Rethink Your Home When Life Presses Restart

A number of years ago, before the pandemic began, my life took a major u-turn. Death took away a number of important people in my life, but left me with a house that was a disaster. It was bought as a fixer-upper, but never got fixed up. And I ended up with piles and piles of stuff that I inherited from a bunch of different sources all at one time. There are a lot of people who might just sit on the floor and cry. I decided to rebuild, reorganize and rethink...everything.

They say after great loss to not make a whole lot of changes at one time. I put everything into storage and gutted my house. I changed my job. I began rethinking what I liked and didn't like. 

I redesigned my house first. Working with a contractor, I created the floor plan. Then I came up with the interior design -- including paint colors, furniture layout, tile, flooring, rugs, art and more. I reused much of what I had. I found a woodcrafter and he helped me alter some furniture from my grandmother. He also helped me repurpose some of the old wood paneling from the house into shelving. The contractor reused some of the old paneling as a finish on the outside. 

I vowed that nothing I didn't love or need would go back into my house when the remodeling was completed. I donated a garage full of old, unused remodeling supplies to Habitat for Humanity. I sold and donated another room full of clothing, books, records, CDs, housewares and knick knacks. I gave boxes away to friends and family of items I knew would mean something to them. 

My house is still a work in progress, but it has been rebuilt. I love it.

I changed my job. I started working for a company that helps seniors downsize and move. It allowed me to use a lot of the skills I gained as I downsized and remodeled. Then I took classes in interior design.

I also started writing for part of my living. I write about a lot of things, but my favorite is writing about homes and the families that live in them. 

I began making pillows from vintage fabrics and greeting cards from paper pads I bought at estate sales. I discovered how much I love vintage things. I have sold a few things at craft fairs.

Change is hard. It is chaotic. But I found that I like to contain and organize chaos. My creative force emerges from that chaos. It has brought me to where I am now. 

I have just uploaded a website for a new business -- refraichirhome.com. I want to help people purge, organize, stage and help with small remodeling projects. I'll be sharing some of my projects on my Instagram.

I am opening a small shop offering vintage items, upmarket furniture and repurposed goods at Vinterest in Nashville. 

I am still writing for several media in the area. 

What I have learned from all of this is that homes contain the stories of our lives. They reflect who we are, but they also shape us. I have learned a lot in the last several years about keeping things and giving things away. About shaping my environment to reflect who I am now and what I need. 

After so much loss and the changes created by the pandemic, I think it is time to share what I have learned. So many others are in a similar place. I think others going through change and wanting to give their home an update can use my knowledge to start moving forward.