As a couple, we’re amazingly compatible considering how differently we style our spaces. Lisa’s ever-busy mind craves a calm, unified scene devoid of too much distraction, while Jeff’s low-key, laid-back attitude allows for a fabulous mishmash of colors and styles.
Decorating for the busy mind
Lisa’s got a busy mind and keeps a lot of irons in her fire, so needs a rather subdued environment to focus and think. She likes to do yoga and dance, so needs plenty of free space, so she’s not knocking down nicknacks while practicing poi!
Decorating for the quiet mind
Jeff is quiet-minded and more relaxed, so is invigorated by lots of color, texture and a mix of styles in his environment. He likes an afternoon siesta, and is able to clear his mind of clutter easily, so his eclectic collections are wonderful collages of memories, rather than distractions.
Jeff’s spent time in Lisa’s minimalistic downtown apartment, and Lisa’s lived in Jeff’s funky, fun country home. That was nice for us while dating, but as we leap forward to a married life together, we want to create an environment that makes us feel very much at home together in a house that reflects both our personalities, as well as who we are mutually, as a couple.
Decorating a mature blended household
We are not twenty. Or thirty. Or even forty. We’ve both accumulated life experiences and have each created our own sense of style and comfort. So Sunnybrook Lane is more than just a remodel for us; it is a meshing of lives and of lifestyles, a marriage of tastes and a commitment to become a couple as we build a home which reflects us as a team, forging ahead together into our golden years.
We want comfort, style and ease-of-use. We need accessibility for the possibility of decreased mobility as this Boomer and Gen-X’er face what knees and hips and feet require after decades of unrestricted athletic abandon. Lisa will most certainly need an operation on the left foot barking after years of ultra running, and some old surf injuries may make an easy-entry shower more than sheer luxury for Jeff as the decades pass. We’ve gotta think ahead, to make this remodel sustainable over time.
We’ve both worked hard and long, and while we adore our professions, it’s time to incorporate a bit more travel and leisure. As much as we’ve enjoyed homes that include greenhouses, large gardens, and a hip place downtown, what we need now is one home base that is easy to upkeep and which provides passive income as well–but which also combines the swish downtown vibe with the relaxed beach life feel.
Work-work, or the regular “nine-to-fiver,” is just not an option for us anymore. Lisa craves security and loves the excitement of her career, but wants to travel and see more of this pretty green planet we call home than what is visible from a commercial kitchen. Jeff is more than ready retire and relax after decades in the landscape biz, though he loves the interaction with nature and his clients enough to keep a few active accounts. Neither of us want to leave what we love in our careers, but we also need to reimagine how that will play out in our lives. Sunnybrook Lane will help us define the transition.
Our home will help us mold and contain that new vision, the perfect balance we all crave between the fulfillment of “work” and the enjoyment of “life.” We want both…our home must make it possible to work just enough to enjoy it, but be low-maintenance and cost-effective enough to make the dream a reality. Ideally, it will be a vacation destination itself, a place we’d love to visit ourselves, a space to indulge in relaxing comfort. A house to rent to other travelers when we feel the need to explore the wider, wilder world outside the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Follow us on our journey. Share with us how you make it work, balancing work and life, excitement and relaxation, or retirement and fulfillment. Come along, as we make the healthy living dream come true!
Like and follow us here–we appreciate you sharing this site with your friends. We want to help make ~your~ journey beautiful and fulfilling, too! Come savor life with us, on beautiful Sunnybrook Lane, wherever that happens to be for you. Imagine (and create) your most healthy home!
Baby Boomer Style, GenX Style, Home Decor, Modern Decor, Surf Style
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Published by bantyhill
We are an active, newly-engaged couple, on a journey to create a healthy, holistic habitat, remodeling a house together to make a home that brings our two lifetimes together in one happy, beautiful place. View all posts by bantyhill
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