As is my wont, when the year is over, I look back at where we were; In Adventures and Misadventures, and quote from my collection of Featured Moments columns, one each month. Last week, I shared my favorite highlights from the first six months of the year. Here are my favorites from the last six:
In July, a reader shouted: “Help! I want my house back!” When Maureen Rabaczynski, a 62-year-old nurse, thought it was safe to downsize from her large family home, she and her husband moved into their “right-sized” four-bedroom oasis. Her two adult sons then took turns moving into the “guest” room during various life transitions. The three grandchildren and their toys took over another bedroom (so much for a home gym), and somehow a crib fell into her home office, killing the professional atmosphere she was trying to maintain during telehealth appointments. “I want to make our house ours again, and get rid of the feeling of clutter,” she told me.
lesson: Maureen’s two pieces of advice we could all benefit from: boundaries and purpose. Every home needs boundaries and every room needs one clearly defined purpose, nothing more.
In August, I was planning my third wedding in eight years. Not all I have, thank God. The first was mine. Two years ago my oldest daughter got married in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Now my youngest daughter is married. Although we were lucky in love, my daughters and I, it was an expensive decade. I’m not the only one dealing with sticker shock. According to Wedding Report, the average wedding in the United States last year cost more than $30,000.
lesson: And because no one wants to envy the bride for all the decorations that will create an unforgettable wedding day, I have found dozens of ways to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars by cutting costs in imperceptible ways.
In September, thanks to the kindness of strangers, one family was able to achieve the American dream of homeownership. Minor and Leticia Aldana moved from their slum-like apartment, which had sewage leaking into the kitchen, to a newly renovated house in Northfield, Minnesota. Now your monthly mortgage payments are less than what you were paying in rent. With the help of the local Habitat for Humanity Foundation, Thacker and his wife bought a dilapidated 1,200-square-foot house. Then more than 100 local residents – designers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, decorators and master gardeners – volunteered time and materials, working alongside Leticia and Minor to renovate the house.
lesson: Never underestimate the power of a community with a purpose, or the power of people and their desire to help.
In October, I saw what happens when a global design firm with a knack for helping people with disabilities and a leading furniture retailer collaborate. The result: quietly accessible furniture. Realizing that aging doesn’t come easy to us but the right furniture can make it easier and help prevent falls, Michael Graves Design and Pottery Barn launched a furniture line that looks like it belongs in a home and not a rehab center.
lesson: More than three-quarters of people over 50 say they want to age in place. Fortunately, furniture that looks residential rather than medical or institutional has become available, allowing them to do just that.
In November, we met Shana Novak, a talented photographer who makes it her business to capture special memorabilia on film and “make something seemingly ordinary seem magical.” Ticket stubs, keys, carry sticks, a faded boarding pass, teddy bears, worn-out work boots and muddy tennis balls are among the mundane but treasured items Novak has honored through photography and in her new book, The Heirloomist – 100 Heirlooms and the Stories They Tell “
lesson: Most of us think of an heirloom as a valuable, cherished relic from an ancient relative, but an heirloom can be anything, expensive or modest, as long as it tells your story; A story that wants to be kept alive for generations.
In December, I started breathing easier and sneezing less after researching ways to break up the fur flying around my house and other unwelcome evidence of our two dogs — including their scent. At first I was skeptical of home air purifiers, but I saw independent studies, including ones from the US Environmental Protection Agency, backing up these claims, so I got a portable air purifier and became a believer.
lesson: Take care of your air. While this and many other home design columns focus on the look of homes, the smell of our homes may be just as important — or even more so — important. Here’s to purified air and a cleaner life in 2025!
Marnie Jameson is the award-winning author of seven books, including Downsizing Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow, What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want, and Downsizing the Family Home. You can contact her at marni@marnijameson.com.
