Welcome home, beautiful!
Hello, my friends, how are you?
It’s been awhile I haven’t updated my blog, not because we took a break from travel (that’s more recent), but because we moved to a new place. And boy, it’s my first time being in charge of moving from beginning to end, I didn’t know it would be so hard, however, long story short, it’s ALL SO WORTH IT!
Even though Better than authentic is mainly targeted on travel and recipes, our new place makes us feel a true sanctuary that I feel like sharing with you. Home is so important more than ever at this global crisis moment. I would like to say hi to you guys and wish you all well. Also, stay home and create.
We moved out of downtown San Diego, I can’t say enough the past four years it treated us so nicely. Living downtown has all the benefits of shopping, restaurants, and all sorts of entertainment. But at the same time, we are seeking more green, often I put plants as decoration just to get a more natural view in the concrete jungle, and dreaming to have an oasis.
And now after months of hard house research, we moved into a new place we both are so happy to call it our new home. It has green, and not just only a little green, but a lot!
Bracing the new era’s brave statement, we paint our house mainly green, and gray to balance the dark wood warm tone rims. By the way, have I mentioned this house is more than 100 years old, have I?
We love the California craftsmanship house style, and incredibly lucky that we found this one is well-kept and renovated by our landlord years ago. The old house charm – the layout makes every space function so well, the family gathering space, dining room, studios, kitchen, and my favorite bedroom and patio.
When speaking of what are the biggest things the new place inspired me – GET MORE DIY, it’s been so long I have not done much home improvement DIY, but now I want to do more and more, maybe everything? 🙂
Full disclosure, I am that kind of girl who obsesses over an idea and wants it to happen so badly that I ‘ve been drowning down several rabbit holes of finding a perfect ceiling lighting, painting the wall, and end up making it by myself. Thanks so much to youtube, Google, and Pinterest, I got so much inspiration, take the ceiling light in our patio, for example, simply buy wood logs, pendant lamp cord set, and some green you like, tie it with metal wire, voila! you are done, an unique light for you and made by you!
We are so pleased with the result, and every time we sit down at the patio, the greeny from top waving with the wind brightening up the whole space, our oasis becomes a dream come true.
Another favorite thing is painting the wall of the bedroom, I got the distressed wall idea from Anthropologie home catalog, and I know I had to have it! I found this youtube video and followed the process, the stencil sponge can be found on Amazon but the shipping would take way too long so I make it with a regular sponge sold in every home improvement store, I bought mine from Homedepot, carving the shape as the video shows. It definitely is not easy to just hire a painter to do it, and it involved practice. But it turned out to be our favorite space in the new house, we both worked on this project together, finding the right paint colors, practicing how to paint it, it shows so much of ourselves than anything else. We feel relaxed and reflect who we are in our sanctuary. if I must come up with a word to describe it- magical!
There is always a new trend of styling a house, but what I have learned after this moving process is to be true to your own taste and not apply the trends just for trends. Always decorate things that make you thrilled and happy. And be sure to take time to think instead of click and buy immediately.
Home, sweet home, we say it every day now, the space can inspire us to create, to collect things we love, to heal from the outside world.
Stay home, the space belongs to you, resonate who you are, get inspired and inspire others.
How is a home to you? and are you a DIY enthusiasm? Please share with me, we can do some DIY brainstorm together. 🙂
keep calm and stay safe,
Gabrielle
Hogar, dulce Hogar!!
Mil gracias por compartir el Santuario de ustedes, con nosotros y por darnos ideas maravillosas.
Si!! DIY nos proporciona la oportunidad de hacer cosas especiales, y una gran satisfacción, que sumadas a tu habilidad artística y buen gusto, dan como resultado algo Único!!!
Felicitaciones por este maravilloso trabajo, y las excelentes fotos, Gabbie querida. 👏🏻💗
you are wonderful mom! thank you so much! 🙂 <3 let's do more DIY to make our homes beautiful!
You are an artist 💗