New Home, New Blog

Hello, there!

It's been ages since I've done any sort of blogging, but I'm really excited to be back and to be doing it with purpose!

For many years - probably since I rented my first apartment - I've always loved interior design and decorating. For me, each empty room is full of possibility and opportunity! I've taken on many a DIY project over the years to try to create interesting spaces on a limited budget. I've picked things up off the side of the road and tried to turn them into something beautiful and interesting. When you're a college student and broke young adult, it's what you have to do. But one thing always held true: It's important to me to create a space that feels like home.

Over the years, my style has evolved and (thankfully!) my budget has, too. When I lived alone for the first time in a 420 square foot studio apartment, I was finally able to create a space that was 100% me (love you, past roommates, but compromise is hard!). And it was the first time I actually *bought* things to furnish my place. And so began my love affair with Wayfair.com. I learned that I really love blue, in many shades. I learned how to buy a room-appropriate sized sofa. I learned about using different textures and shades to create a cohesive style. I also learned that you don't have to furnish your apartment all at once and throw yourself into debt doing it (oops).

Fast forward a couple years, and my boyfriend (now fiancé) and I moved in to our first apartment together. This is when I *really* learned about compromise and give and take when it comes to home decor, which is something I still struggle with from time to time. I learned to accept his big brown recliner sofa, which is suuuper comfortable but not very stylish, and he learned to accept my need for a pair of matching nightstands. Together we created a cute apartment that we both liked and which worked well for us at the time. In my head, though, I never stopped dreaming about the design and decor possibilities that awaited our first home purchase...

Which brings us to this blog. One year ago today we bought our first house, a duplex in St. Paul, Minnesota. We had always planned on buying a duplex, living there for several years and then buying a single family home (while renting out the duplex). In the year that we lived in our duplex, we remodeled our entire kitchen (painted walls and cabinets, painted countertops with epoxy resin coating, added a backsplash, got new floors and all new appliances), repainted the entire apartment (all walls and ceilings), refinished the entry stairs and installed all new light fixtures. By the time we were done with the place, it looked completely different and totally gorgeous.

I wish I had started this blog back when we first started working on our duplex, so that you could see how much work and how much of a transformation our efforts made. But that's why I decided to start blogging now! Almost exactly one year after closing on our duplex, we put an offer on a beautiful single family home less than 2 miles away. We are now the proud owners of our first real home, the first home that is ours and ours alone. No more sharing walls with others!

Introducing... Casa Del Sol! Named after the large array of solar panels that came with the house. We are powered by the sun, baby!

As I always have before, I find myself looking around my new space and imagining all the possibilities. There is sooo much potential here! I can't wait to turn this house into a home and to give it some real flair and personality. And I'm excited to share this journey with you all!

xo,

Sam

Oh, before you go, check out some "before" pictures of our home (photos are from the real estate listing):