Buying a house, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. When people ask me how the house is going, I usually say, “It’s a lot,” and they reply, “Yes, but it’s a good kind of overwhelming.” I have to disagree. Sure, we’re working towards a goal, and I try to picture the finish line, but with a thousand big tasks ahead, that finish line gets blurry—or maybe that’s just my tears clouding my vision. Either way, it doesn’t feel like a good kind of stress.
The floors are what’s really driving me crazy. Let me explain: we have two rooms with carpet, which I can’t stand, and the rest of the house has this grey faux wood flooring that just isn’t my style. The big issue is my closet. Remember my massive closet that I love? It’s super heavy, and moving it from the garage, where it’s stored, into the carpeted room meant to be my closet/office, only to move it again for flooring, is a nightmare. So, I can’t organize my clothes, which is driving me nuts, and the closet parts are taking up space all over the house.
I need the floors done so I can set up my closet, like, yesterday. I’m pretty picky about floors. I wanted concrete initially, but since we’re on a raised foundation, that’s not possible. After lots of Pinterest browsing, I decided on a bright, minimal white oak look. But finding that within our budget was tough. Two weeks ago, I took my future mother-in-law to Home Depot, hoping to find something we liked, and surprisingly, we did! I found the perfect engineered white oak with minimal markings, super light, wide planks, and a good price.
I ordered them online that night, paid a lot for shipping, scheduled the installation, and waited eagerly for them to arrive. When the truck came a week later, I opened the box and was so disappointed. They looked nothing like the sample—more like a weird pink tone with lots of markings. It was very “rustic,” which was the opposite of what I wanted. That night, we loaded about 1000 pounds of flooring into Zack’s car, drove to Home Depot (the car was practically scraping the ground), and returned it all.
Now we’re back to square one with the flooring, and it feels like there’s no end in sight. Without the floors, I can’t do anything else. I can’t picture the decor, lighting, furniture, colors—nothing until the floors are done. It’s frustrating, and since I can’t physically start on the house, I’ve been doing it virtually, thanks to Pinterest.
I thought it would be fun to share what I’ve been pinning so you can see the vibe I’m going for and maybe get some inspiration for yourself. Here’s a breakdown of my favorite boards: FashionlushChateau Home Decor Pinspiration, Front Yard, Flooring Inspo, My Closet Room/Office, Master Bedroom, Bathrooms, Kitchen, Backyard Vibes, and Living Room.