals with little pops of earthy tones with greenery. As a designer, I have had the opportunity to play around with so many styles, that over the years I have gotten more and more confident knowing what I gravitate towards in the long haul, knowing that I will still love it in the coming years. I believe it is so important to choose pieces and a style that you will still love in not only 1-2 years, but 5-10 years as well! When people ask me what my design style is, I usually answer with the laid back and modern California casual. Not quite coastal, but it seems to embrace all the natural elements that the coast tends to embody. The coast also embraces a sense of exuberance and life, as well as tranquility and rest. When designing other people's spaces, I often ask how they want to feel in their home. For me, I wanted to feel alive, yet peaceful. I want to feel grounded, connected, and surrounded by pieces from places I love. I love traveling internationally and so much of my love for design has been influenced by the European styles such as Scandinavian, Parisian, Italian countryside, and the Mediterranean style, as well as a big part of my family culture from Eastern Europe. I have also loved the tropical and laid back styles from my travels to places like Costa Rica and Hawaii, where Zac and I got engaged (Costa Rica) and married (Hawaii). I have loved how art and design are expressed so differently based on topography and culture, and I love how to take the simple elements of all of those styles and combine them into my own.
After
Some of my favorite elements to this home are the natural light, openness, as well as the coziness of it all. Lighting has always been important to me as I love to have the outdoors be a huge part of my every day serenity, so having places to lookout from almost every room in the house has made my heart so full. Another thing I have loved about this home has been the openness as well as the coziness of it all. I love that I get to cook in the kitchen and watch the boys play in the front living room, or when they run outside to play as I wash the dishes or clean the countertops. The kitchen has seen it all, and I have loved the special moments that have happened in this little space (even in the times where it has been a bit of a tight squeeze)! The living spaces have felt separate yet close enough to each other as well as the bedrooms down the hall. Having all white walls, it has been a personal challenge that I've taken head on towards making each room feel warm and inviting, as well as balanced and not too cluttered (especially on the walls). I get many questions from people about where I like to shop, and I can honestly say even though I love a few good designer and hand-made pieces, I have also found many of our furniture from Ikea, Amazon, Target, and other places like Living Spaces, Article, West Elm, Gathre, Serena & Lily, and Etsy or smaller vendors found on Instagram. If you would like to see more on where I find my exact pieces, you can click here to browse my LikeToKnowIt page.
Even as I share this, I can hardly believe all this myself, as I am so torn between the excitement of what lies ahead, and the sad feelings of leaving behind what has felt like a baby to us and all the memories that came with it. In this home, there has been so much growth in ourselves, in our marriage and in our family, and it feels so surreal to be stepping into more growth while starting over in a place where we will make new memories and build a new home together as a family of 5. The design journey does not end here though. In fact, it is just the beginning...a new beginning! While saying goodbye to this home, I am also looking ahead to the next design adventure that awaits us! Stay tuned :)
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