It’s crazy to think it’s been one year + 3 months since we packed up our Hoboken apartment & relocated to the suburbs of New Jersey; back to the place Thomas & I both grew up. We always imagined we’d return to live here at some point in our lifetime, but didn’t realize that time would come so soon. As the saying goes: when you make a plan, God laughs. That + a Global Pandemic = a drastic change in our intended course.

But there’s nothing I wish was different, as this decision to move out of the city & back to the burbs ended up being our greatest adventure yet. Since moving in the Fall of 2020 while navigating an unpredictable new normal, we’ve established a stronger appreciation for one another & our own happiness, as well as a deeper gratitude for our health, family & friends. This decision to move brought us all that, our long-awaited puppy and ultimately, it led us to our forever.

We’ve taken a cozy residence in our adorable 2 bed, 1 bath cottage on the water – property with a river view that cannot be beat when compared to former city living. Although I still miss having my own bathroom, the pros to living here far outweigh the cons of sharing a small, tight space that fits one person comfortably while brushing teeth at the sink. Plus – I know this situation isn’t permanent, as we have a few long-term plans for our home that we hope to put into fruition by the end of this year…

In the meantime, there are a few projects I want to tackle in the next three months to make better use of our cozy yet limited square footage. Most of these intended tasks will involve heavy purging & organizing, which I don’t mind having an excuse to perform. The Type-A neat freak in me thrives in such scenarios; the main challenge will be finding the dedicated time to focus on each area I’m working on. I’m thinking this is where I prioritize making a schedule for what day(s) of the week will be slated for which project. Will report back with an update as I progress with this idea of following an itinerary for project execution.

Outside of the decluttering, purging & organizing, there are 3 rooms I want to make heavier changes to in terms of overall vibe/furniture/layout – the Living Room, Bedroom & Office spaces. I want each of these areas to provide serenity, tranquility & motivation, all necessary for me in order to work from home effectively. After all, the house & each of its rooms act as my workspace & photo studio on a daily/weekly basis. And at this moment, all 3 of these spaces are giving me hives & a headache, along with zero inspiration.

I’ve made a mood board for the 1st of the 3 so far – The Living Room; focusing on introducing more (muted) color and size-appropriate furniture with storage solutions to maximize foot traffic clearance. My goal is to complete one room project each month, starting now in Jan – the end of March. Purposely beginning with the two requiring less permanent changes & finishing with the most difficult one to prepare for (My Office.) Of course, I’ll be sure to share the process here & on my Instagram, as well as the final reveal in a dedicated post for each completion.

Sidenote: In searching for posts to link back to here, I came across this Mini House Update: Before & After recap that shows what our house looked like before we moved in – crazy how different everything was at the start & so happy about the “glow up” changes we made.