A New Home's Aesthetic

When we moved, we left more than half of our house in the garage at my in-laws' place. We couldn't afford to move it all up to the Bay area when we didn't yet have an apartment, so we only brought up the essentials using their truck and trailer when we first moved in.  Well, this weekend we got the majority of the furniture and boxes back (courtesy again of Christian's parents).  Now I am surrounded by paintings and books and wine glasses.  There are stacks of boxes in several rooms, mostly the result of unpacking box after box of books (we have the kernel of a home library beginning, a goal we've both had for years).  In just a couple of days we were able to get about half of the influx of things in their new homes.

It's amazing to me how small things can change the feeling of a room.  The arrangement of glasses in a wine rack can be so pleasing when they match and sit in a lines.  The neat stacking of boxes, organizing things into baskets on shelves all make a space feel cared for, neat, and welcoming.  At the moment, half of our apartment is in that category of well organized and welcoming. The rest is sort of piles of blankets and knots of cords covering various surfaces only allowing for a small walk way from one room to another.  Currently I feel a little like a hoarder, though I know that if I spend a few hours I'll be able to put everything that is lying around in the apartment in its place, and it will look like a normal home.

It's useful for us to have these moments after moving.  We can prune our things, cut out those superfluous that no longer adds value to our lives.  It gives you some time to go down memory lane as you unpack each item and put it away in its new place.  It also is a free pass to go ahead and rearrange your life.  You get to put everything in a new place and try out a new way of being.  It's like getting a new pair of shoes or a new hair cut, but instead of changing yourself, you change your environment.  I don't know about anyone else, but rearranging my space makes me feel a little like a new woman.  It's like a breath of fresh air.  Just like a new hair cut.  I love new hair cuts.