Rachael Zarda

After looking for several months, we finally found our home. Found is actually not an accurate term, because we didn’t have anything to do with it. This house was presented to us with all of the boxes checked–it has everything we’d be hoping and praying for in our first house together.

When we first started looking at homes, I was convinced that my dream home was a brick colonial. We spent many Saturday afternoons driving around our favorite neighborhoods. I’d point out every home with that flat, beautiful brick exterior and claim it as my own. We always started with our “dream neighborhood”–really just one street of 12 houses that curves around a small lake. It was pretty unlikely that any of those homes would be listed in the timeframe we would be in the market for one, but we liked to dream.

On the first day of vacation in Maui, an email with the listing for our home was there sitting in my inbox–and it was one of the homes on the lake. We immediately put an offer in on the house without ever stepping foot in it. It felt too good to be true, but the entire buying process felt smooth and easy and right.

We have the keys and hope to make a few updates before moving in completely. First on the agenda: new hardwoods on the entire first floor, replacing the paneling in the living room with drywall, a new fireplace, and light fixtures. The immediate focus will be to get the first floor’s bones just right, as we’ll most likely be spending the majority of our time there.

The one thing that sold this house for us was being near the water. From early on in our dating relationship, we imagined our future selves drinking our morning coffee, looking over a body of water together. It was the view from our back porch and the beautifully landscaped backyard that captured our attention. It’s so serene and peaceful! And there are a number of reasons the inside of the home fits us so completely too–the master bedroom on the first floor, the high ceilings and natural light in the living area, and the updated kitchen, to name a few.

Once our home was locked down, I began thinking a lot about the front exterior. It was the only thing I was having a hard time with; the combination of red brick, stucco, and stone was something I’d never seen myself loving. But after doing some research and pinning lots of inspiration, I started feeling more confident in expanding my mind and embracing the Tudor style house. Stretching myself and my design aesthetic to compliment the home’s current style is going to be such a fun process. I’m looking forward to learning a lot and building a home slowly and thoughtfully. I can’t wait to share more with you.