End of the curse!

In February I blogged that remodelling "was my curse." I was embarking then on an ambitious plan to remodel a significant portion of my main floor. I removed storage, closets, cupboards, halls, doors, walls, and completely refashioned portions of my dining room, kitchen, a bedroom, entry, and bathroom. At the time I was caught in the grip of a conflicted nature. I had been trained since childhood to undertake such ambitions, but found the going often tedious and frought with frustration and physical pain. I said then that I was pleased to craft my own space. I said then that I wanted no part of cookie cutter homes.



Recently I turned my back on the house, threw in the towel on remodelling and now live in an apartment. It is just like dozens of others. It is all the same color: white, with shades of off-white and beige. There is a dabble of tan here and there. I am at peace. This dramatic transformation in the space of 9 months ought not to be alarming. I overdosed on customization. I burnt out on remaking and settled on banal in exchange for simplicity. I have no pressing project, nothing to worry about, nothing to spend a fortune at Home Depot over. I have only to wake, eat, sleep, and walk the dog.

Of course, this isn't entirely the full story. The motivation behind this dramatic change of heart was the opportunity to purchase a small business in Colorado. I have moved to central Denver, and am soon to embark on a much larger challenge than building a new bathroom. In some ways I think the remodelling filled a necessary void: allowing me a creative and productive outlet where one was not always provided at work. The time I spent retooling the house has helped provide some of the capital required to buy the business, and therefore turns out to have been mentally, physically, and financially rewarding. Nevertheless, I have had my fill, and I'm looking forward to the mundane and mass produced for awhile. Maybe once the business is chugging along I'll look at tackling another home.

If I do, I will count on all of my friends to stand in my path screaming "NO!"