After much discussion we have decided to look for a new home again! We only moved into this house 9 months ago and it certainly enabled us to get to our new location, but it has not really felt 'homely' for me.
NearlySuperDad struggles with change and thought we would not need to encounter any more right now. He was hoping I'd start to feel differently about living here and settle in but it just hasn't happened.
I've tried to get used to this house and put our stamp on it; selecting a home colour scheme, then buying curtains and matching accessories for most rooms and painting a feature wall. I kept telling myself it would turn into our lovely home in just a few more weeks... and I certainly didn't want to be ungrateful or discontented - but nothing changed for me. So I started to consider maybe it just wasn't going to happen.
I guess part of the problem is my comparisons with our last home. Although it wasn't perfect, I adored many things about it. It was on a large block in a cul de sac in a lovely neighbourhood around 15 years old. Established greenery gave us privacy from both neighbours. The rising sun flooded in through the lounge room windows, and as it set in the late afternoon it filtered through the trees up the back onto the patio. We had worked to make it homely during the nearly 7 years we lived there and it was certainly comfortable.
Through the process of buying and living here in our latest home and for the following reasons I don't think this house is right for us long or even medium term:
1. The living areas are squishy! Our last home had a bigger family room and a bigger lounge room and we furnished them accordingly with big pieces. I didn't realise they were big at the time of purchase because they fitted our space but our furniture is too big for this house.
2. The kitchen severely lacks bench and cupboard space. We even got a cupboard built to try and address the cupboard space, but there is no room for extra benches.
3. Plain white glossy tiles are not kid friendly - impossible to keep clean longer than 5 minutes. I mean seconds!
4. A really modern colour scheme (white walls and tiles, grey carpet) doesn't suit our current furniture. We bought large timber pieces in our last home and they feel homely and comfortable to us. I feel like we would need to sell our current stuff to make way for more sleek modern furniture if we were to stay here - sleek glass and chrome pieces.
5. A modern colour scheme is hard to make warm and cosy, the type of feel I've realised I need to really look forward to returning home.
6. The layout of a home becomes more important once you've had kids! It needs to be practical and work logistically. Having the dining room right next to the baby's bedroom means dinner guests inevitably wake up our son, if he manages to go to sleep in the first place!
7. Buying in a new estate where you don't know the end feel of the area is a bit of a risk! A new house may seem enticing, but finding one in a more established street at least allows you to gauge the climate of the neighbourhood a little more accurately.
I'm sure there are more lessons I've learned, I might update this list later... I'd love to hear your housing lessons and stories, leave a comment!
I think making a house a home is always a challenge - but so much more challenging when you have kids! I hope that as you start house hunting, just the right place is waiting to be discovered by you. A warm, welcoming, homely place that suits your family perfectly.
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