Today is my birthday, and I’ve received a wonderful present — my home renovation is done! Well, it’s 99.95% done. We have one small item left (a kitchen threshold) and then we’ll be at 100%.
It was five months ago that we moved our bed and many of our clothes into our second bedroom so that contractors could turn our bedroom into Construction Central. A few weeks ago, we were able to move back into our bedroom, although there was still work to do in other areas of our home.
That first night back in our bedroom was surreal. I knew it was my bedroom, but it no longer felt like home. Over the last few weeks, we have reclaimed each of our rooms as work was finished, but everything still felt strange.
Over the past week, we have endeavored to make our home feel like home again. We started by rehanging pictures. Then we moved on to hanging curtains. And yesterday, we unrolled the living room rug, which had been safely stowed away since November.
Wow, what a difference all that has made! Having our artwork up on the walls eliminated that bare feeling that made the apartment seem so strange. And adding the curtains back to the windows has made it feel like a home. Not just a home, but our home.
We made some changes as we were rehanging the artwork, including hanging things in different rooms or in different groupings. But it still gives each room its personal touch. Most of what we have on our walls has significance to us. They are not just decor, they are conversation pieces with stories behind them.
There is still a lot of new stuff to get comfortable with — a washer and dryer (my first ever!), new kitchen appliances, a remodeled bathroom — but they are starting to feel a little more natural. We’ve also changed a bit of the decor, most notably in the second bedroom. But this experience has underscored for me the important things that make a house a home — the personalized touches that are meaningful to you.
