Once the boxes were packed for our move to Vancouver we excitedly talked about the new opportunities waiting for us and the life we were going to build for ourselves. We knew that as much as we loved our home in Holland, we desperately missed the hustle and bustle of a big city filled with restaurants to enjoy and places to see. After much consideration about the life we wanted to live, and signs from the universe, we realized that the first home we ever built together was where we’d begin another journey of living in Vancouver.

We were excited to move back into a place that was so familiar that we knew exactly where the nearest grocery store was and that friends were just a quick walk away. But I was also very apprehensive about what this new life would look like. Would we fall back into old patterns, would Europe feel like a dream that never truly happened, would our place feel like home like how Holland did? All these questions swirled around me and the answers would never come until we moved in.

The familiar ping of the elevator, the smell of the bay coming in over the ocean, and the way the door clicks when it closes. Everything brought back endless memories of what life used to be like. We saw our tiny condo and realized that the wear and tear of being a five year old building was showing and decided to give it quick paint job, pull out the unused fireplace, and put in some new flooring. I spent a week covered in paint and dust then spent the evenings soaking my sore muscles. It was worth it though.

A few changes makes it feel like we’re living in a completely different flat!  We light candles as soon as we come in the door, play soft music, and cook side by side in our tiny kitchen. I wanted a home that was filled with beautiful light, comforting and soft materials, elegant and masculine, and filled with memories from our time here before and as well as our time abroad.

I knew the type of look and feel I wanted our flat to have and used my Pinterest board to help me stay on course. With the exception of our dining room table and chairs and coffee table, everything has been reused from before. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished.