Tuesday, November 22, 2011

New House - The Living Room


First up in my mini house-tour is the living room. Our main living area is open plan living/dining/kitchen, in the classic L shape.

Jessica loves how the sun coats her fur through the French doors.


As tempting as it is to update the whole house straight away (after all we plan to be here for quite some time), it's a more exciting prospect to pay the mortgage off quicker whilst making do, and doing things over time and within our everyday budget. That actually thrills me more.


Creativity will be called in, and the style will evolve. Things that I would have considered non-negotiable when we moved here (less than a month ago), I now can live without.

It helps to have a father-in-law who lives just down the road and is very handy and has kept every piece of timber or curtain rail he has ever come across. We even have a rimu bannister coming from one of his friends.


We have joined the 21st century with wireless internet. I made the tablecloth from a $10 curtain remnant.


I feel so content and at peace that we own our own home. It is such a fantastic feeling and I am so grateful.


The gorgeous handmade bookshelf from my Dad a few years ago. Both my father and father-in-law are retired engineers. We are doubly blessed.

19 comments:

  1. JuhliNovember 22, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    Your home is lovely and looks like you love being there! Congrats on getting you adopted cat home as well. Hopefully she is settling in as happily as it looks from the photo.

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  2. AniNovember 22, 2011 at 7:18 AM

    lovely! ;)

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  3. MichelleNovember 22, 2011 at 7:26 AM

    Pretty!

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  4. RebeccaNovember 22, 2011 at 7:27 AM

    I sense your "peace" in being at home. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  5. StephanieNovember 22, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    I posted a comment but it did not seem to go through. I wanted to say that your home looks so nice and peaceful and I love your bookshelf. I also enjoyed seeing Jessica looking so at home!

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  6. Sulky kittenNovember 22, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    How exciting for you,it looks lovely. Mademoiselle Jessica seems to be settling in nicely! I love that bookcase your dad made for you.

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  7. adrienneNovember 22, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Your home looks lovely and so inviting. Will you be inviting friends and family over for a house warming?

    Jessica looks right at home. My kitty, "Kitty",likes to find spots of sunshine, too.

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  8. KateNovember 22, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    This looks so relaxing and lovely. As for the decorating, I've found that it's better to do it over time, even if you have the money right away. Your tastes can shift a bit, and you also allow it to flow together rather than forcing it right away.

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  9. Carole Poirot November 22, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    I'm really happy for you. The fact that you feel peaceful and happy in your new home is fantastic and that bookshelf is great. Have a lovely week xo

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  10. RoseNovember 22, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    A new house is so exciting! Hasn't Jessica settled in wonderfully. The area looks so bright and airy -- lovely.

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  11. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    Yay! What a great post to see today. Isn't it fun setting up house? Everything looks so lovely...I am very happy for you! Nice to see Jessica is loving it too. ~~Bliss

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  12. RobinNovember 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    Love your home! Everything looks so nice. Love your thought process in decorating also. Enjoy!

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  13. hostess of the humble bungalowNovember 22, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    I love how those curtains filter some of the light but don't darken the rooms.

    The beautiful bookcase looks like a Roycroft arts and crafts classic piece...you have clever fathers! Who knows maybe they'll ask for other projects to keep them busy in their retirements!

    We did our renos slowly too and I think it's good to live in a place before ripping stuff apart.

    Congratulations on your move!

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  14. Gracie's MomNovember 22, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    I'm glad to see that you are settling in and loving your new home. How is Jessica reacting to her new surroundings, she certainly seems pretty content.

    Cindy

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  15. CharleneNovember 23, 2011 at 7:12 AM

    Your new home is so lovely and spacious. I know you're enjoying it and your new kitty. She looks so content lying there in the sun. I think it's very smart of you to do the updates later. There's so much to do when you first move into a new house. In my experience, rushing into updates can lead to mistakes. We did a major renovation once and there were so many things we later wished we'd done differently. You'll have plenty of time to decide what you want and do those things later. A house is an ongoing project anyway.

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  16. JuliaNovember 23, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Congratulations on your new home. It is lovely, and I am happy to see that your new kitty seems to be settling in.

    I hope to learn from the patience you have spoken about in your blog Fiona. You are a wise woman.

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  17. AnonymousDecember 3, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    I love your curtains and tiebacks, too.

    Sheree

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  18. The Daily ConnoisseurDecember 13, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    I love your house- love the floral design on the sofas! And it's great that it also feels a little minimalistic- very good feng shui! We have an excess sofa that we need to donate right now and it is cluttering up our living room and driving me nuts! You have inspired me :)

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  19. Louie CunninghamDecember 27, 2011 at 7:28 AM

    How nice! It looks like a wonderful place, and it's also quite pleasant to have French doors to let all that warm sunlight in. Anyway, it's a smart move to let the renovations wait. Time in the house should give you guys better ideas and a long-term plan for redesigning things.

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Merci for your comment. Wishing you a chic day!