Confession: I’m not 100% in love with my furniture and home decor situation. It’s mostly a collection of stuff I’ve held onto for years or bought because it was on sale at the time (hence the IKEA everything). Some pieces just don’t make as much sense with a growing family (i.e. our tiny couch) and there is a lot of white, which I’ve been slowly moving away from.
Part of me wants to update our space in one fell swoop, but then I stop and remember that this apartment isn’t our forever home. My true dream is to buy a bungalow to call our own someday. Even if it’s on the smaller side, I’d love a real house with a yard, a sense of privacy, and the freedom to paint and/or tear out walls whenever we feel like it. So until we know the dimensions of our future dream home, I don’t want pick up anything that may or may not fit the space perfectly. It will be my biggest project to date and my heart flutters at just the thought.
But even when we do settle down somewhere, I don’t plan on spending a ridiculous amount of money or finishing everything in a day. The goal is to create a welcoming home, piece by piece with texture, pattern, and stories (all without breaking the bank). This means getting creative and lots of treasure hunting. We’re pinching pennies and putting them towards our nest egg every day, so the longer I can hold off on revamping our current living room, the sooner we can get our hands on those new house keys.
Now most of these features are a stretch (especially by San Diego standards), but when I say dream home, the following criteria comes to mind:
• lots of natural light, big windows (I would LOVE a midcentury modern floor to ceiling somewhere)
• open space concept is always preferred (although we’re trying to avoid any major renos)
• original hardwood floors
• closet space/built-ins/storage
• private outdoor living space, even if it’s just a little patio
• trees on the property – this is a big one for us, because nature
• cozy bungalow feel with character – I don’t need this sprawling space. A smaller living area can be perfect if the layout is right (*see open space concept and storage listed above)
We’re not seriously looking at houses yet, but I do spend a lot of time perusing Trulia these days. A girl can dream, right?