The first in the series of When the Designer Becomes the Client #TheStoneleigh23
My husband and I have always loved a certain neighborhood in our town. It’s hard not to fall in love – Stoneleigh Park has an inherent charm that just makes it magnetic and irresistible. It boasts a sweet, oval street lined with mature trees and even more mature homes that are as unique as the families within them. The houses are old…really old. The kind of old that smells like countless memories from decades earlier.
As we passed through Stoneleigh Park one day, we were delightfully surprised (and shocked) to see that one of our favorite homes was for sale. We went back the very next day to make an offer and almost like magic, it was ours.
Our offer was accepted, and the panic officially began to set in. We were the proud owners of not one, but two uniquely beautiful homes?!
It wasn’t more than 8 years prior to this that we completed our dream home. I had designed a sanctuary for our family, and my husband Robert built it alongside me. The home is LEED Gold certified and the plan is based on a not-so-new old house feel. I know what you’re thinking…what exactly does a not-so-new old house look like?
Well, it’s worth noting that old homes were compartmentalized for their use. Before the chaos that came with the Internet, TVs, carpool lanes, busy schedules, and even busier kids…people actually lived in their homes. Quarantining in the midst of a global pandemic has certainly slowed many busy families, and we’ve all gotten a taste of what it means to actually have to live in our homes again. I’d be willing to bet that your home has undergone its fair share of rearranging, redecorating, or renovations to accommodate for your family spending so much more time at home.
Over the last few decades, fully open floor plans have become wildly popular, though I’ve never really cared for them. Open concept floor plans are guaranteed to require compromise in so many previously cherished spaces of a home. The loss of a foyer in so many new homes breaks my heart just a little bit – entering a home is a series of small, beautiful moments that culminate at the end of a visit. And it’s shortcuts like eliminating a foyer space that take a little bit of magic away from the beauty of a home. I’ll talk more about this in a future blog post, so stay tuned.
Looking back on the moment we found out that our offer was accepted, I had no idea that my perspective and understanding of design was about to change forever. Even more shockingly, I didn’t realize just how much more I would soon sympathize with my clients who are faced with seemingly endless decisions during their own renovation projects. This series exists to let you peek behind the scenes of our journey as we renovate our brand-new old home. So, pull up a chair, and enjoy a front-row seat to the ups, the downs, and everything in between.
