I Own a House and Nothing Else

Photo courtesy of Gratisography

Wednesday, April 15th, 2026

Well, this is it. Today is closing day. I signed my life away yesterday, seemingly 1,000 times. It’s a loooong name - no pain, no gain. And now I’m the proud new owner of my own house. I’m very impressed with myself!

Of course, there was a hiccup that put the closing date in jeopardy. With a lot of scrambling - and heavy leaning on people who know more than I do - I got it resolved and saved myself a decent chunk of change. 

Which is a good thing, because I’m going to need it for furniture…

The cute round couch I wanted isn’t going to work. The back is too low. Cute, but not cozy. The first thing I noticed was the fabric bagging out on the floor sample - which is why I love checking out floor samples.

If something can’t survive 2,000 strangers’ grimey hands and butts, then it’s not going to survive me and my rabid beasts. 

Although, I may have found a replacement during my next 3am insomnia infused scrolling bender. TBD on the butt squish, but I’m hoping to do that research this weekend. It costs more than the other one and I’d have to pay extra for a more fun - but still tasteful - color.

I wasn’t totally on board with a gross yellow table and a gross yellow couch in such close proximity to each other. I love gross yellow, but not as a theme.

Then, I thought about blue, but that felt like a step backwards - Too close to the life I had before. 

Now, I’m thinking of one of two variations on a dirty pink. Warm, but neutral. A little surprise that’s been unexpectedly rearing its head since I moved to Seattle.

Come to think of it, it showed up earlier than that. When I first moved into my Brooklyn apartment, I painted my east facing bedroom pale pink. I woke up the next morning - sun blasting through the window - feeling like I was inside a cloud of cotton candy. 

I repainted it a dirty blue-green that day.

These pinks are different. Less cotton candy, more rosy tan. Warm. A little more adult, a little less romper room. 

Of the two options, one costs less, but doesn’t arrive until late August. The other costs more, and arrives late July. Meanwhile, I’ll crash on Wally’s couch. It’s perfectly Wally-sized, and minimally padded. I don’t think he, Willow and I could all fit at once.

After that, anything will feel comfortable.

The low back dining chairs might still be a go. I don’t mind them being a little uncomfortable. It keeps people leaning forward and engaged. Or, it keeps me from lingering too long. 

Dining chairs are always problematic. Upholstery feels risky. Wood and leather can get weird. Plastic is just so… plastic. And metal is hard and cold. I’ve yet to find a perfect answer.

I am trying to be cognizant of not making everything overly neutral. It’s easy to do with the current trends in decor. If I get the low back dining chairs, I could paint the metal legs hot pink or bright aqua to offset it. 

Speaking of things that are various shades of cardboard, I haven’t packed anything yet. I did buy boxes. I even brought them inside. 

Baby steps. 

While I don’t feel rushed to move, I should probably start packing sooner than later. I need to get my things out of storage by the end of the month. I don’t have a ton of stuff, but likely more than I realize. 

I no longer own a bed to sleep on, or pots and pans to cook with. Upcoming travel is making it difficult to order things and time deliveries. I’m looking forward to having all my dishes and mugs and glassware back.

So I will pack. And I will measure. I will draw little floor plans and tape them on the floor like chalk outlines and see what actually works.

36” is the standard clearance for accessible pathways. This feels like a good distance to aim for between pieces of furniture. My space isn’t very big, so we’ll see how often I can make that happen. Maybe 30” in some places. I just don’t want the space to start to feel too crampy. 

I want space to move and breathe. Physically and mentally.

Which feels like a reasonable request after signing my name 1,000 times to acquire the responsibility of… my whole life. 

(that’s a different post)

So, I’ll keep testing couches. I’ll continue overthinking dining chairs. I’ll tape out half the house until it looks like a cartoon drawing..

And eventually, something will land.

Not because I got it right—
but because I gave myself enough space to figure it out.

Stay Gritty