I say that my home is part house and part family museum.
Nearly every room holds something that once belonged to someone I loved. When my grandmother passed away, her furniture came to me. When my mother passed away, her furniture, paintings, and collectibles came as well. Over time, pieces from my aunt found their way into my home, too. When my stepmother passed away, and my dad came to live with me, their furniture and personal items came to my home as well. I particularly wanted my dad to feel at home, so it was very important to incorporate his possessions throughout the house. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I wasn’t just collecting furniture. I was slowly gathering the story of my family.
I believe I already told you in an earlier article that we moved into an older home in December 2023 and began by repainting the interior and replacing all of the carpeting with hardwood floors. Then we moved out to the backyard and began working.
Recently, I began working on the interior again, specifically the bedrooms. I am trying to move on positively from the tragedies of earlier this year. One bedroom in particular is meaningful.
On the wall hangs a photograph of my grandmother when she was just two years old. Beneath it sits my mother’s dresser, and across the room is a small desk given to her when she was twelve. There is even a Charlie McCarthy doll that still feels like it carries a bit of her personality. These are not just decorative objects. They are reminders of lives lived, moments shared, and people deeply loved.
I began working on a small area in this room that had been quietly waiting for attention: the window seat.
At first, it was simply a place where a few items rested: a basket, a pillow, a teddy bear. Nothing was wrong with it, but it didn’t yet feel connected to the rest of the room. It still didn’t feel like it belonged in the story.
So I began, not by buying new things, but by looking at what I already had.
A lace runner. A small lamp with a soft glow. A few books. A simple teacup that looks as though someone has just stepped away for a moment. I added flowers for a bit of life and a small framed photograph that I am updating with a picture of my mother and her brother as children.
