I didn’t move out of my parents’ house until I was 28 years old. You can laugh. You can make fun of me. I’ve heard it all. To be honest, though, I didn’t really care. I was not ready. I didn’t make enough money. I also really didn’t want to rent. Or at least a bunch of people told me it’s better to buy. And, not to mention, I didn’t have the money to put things in a house.

I had a bed, a television stand, a television, and a grill. Those are the things I picked out over time, but they do not make a house a home. 

When I finally bought my house, it was sort of a shock. I had just got back from a solo trip. The last thing I was going to do before I sat down and seriously thought about saving up for a home. But my mom called me one morning and she was like “Toni! The little white house is for sale! The one!” And I was like “Are you sure it’s not just a political sign?!” (Because that had happened before. She thought a large for sale sign was in front of this other house, but it was a political sign.) 

“No! I had dad drive by and check on his way to work.” So I texted the realtor I had chatted with a couple times and she confirmed it was for sale but out of my price range. But this house is my dream house. It’s small. Close to my family. Close to work. Didn’t need any work. Has cute character. So with my parents help, I got this house. I told my mom, “look I got the house, but I don’t have the furniture.” 

We had about two months from when I signed the papers to when I moved in. As I was shopping around and looking for design inspiration, I realized a lot of the things I loved had a little bit of a vintage, boho, 70s look. And my mom already had so many pieces that worked for this style.

After I found my couch and my accent chair, it was really easy to pick out pieces from my moms house that she was willing to part with. And what made it even better is most of the things I liked were pieces from her mom or her grandma or my dad’s mom or my dad’s uncle. They were pieces I always sort of took for granted at my childhood home, but cherish so much here. When people come over, I get to share little tidbits about what pieces came from what relative. It’s really special to me. 

However, there were still things missing. The walls needed some flare. My shelves needed decorations. So when my best friend (and luckiest thrifter I know) came into town to see my house for the first time we went to thrift shops to find the perfect additions. Each item added so much color and character to my home. And I love that these too have a little history. One I don’t know about, but history all the same.

With that said, I also bought some things new. Like pillows, shelves, rugs and curtains. Most of those things came from Target and Amazon. But now that i have all the big things out is the way, if I buy new now, I try to buy decor from small businesses rather than large shops.

I keep adding to my space even now. It never seems to be done. I have projects I haven’t started yet. There is furniture at my parents’ house I am still trying to talk them into letting me have. (My grandma Anne had this double shaded stand up lamp that is absolutely stunning and I try to talk my mom into letting me have it at least once a month. To no avail.) 

Decorating was a little overwhelming, and it feels like I will constantly be doing it , but i was able to take a bit of old and new and turned into a perfect for me paradise.

For anyone looking to move out for the first time, I highly suggest asking people in your family (if you can) for pieces they don’t want anymore. I also suggest thrifting. And lastly, go slow. You don’t need to get it all put together before your invite people over. For the first few months, I had a folding table instead of a dresser. It’s totally fine. It will all come together eventually. 

If you’re interested in these pieces, here are either the same items or similar items.

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