to feel alone surrounded by dirty dishes, but we just couldn’t afford to buy into the “comprehensive remodel” mindset or the “open concept” mindset. These are rampant patterns because of our moremore-more culture, not because they are actually right for everyone. At least these mindsets come from good places. People who value entertaining or constant family time love the idea of an open concept kitchen, and people who value consistency and doing things right or not doing them at all often start by gutting a room and going from there. I understand that, but those are not our values. In this house, we re-use as much as possible. We also value the integrity of our
The PERPETUAL YOU
house, which—to us—meant not following a trend that may be out of style in a few years. Not buying into these mindsets meant spending money where we wanted to, namely the finishes. I chose the lighting first, meaning the lighting chose me. Any light will help you see, but I wanted lighting that made a statement, provided ambience. I couldn’t afford a custom light and wasn’t keen on making my own, though Etsy had me believing I could for a couple days, so I looked for a beautiful fixture that didn’t require me handing over a small child in exchange. Enter West Elm; I do love them so. An ample, white globe hanging from an