A new chapter has unfolded, and it feels incredible to finally welcome you into our new home, even if it’s virtually! It has been exactly one month since we officially crossed the threshold, and while we’re a tad embarrassed it’s taken us this long to share a proper video tour, trust us when we say every moment has been packed with purpose. Consider this our sincere apology – a playful virtual high-five, if you will – for the delay, but also an invitation to witness the early stages of our home transformation journey.
Moving into a new house is always an exhilarating whirlwind, and our first month has been no exception. From the moment the last box was carted in, our lives have been a delightful blur of activities, each one bringing us closer to truly settling in and making this space our own. We dove headfirst into the organized chaos of unpacking, meticulously finding a place for every cherished item and discovering the true dimensions of our storage needs. Endless lists were compiled, crossed off, and then promptly rewritten as new priorities emerged. The nursery painting project commenced, a labor of love filled with anticipation and dreams for the future. Practical details like door frosting for added privacy and removing outdated bi-fold doors to enhance flow and openness were tackled with enthusiasm. We ordered the perfect duvet to ensure cozy nights and assembled our new bed, transforming a mere room into a comfortable sanctuary.
The quest for essential appliances led us on an exciting washer and dryer hunt, culminating in the joyous arrival of our new machines – a moment of pure domestic bliss we’ll share more about soon! We reimagined spaces by removing old shelves and then meticulously arranging and painting built-in bookcases, envisioning walls lined with stories and cherished decor. And let’s not forget the intriguing challenge of dealing with a plethora of mirrors, some placed in rather unconventional spots, which sparked many a design discussion. Even amidst the larger projects, we celebrated our first holiday here, decorating a Christmas tree that brought warmth and festive cheer, only to dismantle it shortly after, marking the passage of our first few weeks. Each task, big or small, has been a step towards imbuing this house with our personality and turning it into a cherished home.
Finally, with most of the initial flurry behind us, we grabbed our camera to give you a genuine, unfiltered peek into our new digs. What you’re about to see is a raw, real-time snapshot of the house as it stands right now. Please forgive the initial amateur camera work – consider it an authentic “Blair Witch Project” style tour, filled with genuine excitement rather than cinematic precision. We promise future tours will be much smoother! You can watch it below, or if you prefer, catch it here on YouTube. For those at work, simply mute the video, and you’ll still get a fantastic sense of the layout and our current setup.
This initial tour is primarily designed to give you a clear understanding of the home’s layout and how each room seamlessly connects to the next. We wanted to offer never-before-seen angles, providing glimpses into spaces like our closet and kitchen sink, giving you a comprehensive feel for the current structure. We deliberately avoid delving into the extensive list of half-baked projects or our grand future plans during this initial walkthrough. Our philosophy for home transformation is to embrace a “one day at a time” approach. This strategy helps us prevent overwhelm, allowing ideas to organically evolve as we live in the space and discover its true potential. It’s a journey of continuous discovery, where each decision is made thoughtfully and deliberately, rather than rushing into choices we might later regret.
We genuinely hope you enjoy this foundational look around our new home without feeling the need to immediately ask about our plans for specific sinks, beds, walls, rooms, or windows, or inquire about whether we’re keeping, painting, or replacing particular fixtures. While we deeply appreciate your inquisitive nature and enthusiasm, the honest truth is that we’re still in the very early stages of conceptualizing and are far from set on anything concrete. Our minds are buzzing with countless ideas, and the beauty of this process lies in allowing those ideas to mature and transform as we experience the house firsthand. This is precisely why we are committed to tackling each project and making every decision in real-time, sharing our progress and insights on the blog as we go. This approach means less future conjecturing and more authentic, step-by-step documentation of our home’s evolution. We’ve learned that things invariably change along the way, and flexibility is key to a truly successful and enjoyable renovation journey.
To help you better navigate and visualize the space, we’ve included the rough floor plan we shared prior to moving in. This visual aid is incredibly useful for cross-referencing with the video tour, especially if you’re someone who appreciates understanding the spatial dynamics (my partner certainly is!). It’s worth noting that some rooms are labeled differently in the floor plan below compared to how they’re referenced in the video. For instance, what we’ve designated as the “living room” in the floor plan currently serves as our future dining room. For a more detailed explanation of these discrepancies and an alternative floor plan that illustrates our long-term layout changes, you can find more information here. Understanding the initial layout provides an excellent baseline for appreciating the transformations we envision for each area.
The journey of turning a house into a cherished home is an ongoing process, filled with discoveries, challenges, and immense satisfaction. This initial tour marks the beginning of that exciting adventure, a raw and honest portrayal of where we are right now. It’s a testament to the fact that home renovation isn’t always about grand reveals, but often about the small, consistent efforts that gradually shape a space.
We anticipate that once we are further along with the transformation, perhaps several months or even a year down the line, we will be able to shoot a more formal and polished house tour. That future tour will undoubtedly feature more refined camera work and showcase the tangible progress we’ve made. Until then, please accept our renewed apologies for any spinning, shaking, or other potentially nausea-inducing maneuvers you might have experienced in this inaugural video. We sincerely hope no one lost their breakfast – be it croissant, cheerio’s, pop tart, or egg sandwich – during this virtual walkthrough! The silver lining, of course, is that a virtual mishap means absolutely no clean-up required on our end. We’re simply delighted to have shared this authentic first look with you and eagerly await the opportunity to share our evolving home with you again in the future. Stay tuned for more updates, projects, and the unfolding story of our home!