Lately, I’ve felt an irresistible pull towards creating the perfect home. I browse home decor websites, vacillate between different color schemes, and spend hours looking for my dream countertops. This will come as no surprise if you’ve been following along lately, because Mr. Dressed and I have embarked on the dizzying adventure of buying a home. As I’ve said before, despite my love for adventure and seeing the world, the thought of putting down roots and having some stability is more than a little appealing. Weekends are now full of open house viewings and I spend about as much time on Zillow as I do Etsy these days (which is really saying something).
What I’ve learned as we’re inching forward in this process, is that there are very few things in life that don’t involve some level of compromise. You make your wishlist and imagine the dream house, but inevitably have to differentiate between the must-haves and the nice-to-haves, the never-wants versus the can-live-withs. And though I dream of walking into a home and feeling as though every aspect is perfect, I’m realizing that home-buying is a lot like dating: a house is never perfect. It is simply perfect for you…
We have definitely narrowed down our criteria during this whole process – early on we were more than happy to check out a house that had a few of the features on our list. Nowadays, we’re much more mercenary when it comes to our must-haves. We’ve learned the tricks of those wide angle lenses that make a room appear bigger in photos but are actually cramped in real life. We know how to look past paint colors and wallpaper. To see the bones of a house and imagine it with our lives tucked safely inside.
And though each step comes with it’s own set of fears – the issues a property may have that we don’t see, the responsibility of choosing “the one” and wondering if there is a better place out there – but, we’re just keeping our eye on the prize. Trusting our gut and knowing that it will all be worth it in the end – that the ups and downs and inspections and paperwork are just necessary stops along the way towards the place that’s right for us. Cause a the end of the day, we’re not looking for our house, but our home.
(and a really big closet…)
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Vintage Fixation (similar modern and vintage here, here & here)
Necklace: gift, Swarovski (similar)
Belt: Alannah Hill (similar)
Handbag: Jess James + Co (similar here & here)
Shoes: Betsey Johnson, sold out (similar)
Lip Color: Nars Powermatte lip pigment
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