There's a perfectionist side of my personality that says: "No no! Nobody can see until it's done." But then there's a realistic side of my personality which is often the dominant one between these two sides and she says: "be calm, be inviting, let people in every step of the way. It's never going to be done." So with that, I'd love to introduce you to the newest project in The Engineer + Natalie home; DIY shelves. And along the way I'll also share a few thoughts on homemaking, if you don't mind.
I've been thinking quite a bit recently about the transition from qualifying one's dwelling as a house to a home. The moment of transition happens at different speeds for different people, I imagine. It has me thinking back to all the times I have moved and the feelings associated with my dwelling. The handful of moves in my young adult years have proven that the settling of my heart into any living space takes time and I can never distinctly pin-point a moment in which the space became home. The discovery always occurs retrospectively: I'll realize that somewhere along the line I started to think of this space as home instead of that space. And the discovery will well up in me a plethora of feelings associated with transition. If you've moved - you probably know what I'm talking about.
The most recent move in my life has brought with it a new adventure. As The Engineer and I unpack we're taking items that were previously his and previously mine and for the first time, we're setting up our home. Our belongings have allowed for some fun discoveries of our interests and decorative taste. We want our home to be a reflection of us as a couple made up of two individuals. I think our shelving project demonstrates this quite well. I've selected a few pretty cookbooks to display as you can see above. Food is definitely one of my love languages. :)
We wanted this large visual in our home to be modern, a little edgy, and very us... whatever that means. We each tried to select decorative items that have meaning to us. And of course books are the main focus because let's face it, we're both book hoarders. It could turn out to be a problem someday.
The Engineer is a car guy. Mustangs are especially his favorite so much so that he has owned three! And even though we don't currently own a Mustang (sad) they are given some prime decorative real estate here.
I think this photo and the one below are fun demonstrations of our two lives joined as one! I have quite the collection of classic literature and The Engineer has a collection of one of the star-wars series' (it's not his only book collection, but one that worked here.) Side by side they stand in humorous contrasting compatibility.
This particular Pride & Prejudice book has an incredibly special story - to be told at a later date! :)
Back to my thoughts!
In my opinion, creating a home is so much more than the items that surround us. I think there's a much deeper sense of home than that which wall hangings and throw pillows can create. As I've been exploring how to build the atmosphere in my home I keep coming back to my desire that home should be a haven. A place of calm and rest and of prayer and worship - even in menial things like dishes and laundry. (SO much easier said than done, I'll admit.) I want it to reflect The Engineer's and my personalities in the items we bring into it and I want it to be a place of hospitality and refuge for our budding community. These are really grand expectations, but I have them nonetheless!
I have to admit that I don't think I'm quite able to say "this is my home" in the deepest part of my heart. But I can sure see that I'll get there eventually. Working together on small home projects with my favorite guy definitely helps in that way and is swiftly becoming one of my favorite things.
*All photos were taken with an iPhone and are undeniably blurry. Please refer to the Perfectionist vs. Realistic personality debate in paragraph one of this post. :)
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