When we bought our home in Minnesota, we knew it was a great house with good bones, but if you told me I would think about it and miss it with some regularity, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you. There are things I’ve loved about all of our homes, but the house in Minnesota is probably the nicest home we’ll ever live in. Maybe not our favorite (that is yet to be determined), but the nicest. It was big, and bright, with a very smart floor plan. It was the perfect house for us in that season. And, it was a prime candidate to customize to flesh out those bones a bit more.
Now that we’ve lived in our current home for over a year and we’ve been working through renovation projects, I find myself thinking a lot about our previous home and the things I miss most. I thought it would be fun to share as a little comparison between the two houses.
master bathroom
We have an ensuite bathroom in our current home, but it is definitely a 1970s import. It also only has a shower that was installed for the previous homeowner as her mobility decreased. When I saw that the bathroom only had a shower, I thought that might be a deal-killer. I absolutely love taking baths. It is a treat for me and a way to unwind and I could not imagine buying a home without a tub in our bathroom. But, everything else about the MD house was what we were looking for and we planned on renovating the bathrooms within the first year. Well, getting a new roof derailed that plan, so I’ve been taking showers for much longer than I thought! So, that leads me to the number one thing I miss from our MN house – the master bathroom. We gave it a cosmetic update a couple of years before we moved with a custom shower, new tile, new counters and fixtures, and some paint. It was a great transformation and a beautiful, luxurious bathroom.
You can read about that makeover HERE.
I wish I could just pluck that room up and attach it to our current house. That deep soaker tub was heavenly and I miss it so much.
1/2 bath
While we’re on the topic of bathrooms, we miss having a 1/2 bath in the house. We have learned that a 1/2 bath was on the floor plans, but the original homeowner decided to have storage space instead. Since we have the room, we’re going to add a 1/2 bath back in. We’re just waiting for a quote from our contractor. The downside to not having a 1/2 bath is that guests use the boys’ bathroom, which is not always the tidiest! So, I miss the one from our MN house, but we’ll add one to our new home soon.
the light
One thing that sold us on the MN house was the light. We had large, south-facing windows along the entire back of the house, so most rooms were flooded with light throughout the day. There were times, actually when it was almost too much light, but it made for great photography and was definitely a mood-booster.
separate office
In our previous home, I had a home office and an art studio that was on opposite corners of the house. This layout made it easy for me to create a work zone and a creative zone. As much as I could help it, I kept my e-mailing, computer work, and not-fun things like taxes, account reconciliation, and paying bills in the office. That way, when I went into my studio, I felt free of that sort of work. I could focus my attention on creative and artistic work. In my current set-up, my office and studio are in one space. It works fine, but I do miss having two distinct work areas. (As a side note, when the boys are grown and no longer living at home, I’ll be able to use a bedroom for an office.)
staircase
This is one I miss some days and don’t miss others! There is something I enjoyed about having more separation between the living spaces and bedrooms. But, there were also times when I would leave my water bottle in the basement and not realize that until I was tucked into bed on the top floor! That meant I had to go down and back up two flights of steps, which felt like a big undertaking when I was tired. Stairs were tough with a broken foot and even after shoulder surgery when I was slow and medicated. But, they were fun to decorate for Christmas and I do miss the animal parade that came down each morning for breakfast and back up at night for bed.
The cats loved playing on the steps. Violet even invented her own game where she would try to beat you up the steps so she could flop on the floor in front of you at the top, forcing you to rub her belly. On top of the fond memories, I’ve just always loved a good staircase.
the butler’s pantry
This really was just some cabinets built-in a niche that might’ve otherwise been dead space or perhaps a closet, but it was one of my favorite little corners of the house. It was fun to decorate for the seasons and it was an ideal place to display some of my ironstone collection. You can see a makeover of the butler’s pantry cabinets HERE.
basement family room
When we first looked at this house online, I thought I might use the basement of the house for my business. When we saw it in person, though, we knew this basement family room was too perfect to not use as a family room. And we really loved this room! We hung out down here a lot for family movie nights, for playing games, and having friends over. It was also the perfect sleepover basement for the boys.
The thing I liked most about it, though, was the that TV was on a different floor than the living room, kitchen, and eating area. After living in a house with an open kitchen and family room, I liked the idea of not having TV noise in the background. Not only was it in a different room, but it was on a different floor!
We didn’t get to fully finish the room before we sold the house, but it was coming along. I did share this room now and then on the blog, but it was mostly a family space that was about function and comfort more than being “Instagram-worthy.” You can read posts about the basement family room HERE.
If you followed this house casually, you may have wondered why we didn’t have a TV in the living room off of the kitchen and that was why. It was just a pretty room for reading, conversation, sitting by the fireplace, naps, and other quiet activities.
In addition to those things, I also miss the higher ceilings on the main floor and the 3-car garage. It was essential in MN to be able to put your cars in the garage in the winter, but it was nice having so much storage space AND room for two cars.
As I said in the beginning, there are things we’ve loved about all of our homes and things I miss. Our 1100-square-foot townhouse was certainly simpler and very easy to keep clean. Our PA home had lots of charm with glass doorknobs and original wood floors in the old part of the house. We also loved living in a small PA town surrounded by orchards. It was quaint and quiet. Whenever the time comes to leave our current house, I know I will miss the kitchen, the pool, and the neighborhood.
I don’t think of any of our past homes with sadness or regret for leaving them, but with gratitude that we had to chance to live out a part of our stories there before moving on to the next right place for us to be.
11 Responses
I enjoy seeing how cohesive your style is. It has a similar feel where ever you live. The way you pare texture, pattern, and color is a little bit like a mini class on possibilities.
*I love the wallpaper of the half bath.
I too love the wallpaper in the half bath. I would really appreciate knowing the pattern and company if you happen to have that info. So very pretty. Thank you for sharing.
Growing up, I never thought I would be living in multiple houses as an adult, but I have. Like you, I have loved different things about each one of them and am grateful for the time spent in them. Our current house, which we had customized for us by the builder, incorporates the exact layout of our previous house’s kitchen, which is wonderful!
One thing that I loved about your Minnesota house was the fact that it was a typical suburban builder’s house that you then transformed into something much more artistically beautiful in a short amount of time. I thought that was especially helpful for inspiring everyone who lives in a modern build vs. any of the other “identifiable era” houses. So many people buy old fixer-uppers but you rarely see someone buy a newer house and improve it.
After having lived in darker homes (thanks to their large roof overhangs), I can also say that I understand your missing the light of your previous home. Bright light is essential for the artistic lifestyle! We even had a few more windows added to the sunny side of our house so that it is blazing with sunshine most of the day.
I loved your last paragraph in your post. I spent way too much time missing my previous home. We built it to our specifications and it was wonderful. I loved the full attic, no basements where we live, the formal dining room, the beautiful staircase and all the built-ins. However, after living in our present home for 21 years I don’t think I would trade back in a million years. We’ve really enjoyed updating our builder grade home and we love it. Now at 70 I am happy not to have stairs and have less space to clean and keep up with. You are always an inspiration to me.
I agree with Vikki about loving your last paragraph, Marian, and also about not wanting to trade back to old beloved homes even though there are things I miss about our former houses. Each one was perfect for the time we lived in it and each new one has had things I didn’t even know was a must-have, like the gorgeous screened porch in our current house. Like Marian, I do miss my soaking tub but I’m not sure I’d trade it for the screened porch. 🙂
We started out in a small apartment that we knew was temporary. We relocated two years later to the current area and bought a house in a hurry, as in saw it on a Monday and owned it the following Monday. It was a mass produced 1700 sf Cape Cod style built in 1970 with no interior details. There was gold shag carpet (soon to go) over harwoods and an avocado kitchen. We added paint and wallpaper and put a lot of work into landscaping.
The house location had issues so, after looking for a couple of years on and off, we had a house built (semi-custom) in a subdivision so new it was several months before the road to our lot was put in. It took exactly a year for us to move in. Forty years later, this place is part of me but I am nearing crossroads about continuing to stay. The house is filled with light (but needs new windows) and while I love the floor plan, the stairs are becoming an issue. The neighbors around me have all been here at least 20+ years; it’s peaceful and our costs are low so no one seems to want to move.
The story of the year it took to get the house built was such an epic (better for another day) that I vowed that I was not leaving until they carried me out in a box. I hope I can keep that vow.
I clicked on the link to your PA home and then tried to click on the link for “The most epic Craig’s List find” – the mirrored armoire, but it came up with “no results found”.
I’d love to read the story behind it. Could you provide the link?
Many thanks!
Here you go! (And I fixed the link in the post)…
https://missmustardseed.com/epic-craigs-list-find/
I was intrigued to read what it was about your MN home that you miss. And they are all exactly the same things I really enjoyed about that home. As someone said above, your ability to revise surfaces, floors and walls, and kitchen cabinets turned that home into a complete and total reflection of your style and what you love. It really was beautiful…I can’t tell you how many times I pinned it.
Right around the same time you moved, we also left Southern California for Northeast Indiana. Ironically, the home we bought has much the same layout as the one left. It’s a little surreal actually. As much as I truly loved our SoCal home, our midwest home (ranch, no basement, no attic) has stolen my heart. South facing LR windows, an acre of land, daily visits from deer, geese, turkeys, and living in a 4-season environment has been life-changing. It’s a 70’s ranch, and yes, the ensuite only has a shower and it embarrassingly small. The bathtub in the hall/guest bathroom is short and shallow; hoping to change that eventually.
Your blog arrives in my work mailbox. Its a short reprieve from my daily grind and always gets my creatives juices flowing. Your decorating ability and style mimics my late sister which is an added bonus to following you. This is so random, I almost didn’t ask, and maybe you have addressed this in the past. How do you “get” your pans looking so amazing and “maintain” them.? I’m contemplating installing a pot rack to give me more space in my less than adequate kitchen but my pans are holding me back! Thank you for sharing your beautifully curated home!
Aw, what a sweet comment. 💙 I use Barkeeper’s Friend (the paste) to clean both copper and stainless steel and that keeps them looking nice and pot rack worthy!