Creating A Home

Since moving to our new house in December, I've quickly compiled a "To Buy" list as long as my arm. The "To Do" list isn't much shorter. Every day, it seems we need more *new* things than you can shake a stick at.

We need rugs for various rooms since the house has mostly hardwood floors. I love wool rugs, but they can be crazy expensive and I can't seem to find any that are "just right".

We need furniture for rooms that never existed in our former apartment-dwelling lives, including spare bedrooms, a large family room, a proper home office, a laundry room! Who knew finding a great old-fashioned laundry basket could be such work?

We've consolidated our furniture collections. Some of it is amazing and some of it is junk! Some things need a coat of paint to rejuvenate them, and to help fit them in with other pieces, but in many cases, there are gaps that just need filled with something *new* (to us) and wonderful!

We need mirrors, more art(!), new picture frames. We have blankets and bedding as old as the hills, and need some good-quality replacements. I have hunted all of Calgary for a nice tablecloth and have resigned myself to Williams-Sonoma's prices. Isn't she a beauty?
The long list of cosmetic work makes my head spin. All the light fixtures but one need replaced. Traditional window coverings left by the previous owners need changed, and several rooms still must be painted, single-handedly by me, as I struggle with my ever-fickle heart as it tries to settle on a colour scheme that reflects how truly rare and amazing I am! Is there a colour for that? Yes, it is called Perfection and it doesn't exist. Okay, "Silver Sage" by Restoration Hardware, as Linda showcased on her "Restyled Home" blog, is close to perfect!

Have we discussed brass? There are brass kitchen knobs (50 in total!) to replace, ugly brass light fixtures to remove (and destroy). And did I mention that all the switchplates, register covers, and door knobs in the entire house are brass? Those all need changed, now!!!

Architecturally, I simply must replace all the trim work in the house, as well as upgrading all the doors and their knobs. I want to remove the popcorn ceiling. Yes, we have a popcorn infestation. And floral wallpaper borders in the master bath are killing me softly.

In the furniture department, we need to replace David's old sofa and chair in the family room. I need office furniture (and did I mention, a new iMac?), a spare bed for the small guest bedroom, a new bed frame for the large spare bed (see iron bed frame above). I want a new console table for the living room (not this one, but isn't it hotel chic?!)We need a new armchair for the living room too, and new draperies, did I mention? And I want to re-upholster my brand new sofa! Ok, so I will work around it...
But I do have several chairs that will be re-upholstered, either because they are flea-market finds that I left for just such an occasion, or because they simply clash in my new colour scheme daydreams. I have 12 turn-of-the-century dining room chairs that need their pink and green pinstripes (as bought) replaced.

Did I mention we need lamps?

The list IS endless and we're only at the beginning.

I've always loved home decor, but living in small spaces and frequently moving cities (five in 10 or so years), I managed to restrict myself to a small collection of good-quality furniture and a small-ish collection of flea-market finds for the day when I would have an actual honest-to-goodness home. I have tons of small objects trouves (found objects), and a nice little art collection, but it all needs to be slowly coordinated with David's things, edited, and so on.

This takes time! Shopping time! Rumination time! And sadly, I must go to the office at least 40 hours per week, and spend another 10h per week commuting, which cuts dramatically into my decorating time.

Deciding where to spend my money has been my pastime for the last 7 months. I've finally visited most of the hip and cool and many uncool design stores in Calgary. I've been to the upscale ones, the downscale ones, the antique stores, the boutiques, and the flea markets. I've found the fabrics and the upholsterers and even a lovely decorator who gives me free counsel when I drop by her store. Now, it's time to start spending, to start putting it all together.


I am both excited and terrified....