I love the age of my rental, the dark wood trim showing the love the original builders installed. I love the way there's laminate wood paneling that shows the renovations of other lives. I love how it's the first place that has felt like home. And I love the knowledge that one day I will need to move but will have this stamp on my life as the safe haven and sanctuary it was for me, and wish the next occupant will have the same love.
Have been renting the same cinderella style home (that’s the name of these tract homes built in the 50’s in my area) for the last decade+ and am thankful for the popcorn ceilings, separate kitchen (no open floor plans here), and the pony wall unique to these old homes. The things I love about my home now are the things I used to be embarrassed by as a renter and not being able to change these things. I now realize these things add character and charm to my home and I don’t need my place to look like everyone else’s. It’s been eye opening and humbling. ❤️ There’s bits of previous renter’s handiwork around and it’s good to share a piece of this story.
I LOVE that you've been renting the same place for that long. How special, to have a space that is yours like this, that you can care for. I think we often become so obsessed with the idea of buying a house (we've only ever rented), but there's something so much easier and almost exciting about caring for a space that has been "loaned" to us for a while.
I've lived in a lot of homes too, like, I've had over forty actual addresses in my life. Started with my parents and I have only recently slowed down, staying in place for extended periods. I think we bring our childhoods with us to our current surroundings for sure! I know that it's also not necessarily a good thing. My father was militant about cleanliness in the shared spaces of the house (my room was a disaster, most likely a rebellion on my part) and still to this day I have to tell myself that it's ok if things aren't as if it was staged for a magazine shoot. "Who is going to see this?!" I ask myself, and leave the things as they are.
I had a very "clean" parent, too, and my room was always the disaster space of the house, ha! But also such a creative haven for me. It is a healing journey to let ourselves be ok with the mess!
Oh, I love this piece so much. Thank you. We live in a home built in the 1950s by the original homeowner. Now it’s ours to steward and love. It takes me back in time. It has never-ending projects for us, but that feels to me now like hope instead of pressure. This home has become a metaphor for me of life and marriage; it has been the inspiration for much of my writing. I love the light pouring out from the windows on a dark night and the warmth of the home’s embrace as I approach the back door. I love the hardwood floors in the living room and dining room and the color I painted the walls after stripping off the wallpaper. I am at peace here, in the messiness of life and love. ❤️
It's so lovely how our homes become inspiration for our creative work. In my first book, I dedicated it not just to my family, but to the little apartment where the stories were written. It was definitely NOT a great place to live, but my god, was it sacred nonetheless!
This was such a lovely, timely read! I've been very slow and methodical this year about putting up Advent/winter/Christmas decorations, and really love your mindset.
Our home (the first and only house that my husband and I have purchased together) has been ours for 7 years now. It's a ranch-style, cozy little place that was built in the 1950's, and I *think* we're the 4th family to live here. I love our hardwood floors, (unused) fireplace, real oak wall paneling and cast iron wood stove in the basement family room, and the non-open floor plan. Hah! Being able to shut the pocket door between the kitchen and rest of the main floor saves my ADHD brain most evenings. The most edifying thing is when our 7 year old daughter asks if we can just stay in all weekend because she loves our cozy home so much. 🥲
This may sound like a cliche, but I love the white windowsills in our new rental house. This autumn I’ve loved adding little touches: a candle, acorns, drying leaves and plants that are labeled weeds but look so pretty to me. Now I’m looking for winter things. Our old house was very dark and had no windowsills. I think having these tiny spaces to decorate makes it more fun and doable for me.
I love the age of my rental, the dark wood trim showing the love the original builders installed. I love the way there's laminate wood paneling that shows the renovations of other lives. I love how it's the first place that has felt like home. And I love the knowledge that one day I will need to move but will have this stamp on my life as the safe haven and sanctuary it was for me, and wish the next occupant will have the same love.
yes! isn't it lovely to know that these places are holding us for special seasons of our lives? thank you for sharing!
Have been renting the same cinderella style home (that’s the name of these tract homes built in the 50’s in my area) for the last decade+ and am thankful for the popcorn ceilings, separate kitchen (no open floor plans here), and the pony wall unique to these old homes. The things I love about my home now are the things I used to be embarrassed by as a renter and not being able to change these things. I now realize these things add character and charm to my home and I don’t need my place to look like everyone else’s. It’s been eye opening and humbling. ❤️ There’s bits of previous renter’s handiwork around and it’s good to share a piece of this story.
I LOVE that you've been renting the same place for that long. How special, to have a space that is yours like this, that you can care for. I think we often become so obsessed with the idea of buying a house (we've only ever rented), but there's something so much easier and almost exciting about caring for a space that has been "loaned" to us for a while.
I've lived in a lot of homes too, like, I've had over forty actual addresses in my life. Started with my parents and I have only recently slowed down, staying in place for extended periods. I think we bring our childhoods with us to our current surroundings for sure! I know that it's also not necessarily a good thing. My father was militant about cleanliness in the shared spaces of the house (my room was a disaster, most likely a rebellion on my part) and still to this day I have to tell myself that it's ok if things aren't as if it was staged for a magazine shoot. "Who is going to see this?!" I ask myself, and leave the things as they are.
I had a very "clean" parent, too, and my room was always the disaster space of the house, ha! But also such a creative haven for me. It is a healing journey to let ourselves be ok with the mess!
Oh, I love this piece so much. Thank you. We live in a home built in the 1950s by the original homeowner. Now it’s ours to steward and love. It takes me back in time. It has never-ending projects for us, but that feels to me now like hope instead of pressure. This home has become a metaphor for me of life and marriage; it has been the inspiration for much of my writing. I love the light pouring out from the windows on a dark night and the warmth of the home’s embrace as I approach the back door. I love the hardwood floors in the living room and dining room and the color I painted the walls after stripping off the wallpaper. I am at peace here, in the messiness of life and love. ❤️
It's so lovely how our homes become inspiration for our creative work. In my first book, I dedicated it not just to my family, but to the little apartment where the stories were written. It was definitely NOT a great place to live, but my god, was it sacred nonetheless!
This was such a lovely, timely read! I've been very slow and methodical this year about putting up Advent/winter/Christmas decorations, and really love your mindset.
Our home (the first and only house that my husband and I have purchased together) has been ours for 7 years now. It's a ranch-style, cozy little place that was built in the 1950's, and I *think* we're the 4th family to live here. I love our hardwood floors, (unused) fireplace, real oak wall paneling and cast iron wood stove in the basement family room, and the non-open floor plan. Hah! Being able to shut the pocket door between the kitchen and rest of the main floor saves my ADHD brain most evenings. The most edifying thing is when our 7 year old daughter asks if we can just stay in all weekend because she loves our cozy home so much. 🥲
Oh, I love this! We have pocket doors too. Brilliant!
This may sound like a cliche, but I love the white windowsills in our new rental house. This autumn I’ve loved adding little touches: a candle, acorns, drying leaves and plants that are labeled weeds but look so pretty to me. Now I’m looking for winter things. Our old house was very dark and had no windowsills. I think having these tiny spaces to decorate makes it more fun and doable for me.