Wallpaper & Wisdom

In the summer of 2023, my family lost everything in a house fire. Rather than going on a much anticipated vacation while our children were home from college, our family of five was living a more nomadic life-style, bouncing from one hotel to another. These hotel stays were neither relaxing nor enjoyable. They were simply a means to an end. In the first four weeks following the fire, we moved six times. Each time, the reality of what we’d lost became even more entrenched in our minds. We didn’t just lose our home, we lost a sanctuary, of sorts. Our home was a place we could gather to celebrate a milestone or regroup when life didn’t go according to plan. Life was definitely not going according to plan for our family. Aside from everything we’d lost in the fire, we had no place to regroup. I ached to have a place that we could gather as a family once again. A place of our own. 

We eventually found a house to rent, which we lovingly called “the dwelling”, until the construction on our home was complete. Living in a house, rather than a string of hotels, allowed us to feel more like ourselves. With that one change, we had achieved a sense of normalcy once again. It wasn’t our home, but it was a home and one that became an important step in our post fire journey.

During the nine months that we were displaced, I began making preparations for our move back home. From cookware to linens, I busied myself gathering the items we’d need. It was daunting trying to replace the entirety of our home from scratch. So, I chipped away at this project a little at a time. Somehow, after everything we’d been through, having our own whisk or shower curtain sitting in the corner of the rental felt like a major win to me. From the beginning, my goal was to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere in our “new” house without duplicating every aspect of our previous home. I didn’t want to do anything that would cause us to repeatedly recall what we’d lost. So, from paint colors to curtains, I worked to recreate each room within these key parameters. 

When it came to the bathroom, I decided to shake things up a bit and…wallpaper. While we were still living in the dwelling, I took a gamble and ordered two rolls of wallpaper that caught my eye online. I just hoped the pattern would go with the aesthetics of our bathroom. With these rolls of wallpaper came an unexpected sense of victory. Not only could I visualize the wallpaper in our bathroom, but I finally began to visualize my family back in our home. 

Aside from the aesthetics, I had to find a trusted sidekick to assist me in this project. I immediately thought of my Mom, who has done more than her share of wallpapering over the years. While I was confident the two of us could pull this off with very little effort, my Mom wasn’t nearly as confident. Nevertheless, a week or two after moving back into our home, my Mom (reluctantly) joined me. 

She was right. The project wasn’t as cut and dry as I thought it would be. While the pattern was perfect, it took a bit of work, as well as some creative liberties, to get the pattern to line up properly. Despite these challenges, I was persistent. In my mind, I already saw the end result. We completed the bathroom one panel at a time, relying on the expertise we each brought to the project. My Mom would measure and cut. I would hang and seal the seams. It was wonderful working side by side with my Mom. Those were hours well spent and I think of them each time I walk into that bathroom. If I look closely enough, I can find the flaws and shortcomings, yet I can also recall the laughter and stories we shared. That was nearly a year ago. I'll always treasure the time we spent together that week making this house feel more like our home.

Before

Almost There

After