The actor Steve McQueen's former home in in Santa Paula, California, built in 1892. We vacationed here a couple of years ago.
Every generation has its' rules & trends about decorating. Our great-grandmothers & grandmothers had "parlors" at the front of the house where things were kept spotless to receive guests for tea. Our mothers had formal living/dining room combinations. Many women in my generation live much less formal lives but may live in those older homes. Many have home businesses and little time to entertain, so their formal dining rooms have become home offices or studios. However, they may have a killer outdoor kitchen/eating area for casual, family-friendly entertaining.
Don't be afraid to turn your home's floor plan on its' ear to make it work for your family. Don't feel bound to use a room for a certain thing just because that's the label on the blueprint. The only rooms you can't change (at least not easily!) are the ones with plumbing.
In our house, the laundry room has also been the home office and is now a sitting room. The living room changed into the dining room. This week, our son Caleb left for school in California. So we've done a fruit-basket-turn-over...Drew moved into Caleb's bedroom and I'm going to turn Drew's old room into my office.
There's a time for sentimentality and a time for practicality. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to turn Caleb's room into a shrine to visit when I miss him (daily)...but that wouldn't be functional. Both boys definitely have my sentimental gene, but they are also great about letting go of things that don't work for them anymore. (Caleb was totally fine with all the switching around.)
Look around your home. Is there a room that doesn't get much use? Is there a room that has basically become a storage unit or dumping ground? Maybe it's still telling your grandmother's story or your mom's story. Maybe it's time to rewrite that room to tell your story.
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