a sense of place: designing our forever family home by the sea
Monday may have been one of the most anticipated days of our renovation progress to date. There have been many exciting days, of course, but yesterday we finally got to see the lighting installed over our island and dining table, and…the big moment we’ve all been waiting for…Beatrix (our blue range named after Beatrix Potter) was brought into the kitchen! EEEKK!! We are THRILLED!
There are still a few minor adjustments to get Beatrix settled in to place and then I will share how lovely she looks in her new home.
Our kitchen is still in progress (and a few things are still changing) but I’ll also share a few photos of the new lighting in today’s post. I so appreciate everyone’s excitement to see Beatrix and your enthusiasm for our kitchen in each phase along the way. That means a lot to me.
This kitchen is very special to us in ways most people will never see just by looking at a photo. So today I wanted to share a personal story about what has influenced the design of our kitchen and how our history impacts our sense of home.
Many of you know through the years of following our home adventures that we’ve cared deeply for each of our homes. So much so that many of YOU bonded with our homes as well and even expressed your sadness when we’ve had to leave them behind! That is the power of home.
Leaving homes we love is always hard because each space we touch becomes a part of who we are and holds memories of those seasons in our lives.
My parents also had to leave homes we all loved behind, including homes I grew up in and that our children grew up with, including our beloved family beach house (which you can see a two part tour of here).
While none of those homes fulfilled my dream of having a “forever home” each one is a chapter in our family’s story and played a significant role in our lives. For that gift, we are grateful.
We have so many tales that took place in various settings we loved deeply, including homes and places we spent time in over the years (such as the San Juan Islands and coastal areas where we live now!). Because of those places, we also have vivid pictures in our minds and hearts of rooms and settings where meaningful moments and many seasons of life took place.
Each of these places in our history shapes our sense of home and what that means to our family going forward.
This is why we felt so deeply about the timeless design elements in our renovated kitchen.
We knew our design choices in this home would leave an indelible mark on our family, just as so many others have. We wanted this to feel like a family home — warm, welcoming and familiar, as though it has always been a part of our story.
The kitchen will be the heart of our home, a sacred place where past meets present and a new generation of family stories can be written. This is why I chose classic finishes such as marble and soapstone and beadboard –they have stood the test of time. We also added display areas so we can continue to create and experience the simple joys of decorating for each season.
Rather than feel limited by a smaller footprint, we chose to be intentional with every square inch. Some people might consider their dream home or a forever family home to be large or on a sizable property. Dream homes come in all shapes and sizes! We actually decided long ago that our future dream would be to live in a small charming home (which we call huggable homes!) and bonus if it was by the sea!
I have many fond memories that include the scent of salt air, sandy walks on the beach, boats in a marina, hopping on ferries, sailing from island to island, so it’s no wonder I feel at home here on this island.
Our new home has a sense of place.
This is what draws us home –a sense of history and stories and a deep and meaningful connection to our surroundings.
I’m excited to show you how our new spaces will evolve as we finally get to fulfill our dream of a forever family home by the sea.
Thank you again for being a part of our home journey with us.
Do you have homes you’ve loved or places that have become a part of your family’s story? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
You can catch up on all my remodeling posts here.
We are remodeling the home we raised our three children in because our hope is to stay in this community that we’ve lovingly built over the last 30 years. We did not build this home and I am so excited to make all the design choices for this next chapter of life. We are currently living in the demolition phase while plumbing and electrical are being set for the new look 🥰.
How wonderful to be able to create what you want in your home for this new chapter of life and to retain the sense of community you’ve built there!
Coming along beautifully and love your lighting!!
Thank you! I was so excited to see them. They make the kitchen feel like a real room. Today they are installing the faucet and fridge, so we’re getting closer to a working kitchen!
What were the colors you used in walls and trim
It is Sherwin Williams Classic Light Buff.
I was only 8 years old when my family (& ultimately many of us) fled our homeland of Cuba when Castro took over and destroyed what we knew as home. Like most, we left everything behind and started over–grateful to this wonderful country and its people for giving us our freedom back. We assimilated and rebuilt quickly, but I’m still amazed at the influence my homeland had on my 8-year-old mind: the warm sun, the palm trees, the ocean, the beaches, and my devotion to home and hearth, to building our nest.
My family had nothing to pass down, so I always look for antiques and old things, such as an old, worn wooden spoon that makes me wonder about the woman who used it. I follow you because I sense that same magnetic pull to home–and now by the sea, coincidentally–tho in a colder climate.
My thanks to you for sharing such similar feelings with me.
That’s such an inspirational story, thank you for sharing it! 🩵 I love finding others who share this strong connection to home.
A huggable home by the sea sounds absolutely perfect! I love watching your renovation progress. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you ☺️ I appreciate your kind words and am grateful you’ve been following along!
Please! What is the paint color for the kitchen cabinets? I’m sure you search and searched for the perfect paint color. So just hope you can give the brand and paint color. Thanks so much!
It’s classic light buff by sherwin Williams!
We are in the midst of preparing to sell our home of 32 years. When we got here our son and daughter were 4 and 3. We added another son a year after moving in. We shared our home with 3 different dogs over the years and a friend of our daughter’s in her senior year of high school. Several of our neighbors have been friends the full 32 years and their children grew up with our children. Now we are attending their weddings. With all the updates and renovations, our home has never looked better. It’s already been sold off market to a young family who will start the cycle over and hopefully build friendships that will last decades. I can only hope our new home 700 miles away will bring as many new friends and fun adventures, but we will always treasure the memories of this beloved home.
It must be hard to leave a home that has so many years of memories! How neat to be able to be able to pass it on to another family. Congratulations on a new home and the start of many happy memories in this new chapter of life.
Thanks for sharing! I may have to copy the window seat bookcases!
I love your style and how much you love your home. I feel like I get a big hug from you every time you talk about your home.
You are very inspiring and thank you for the respite from our crazy world.
Aw so kind of you, it inspires me to share more knowing it’s appreciated, thank you.
We built our forever home and like you it is multigenerational. We bought five acres in Oregon along with our son and his family of 5 . This happened the day Oregon went into a Covid 2 yr lockdown. Because of the Lockdown and the weather it took almost a year to build our ADU , it’s only 900sq ft but it says family ❤️
We recently left our home of 38 years. Though tears were certainly involved, I am already loving our new apartment and thankful, that we were able to stay in the same neighborhood. And I have tried to maintain the feeling and preserve the memories from our previous home.
You and your ideas are so inspiring!
We are starting an addition to our small ranch/cottage home. It is an inlaw quarter for my parents, and we are moving the kitchen to a new space! I’m excited seeing photos of your kitchen because so much of what your doing is what I have in mind for our kitchen!
That’s so neat that you’re doing something similar at your home! It’s quite a process but it really has been exciting!
I love your home and all the work you are doing in it. I love the window seat!! I’ve always wanted one. And a huggable home. Yep! That would be me, too. A cute cottage by the sea and surrounded by trees and flowers and shrubs. You are truly blessed!!
Aw, so so kind of you. Thank you, Christine!
I am a newlywed and we are living in our dream house, which is a small one level house with cozy spaces. The house is definitely a special home to us. We treasure it. We both love it!
Melissa, your kitchen is so gorgeous! I’m using it for inspiration for my remodel. Question: did you paint your ceiling boards the same color as the wall boards and cabinets? I don’t know whether to go pure white on the ceiling for contrast with the cream cabinets or have it all the same!
Where did you get your kitchen cabinets from?
We got them from a local supplier, they offered a custom line!