Introducing The House that Healed Me

Hi.

So, we moved!

We just bought a home that was built in 1998, and lemme tell ya. It is 19-NINETY-EIGHTING all over the place up in here.

It hasn’t seen much updating over the past 28 years, but the bones, layout and location are perfection. I love it so much that I don’t even care that I’m back to bright brass door knobs and hunter green wallpaper borders.

In fact, after so many years of grey and white dominating the decor scene, I may just embrace the 1990’s home decor like a warm hug from a dear old friend.

Welcome back, burgundy sponge-painted dining room walls. I’ve missed you.

Nice to see you again, golden oak cabinets with Corian countertops. (Actually, I think these are maple, but y’all know everyone rocked the golden oak back in the day.)

Blue and green plaid wallpaper in a Jack-and-Jill bathroom? You remind me of my Poppa’s cozy flannel shirt that smelled like pipe smoke and unconditional love.

If you were to ask me which decade hosts my favorite style of homes, I would say HANDS DOWN it was the 1990s. For one thing, I graduated high school in 1995 and went to college for Interior Design from 1995-1999.

In the 90’s, I was taking field trips to the Birmingham Decorator’s Showhouse when the nursery featured a wall mural of a life-sized carousel and the crib was covered in a 12-piece bedding set that had more ruffles than Scarlett O’Hara’s petticoats.

Back then, I was hand-sketching floor plans at my drafting table while belting out Silver Springs with my Stevie Nicks the minute my 12 CDs for a penny arrived via mail-order from Columbia House.

I was flipping channels between Martha Stewart, Bob Ross and Carol Duvall teaching me how to hot-glue fabric and lace ruffles onto my C/O ’95 photo albums.

I learned AutoCAD on R14, that’s how old I am.

Indeed. I spent my Interior Design Glory Days right in the heart of the 1990s.

Plus, 1990’s houses have gigantic bedrooms with huge walk-in closets. For some reason during the McMansion era of the early 2000’s we started giving kids 10×10 bedrooms, just so homebuilders could advertise a 5-bedroom house. But I don’t need 5 bedrooms. I need my two double-digit children to be able to graduate from their toddler beds and tiny dressers and still have plenty of room left over for computer desks and craft tables.

Secondly, all that traditional red brick and Christmas colors inspired by Kevin McAllister’s house makes every day feel like Christmas. Home Alone premiered in 1993, and immediately, suburban housewives started painting every inch of their house burgundy red and hunter green, and slapping paisley mauve wallpaper on every vertical space that could hold paste.

And above all else… the 90’s were prime Ralph Lauren time.

Like, is there really any more to say than that??

Hunter green and Black Watch plaid have arrived back in my life, and I am here for it.

The 1990’s were the golden age of jewel-toned walls, puffy fabric valances (with tassels!), and dark green ivy climbing the walls in every kitchen. But all that made for some warm and cozy interiors, and I think that is EXACTLY what we are all craving right now.

A home that feels like home.

So…. that’s why I am super excited to be here in my “new” almost 30 year old house! We have made a few little upgrades already (I’ll share more soon!) but I have no idea what else we will be changing.

I’m at an age now where if it fits, I sits… and can barely get back up!

But, y’all know the Bryans cannot resist a good DIY project, so watch my TikTok or Instagram for future updates. You can check out our first major project on my Tiktok page here.

Replacing the leaky faucets with shiny new British-style bath faucets was a must-do.

@bethbryandesigns New bathroom faucets were the first project we tackled at the new house. What do you think? Brass and wallpaper are back but that upstairs wallpaper is LEGIT 1998 coded!! 😜 #interiordesign #bathroommakeover #bathroomremodel #diyprojects ♬ original sound – bethbryandesigns

So, who else is ready to paint a mural of the olive fields over Tuscany, or maybe an equestrian-style polo rider and hounds on your dining room wall? ::raises hand::

We are not gonna talk about those thick glass block bathroom windows, dust-covered faux ficus trees and formal living rooms that nobody was allowed to sit in. Those can be left behind.

There really are no rules anymore. Don’t worry. Be happy.

What did your house look like in the 90’s??

PS: If you’re wondering why this post is titled The House that Healed Me with zero explanation of HOW it’s healing me, I’m sorry.

The past few years have been filled with highs and lows of grief, loss and learning to find my way in the world again. I’m tentatively putting it all into words and finding my voice again after years of silence.

The fact that words are coming out of my brain and landing on this blog page right now is evidence that I’m healing, so I’ll call that a win!

I’m trying to get my feet back under me with this blogging thing, since I sincerely miss it and all of YOU! Thank you all for wanting to come over to my tiny corner of the internet and read my stories. I hope you’ll be back soon.