Ever since freshman year of college, I have resented moving. I hate packing up my life every few months and moving it back and forth across the state. Even after a weekend at home, the thought of packing just to unpack it all again a few hours later makes me want to pull my hair out!!!
But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
On Monday, Brett (my fiancé) and I went apartment hunting in Clemmons and Winston Salem. Between the old shag carpet, stoves that haven’t been renovated since the 1970s and the reviews that wreaked of drugs and crime, we realized apartment hunting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
We finally found one though that is clean, renovated, and perfect for us to start out our lives as Mr. and Mrs.
Naturally, I started planning how I’ll decorate. Move in day is in May, and I’m ecstatic to stop living out of tote bags, broken dressers and boxes and finally settle down and ~nest~.
Joanna Gaines is a design genius and my inspiration. I remember watching her and Chip on Fixer Upper when their show first came out on HGTV— my mom and I would sit on the couch and throw ideas around about how Joanna would remodel our house.
Her chic, farmhouse, minimalist style is my dream. She makes white walls vibrant, organization look easy and random wall hangings aesthetic.
Her book “Home Body” was gifted to me by my soon-to-be mother-in-law, and it is filled with ideas, tips and images on how to make a house a home. I love how Joanna makes a space that was once empty and useless cozy and inviting.
The idea of nesting excites me. Settling down and stopping. No more displacement, no more moving back and forth, just being. And in that place where I can simply be, I want to make it a warm and welcoming place for family, friends, neighbors and strangers.
The smell of home-cooked meals wafting through our 900 square foot apartment, pictures of family and friends on our beige walls, worn and comforting blankets strewn across the hand-me-down couch and mud-stained shoes by the front door is my picture of a perfect home.
Nesting is more than making your home aesthetically pleasing, it’s making your home livable for those in it. It’s an atmosphere and a warmth not a design tactic. I’ll find what works for Brett and me in our new life together, but it’ll take some trial and error. Will we leave our shoes at the front door or will we wear them in the house? Will I put the plates in this cabinet or that one? Will we use the hall closet as a makeshift pantry or for coats and out of season clothes?
I don’t know the answers and I don’t have a design layout or plan yet, but that’s the beauty of nesting. It’s different for everyone, and although Joanna can give me all the tips and tricks and cheats on how to decorate my home (which I love and appreciate), it’ll never be the same as hers, and that’s okay!
Even if I can’t use all of the Magnolia designs and products, even though I think I’ve registered for about 99% of them- big thanks to Target, I hope I can capture the feel that Joanna does in her design and styling. The feeling and smell of home when you walk in that lets you release a sigh of relief because you know where you are—you’re home.
My nest is just Brett and me and however we decorate and organize I know it’ll be just what fits, and I’ll never want to leave.
Simply Thoughtful 