Summer Stories ~ Moving and Making Home

September 12, 2015

Welcome to Summer Stories, a series of photo-posts telling the story of our first summer in Montreal. It's not officially fall until September 23rd, and so I'm indulging my love for summer and my gratitude for the gifts of this particular summer by squeezing a summer's worth of photos into the season's remaining days here on the blog.

Today's Story: Moving and Making Home

Laurent's room is the most "done" room in the house, hence it gets wide-angle coverage.

The living room needs a bit more love. The photo albums are in shelves under the TV but they're not organized yet, and artwork is still stacked on surfaces, instead of hanging on walls. Throughout the house we need a few more pieces of furniture to move our belongings out of bins and off wire shelves.

My goal is to have shoes in a closed cupboard (instead of on open shelving in the kitchen) and to store the girls' "stuff", which has lived in bins for many years, in an armoire in their room.

I have some decorating projects I need to do. I want to hem the floor-length curtains in all the rooms so that they don't cover the heaters in winter and to use that fabric to make large comfy throw-pillows. And I want to sand and stain our itsy-bitsy dining room table, though someday I want a larger one altogether. You know... a house gets settled but is never "done".

I plan to give a more thorough, wide-angle view of all the rooms - 3 bedrooms, living/dining room, kitchen and bathroom (it's a 5 1/2 by Montreal standards) - when some of these projects are done.

You'll see a few more shots of the house in some of the other stories I'll be sharing this week.

Filed Under

Part of Series

Summer Stories (the year we move to Montreal)

Resource Library

Moving & House Tours

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Lisa on Sept. 12, 2015, 6:57 p.m.

Fun to see summer photos!

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Sarah M on Sept. 12, 2015, 7:26 p.m.

It is a beautiful rental!! Wow! The kitchen is gorgeous. Looks like all the bedrooms get pretty significant light, too, which is great.

Sarah M

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- renee on Sept. 12, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
  
  The bedrooms get great light, so does the kitchen and bathroom. The problem spot is the dining room, which has no windows, which is a bit of bummer since we eat most of our meals there (sometimes the kids eat at their desks). We installed a new fixture in that room to brighten things up but I think we need a floor lamp with a directional gooseneck lamp to direct more light into dark areas. My desk is also in the dining room, along with the homeschool supplies :)
  
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Chessa on Sept. 12, 2015, 8:40 p.m.

We just moved last week and are currently living in a sea of boxes (not helped by the fact that my husband broke/mangled his finger of his dominant hand trying to get the ramp down off the moving truck!) Anyway - just wanted to say THANK YOU. Seeing both your before, during and after pics is helping me take a deep breath and remember that WE WILL GET IT DONE. Eventually. ;)

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- renee on Sept. 12, 2015, 8:48 p.m.
  
  Oh yes Chessa, I can totally relate. So sorry to hear about your husband's finger!
  
  It's really hard for me to take photos of my life when it's a disaster, because I find it hard to see the beauty and I absolutely hate periods of transition, they are my bane. And when I feel overwhelmed by mess I don't want to photograph the mess, I simply want the mess GONE. But I always try to take a few photos in the disaster so I can look back and be so grateful that I'm no longer living in boxes.
  
  Also, I just checked out your blog. Love your fashion. Fun, Fun! Especially love your sources - thrifted and other finds. This summer I started put some thought into my wardrobe for the first time in a few years. A great thrift session in spring sure helped. Living in Montreal I feel I have to step up my game a bit (want to step up my game) and the great thing is that the thrift stores here have good finds because there are some serious fashionistas giving away their discards. Fun times.
  
  Best to you as you get through moving transition.
  
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  - Chessa on Sept. 15, 2015, 7:39 p.m.
    
    Thanks about the blog! It was a really fun exercise and made me step out of my box a little bit. I'm much more brave in pattern mixing now, anyway! ;) And I love thrifting in new places! I still need to check out our second-hand spots in our new town. I do love a good bargain!
    
    Thanks for the best wishes! To you, as well! <3
    
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Maria Cordner on Sept. 12, 2015, 10:38 p.m.

I like neutral wall color with wood trimming. Relaxing to me! Love the space! I love light too! All the light and functionality of space! Thanks for sharing the photos!

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Angi @ SchneiderPeeps on Sept. 14, 2015, 12:59 a.m.

Thanks so much for letting us have a peek into your home. I love how simple your home is. We've lived in this house for almost four years which is the longest we've ever lived in a home. I spent the summer going through rooms getting rid of stuff and finding better ways of organizing what is left. It's such a great feeling to see blank space.

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