I chose the Mason family for the third round, because I'm fairly certain that all the potential bin houses are single stories which work better for a household with a toddler. Will (cuz my dad's name is Bill and it just seems weird to me) and Elise have moved to a new home after Anne was killed in a tragic cave accident at work. She was an Adventurer and there was a cave-in and she was killed. Its so hard when you don't see it coming and you don't have time to say goodbye. They used the insurance money to purchase a beachy home near the seaside where they could start fresh; they both love that the property has a weathered play-scape. Around both the front and the back Elise has put up butterfly houses in the bushes. To help get Elise out of desperation failure over losing her mother, Will got her a cat, Lily.
Will doesn't really know much about decorating. He didn't change the wallpaper in the living room or the paint in the kitchen from how they were when they bought it. He saw that the walls were yellow striped so he figured they went with pink and yellow striped couches. Elise thought it was perfect, as pink is her second favorite color, right behind purple. The tv unit and bookcase were from their previous house, but their old couch was worn. Elise put up the cat birdy toy next to the birdhouse and the tree (which is on a walk-through block so the cat can use the toy.) She also put a mousey toy near a hole in the wall and it seems the mousey toy has a real neighbor. There are photos of Anne throughout the house because while they do want to start new, they don't ever want to forget wife and mother.
Will wasn't really sure how to use the front dining area, so he made it into their office. He has his work computer, files, and architecture models (he is the Head of a Construction Company), and Elise has a place to do her homework that is free from distractions. She has a small butterfly house next to her and a pretty purple flower desk lamp. She has her comfy purple chair, and he has his executive one.
The downstairs bathroom and laundry room is a versatile little space. Will doesn't know too much about laundry either, but Elise gets upset when her dresses come out crinkled so he has been hanging them instead of putting them in the dryer. He is learning, a few of his socks are pink from not knowing that reds and whites need to be separated, but he's trying at least. Being a suddenly single dad is hard! The cat can (and does, we have a well trained kitty) use the litter box under the sink. The area right outside the bathroom was a strange spot for Will to fill, but with the shelves pre-hung from the previous owner, it wasn't that hard to figure out something to make it useful for. Elise is actually a better cook than her dad; Anne had been teaching her, so he made sure she had a spot for her Easy-Bake Oven.
The kitchen proper also hasn't had much decorating since they've moved in. He put their dining table in the center and that was that. There was this quaint little panty nook behind the stairs and it's probably supposed to be used for decorative stuff, but dad put some pots and casserole dishes on the bottom and turned the top shelf into a spice rack. He's just practical like that.
The real gem of this house is of course, Elise's room. Will actually figured out how to hang wallpaper just for her. It is much trickier than you think! Especially by yourself! Most of the furniture and toys are from her old room in their old house, so everything matches better and is well coordinated because Anne had picked them out. When they moved here, Will put the furniture against the walls and let Elise unpack her toys herself. She is thrilled with the newest member to her tea parties - Lily cat. She has a writing/drawing desk in her bedroom and on it is her prized butterfly collection. She doesn't have many yet, but they haven't been at the new house very long.
The master bedroom is yet another hold over from their previous house. Will didn't have the money nor did he want to get rid of his and Anne's bedroom set. He did remember one thing she taught him about decorating. Try to match colors. You can see he took that advice when he painted the bedroom. He matched it to their comforter. He thought about getting rid of everything that reminded him of her, but in the middle of the night, no matter what the room looks like, he can still feel the emptiness that her death caused. Will prefers to hold on to her as much as he can for fear of falling over that cliff of desperation. Her side of the bed is always perfectly made with the decorative pillows propped up. Lily cat appreciates the nice place to sleep and it helps him with the loneliness, even though she is just a cat. It makes him feel less crazy when he just needs to talk about Anne because Lily is a good listener.
The last room on our tour is the upstairs bathroom. Not much to see, just a simple bathroom that works well for when Will has to take a quick shower before work or when Elise wants to take a long pirate adventure in the bath after dinner.
And that's the Masons' new house. Thanks for taking a look!
12th Nov 2012 at 4:15 AM
