Making a Home

Last night we picked up a very simple used ikea table and chairs that we bought for $40 via craigslist. We plan to eventually IKEA HACK the table and add hairpin legs and a nice stain JUST LIKE THIS GIRL DID. Maybe I have eaten dinner in my lap a few too many times or maybe having something sitting in the middle of the dining room instead of an empty space, but the idea of having an actual (albeit only hand me down ikea) table made me feel a little more at home.

 Our new (used) table....

Our hope is to transform our table just like this...

And, it's not just the table, it's the memories we will make and the events that will take place at the table....Wine and cake for birthdays,saturday morning pancakes, thanksgiving with my sister, brother in law and nephew. Even the chore of taking the table apart to sand, stain and add new legs seems more like an important memory to make as we put together our home.

And, so, of course, I was a cheeseball and hugged Dave and jokingly (not too jokingly) said,"Look Sweetie, we are making our little home"--and of course he responded by humoring me and saying," yes we are babe" (while simultaneously rolling his eyes -- if not outwardly rolling his eyes, he was rolling his eyes on the inside, but as I said, he kindly humored me!)

It got me thinking about how important it is to make a home - not just live in a house. We spent the first month of marriage without our stuff (and a grand 2 months without furniture, etc for Dave) and then spent a couple weeks unpacking and have slowly been purchasing additional furniture and hanging pictures and arranging and rearranging furniture (seriously, we live in 650 square feet max, how many ways can we "arrange" furniture??) And with each step towards making our house more "homey", I have felt more at home.

Humans are funny but unique creatures when it comes to living arrangements. All we tecnichally need is enough space, warmth, cover and a few practical furnishings. YET we long for so much more than functionality, we long for beauty. And even more importantly,we long for comfort and a sense of self in our surroundings. We could easilly get by with just 4 walls, a fireplace or heater and a few pieces of practical furniture, but we all want home to be more.

Homes tell you so much about the people living in them. I love clean lines and simplicity which is evident by my midcenturity pieces of furniture (slowly collected over the years). Dave loves modern touches. I love for spaces to feel warm and welcoming which is displayed through cheerful oranges, blues and greens in my living room. Dave loves to hunt and you can easilly see that in the framed camo pictures and gray and white deerhead pillow on our bed. Neither of us care for frilly or dainty which is why you see practically no floral prints or lacy decor in our house. We love our home state, Mississippi, which is why so much of our artwork is prints and paintings of Mississippi or from Mississippi. We don't have much money at the moment which is why there are walmart bookcases and craigslist finds mixed in with our leather couches, modern lamps and authentic midcentury pieces. If you combine our two personalities, they are so readilly apparent in our decor -- we are young, simple, warm, modern southern loving people. We aren't very fancy or wealthy, but we are welcoming (atleast I hope we always are welcoming) I truly think our home is starting to come together in a way that gives off that impression.


I love visiting people homes - small or large -- and seeing their personalities reflected through the small touches.  Sometimes the house looks exactly like I would picture it, and sometimes I am surprised and learn so much about them! (and I promise, for our friends and family far away, as our apartment is finally coming together, I will eventually post a blog picture tour and maybe you will see small touches of us in our home!!)

So, I will smile- with every piece of furniture we purchase, every picture we hang and every pillow we carefully place on the couch. DC is new, marriage is new-- and each is beginning to feel more and more like home to us -- imperfect but happy, with parts of both of us mixed in :)