I’m pretty sure I did a post way back there somewhere about the sad state of our master bedroom…. and because this is real life (as opposed to HGTV) it is still in a ‘not ready for photos’ state. There has been progress, and I’ll show you some snippets and the “plan.” Keeping in mind that all “plans” are a moving target around here! Dan here – in italics, as usual – “plans” around here change right up until the minute you drive the nail. And sometimes after. But the results usually are so good that I really can’t complain.
I’ve tried several times recently to write a post and have been overwhelmed by all the negative things happening in our world. Many of my friends and fellow bloggers have written eloquently about resistance and love …. and I feel as if I have nothing meaningful to add. And I know that, at least for me, when there is so much darkness all around, it is even more important that my home is a haven – a beautiful, safe, and nurturing space. It is from that place of peace and calm that I can go out into the world and try to spread peace and calm.
not Hildring House – from kishaniperera
I keep walking away from my posting attempts thinking to myself: “How can I write about pretty places and sparkly things when there is so much darkness?” But on Sunday I had the opportunity to make things pretty and serve a girly lunch for two of my good friends, and I felt so much lighter.
I am wishing I had some pretty pictures of Hildring House to show you today … but sadly, nothing new is “finished.” sigh. So let’s look at some pretty pictures not Hildring House.
One of the things I love about blogging is the fact that I am encouraged to ‘finish’ things. It’s my deepest darkest secret- I have design ADHD. I get 80 percent finished with a project and in my mind, I can see it as completed. So I just move on to the next thing. Since my “minds eye” does not photograph well, I’m forced to finish things for real if I want to share them with you. This is, in Dan’s opinion, much better than my prior solution of “just sell the house.” That’s how, in the past, I forced myself to finish things: sell the house. That’s pretty motivating.
Dan here – the “sell the house” solution was a great motivator. Debra is a dynamite realtor and she knows what will, in fact, sell the house. The problem – besides moving all the time – is that she would finish things beautifully and we would get to enjoy them for about 10 minutes. My goal for Hildring House is to be able to bask for a while in the comfort of a completed project. Keep following along and root for me, won’t you?
The Mid Century Ranch- an Example of Design ADHD
Photo by Trey FreezePhoto by Trey Freeze
The two pictures above are house-selling photos of the Mid Century Ranch. Eleventy-seven projects finished 5 minutes before listing photos were taken. This was the first project covered in the blog. While many of those posts don’t display properly – my fault, entirely – you can find a slideshow of the transformation here. Continue reading “Pretty Pictures-not Hildring House (sadly)”
We are very lucky to have our grandchildren nearby. They spend a good bit of time at our house, so it was important to us to create a space just for them – the boys’ room. Kids’ rooms run the gamut from “leftover” to “designed-within-an-inch-of-their-lives-cutesy” spaces…
The Boys’ Room Design
I was shooting for something in the middle. A space for sleeping, playing, and storing toys. We have diligently attempted to limit the amount of store-bought toys in the house. Our preference is for them to create their own toys using imagination: boxes, string, whatever they can find. (This is Dan, chiming in. They usually do very well.) And I confess, we often break down (we’re grandparents, after all). Like when we invested in the giant bounce house water slide. So there is that 😉
SPLASH!
It’s not pretty, but it’s oh-so-fun for little boys. (You may remember it from this post.)
Sometimes, “natural demolition” – usually gradual neglect and disuse – leaves a beautiful structure. Take, for instance, this abandoned church in Howth, Ireland:
Wow – seems like forever since I’ve blogged about Chrysalis Casa stuff. We’ve taken a couple of months break, traveling some and thinking about our next project. The 1985 movie “The Goonies” was filmed around Cannon Beach, Oregon. This pic is of Haystack Rock, it’s most iconic natural feature:
The only relevance to this post is that it’s on the Pacific coast, which brings to mind things nautical which, in turn, reminds me of a rental property that we’re in the process of rehabbing. You’ll see why in a minute. Here is a shot of the exterior:
