an empty nest lifestyle
Experiences of living in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids and downsizing to a cozy loft.
I have always loved decorating for Christmas! When we were in our house, I would decorate every room with at least something a little festive. Now our space is a bit smaller but I still decorate as much as I can fit in. The key is to not overwhelm the space. My Christmas decorating ideas are fairly simple and mesh well with my existing decor and color schemes. Continue reading “Christmas Decorating Ideas”
Everywhere you shop for home decor, these days, you see an abundance of farmhouse style accents. I love the look of these warm and cozy accessories but I happen to live in an urban loft. Can farmhouse style work in the middle of the city? I say yes! Continue reading “Farmhouse Style In The Middle Of The City”
If you like drinking craft beer, you will love hanging out in Grand Rapids. There are breweries at practically every corner. At last count, there were over sixty breweries in and around the city. Plus, there are more popping up all of the time! Continue reading “Craft Beer Galore In Grand Rapids”
Once the kids have all grown up and moved out of the house, things get incredibly quiet, That big house in the suburbs no longer seems necessary and city life starts to sound more desirable. The move to the city has been a growing trend for empty nesters. In fact, there is new name for us……Ruppies! This stands for Retired Urban People. Continue reading “City Life Advantages For Empty Nesters”
I look forward to decorating for Christmas but Halloween? Not so much! It could be that I’m not a fan of Halloween decor in orange and black. Or, since my kids are all grown up and out of the house, I don’t get too excited about it. Also, holiday decorating in a small loft space cannot be overwhelming. Continue reading “Halloween Decor Made Subtle”
I never would have expected that my husband and I would ever entertain living in an urban loft. However, loft living is exactly where we have found ourselves as empty nesters. Although there have been some compromises to make for this move, overall we couldn’t be happier. Continue reading “Loft Living: The Good and The Bad”
As if downsizing from a large house to a small city loft wasn’t hard enough, our new kitchen was also in dire need of a makeover! The biggest problems were that the kitchen had old appliances and a counter top that was too low. I’m not sure why it wasn’t standard height but the issue was obvious. Instead of the oven being flush with the counters, it sat about an inch and a half higher. The shortened counters just made the small kitchen look even more tiny. Also, the walls were painted two different colors which just added to the chopped up feeling. I was looking for some easy kitchen updates! Continue reading “The Easy Kitchen Updates That Transformed Our Small Space”