The Guest Bedroom
Posted by Matt VerHeul | | Posted On Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:22 AM
Last week Christina and I put the finishing touches on our guest bedroom and even broke it in over the holidays hosting her mom, Arlene. This proved to be a significant step in the process of making our new house a home, and the reaction for me was unexpected.
Since the day Christina and I said “I do” a guest bedroom has been a symbol of our little slice of the American dream. To be clear, I’ve always lived in an apartment with a spare bedroom, but a guest bedroom is something else entirely. It’s not a place for a desk, computer, TV, or even a reading chair, but rather it’s simply a room designated for the mundane task of sleeping, arguably the least exciting room in a house. But it’s in this idea of a guest bedroom that Christina and I have placed so many dreams. Dreams of home ownership, hosting friends and family, and establishing life in a new city. Some of these connections are obvious while others require the understanding of where we came from.
Christina and I love to host. My mom, for as long as I can remember, taught me what it meant to have a home open to all and filled with love as she continually spared no effort in making sure our house was the place everyone wanted to hang. The food was always endless and the mess tolerated. For me a home will never be complete unless it’s shared with those you love. For our home to ever become the place we’ve envisioned it would, of course, require a guest bedroom; a room where our family and friends can stay and feel both welcome and comfortable.
The other half of this dream is a little more subtle. It was not impossible for us to buy a place in Seattle. Several of my friends have done just that. But what was impossible was to buy a house that would allow for a bedroom reserved solely for company. Because of this, the idea of a guest bedroom also became a symbol to all the elements of a life we envisioned that were unattainable in the Emerald City.
With the significance for us of such a room it was no surprise that tucked away in our closets in Kirkland Christina had already executed her vision for this space purchasing the critical elements of the room’s design. We had purchased furniture for a room that, at the time, was still just a dream, cramming it into an already cramped apartment and then trucking it across the country. Christina’s vision did allow, however, for the guest bedroom in the new house to come together with ease. I couldn’t have been more eager to finally unwrap the furniture I’d never seen but moved three times. The excitement barely had time to register as I was painting the room and building the furniture all through the day of Arlene’s arrival.
Christina and I had a great holiday and were so thankful to have family in our new home to share in it. This was the culmination of all our efforts to find a city to call home and the fulfillment of a dream of home ownership. We thank God for the blessings in our lives that have gotten us to where we are and recognize this is all a gift. Remaking the guest bed this week, Christina and I finally had a chance to reflect on the significance of the room being finished and the thought that kept coming to mind for me was simply, I feel old!
Since the day Christina and I said “I do” a guest bedroom has been a symbol of our little slice of the American dream. To be clear, I’ve always lived in an apartment with a spare bedroom, but a guest bedroom is something else entirely. It’s not a place for a desk, computer, TV, or even a reading chair, but rather it’s simply a room designated for the mundane task of sleeping, arguably the least exciting room in a house. But it’s in this idea of a guest bedroom that Christina and I have placed so many dreams. Dreams of home ownership, hosting friends and family, and establishing life in a new city. Some of these connections are obvious while others require the understanding of where we came from.
Christina and I love to host. My mom, for as long as I can remember, taught me what it meant to have a home open to all and filled with love as she continually spared no effort in making sure our house was the place everyone wanted to hang. The food was always endless and the mess tolerated. For me a home will never be complete unless it’s shared with those you love. For our home to ever become the place we’ve envisioned it would, of course, require a guest bedroom; a room where our family and friends can stay and feel both welcome and comfortable.
The other half of this dream is a little more subtle. It was not impossible for us to buy a place in Seattle. Several of my friends have done just that. But what was impossible was to buy a house that would allow for a bedroom reserved solely for company. Because of this, the idea of a guest bedroom also became a symbol to all the elements of a life we envisioned that were unattainable in the Emerald City.
With the significance for us of such a room it was no surprise that tucked away in our closets in Kirkland Christina had already executed her vision for this space purchasing the critical elements of the room’s design. We had purchased furniture for a room that, at the time, was still just a dream, cramming it into an already cramped apartment and then trucking it across the country. Christina’s vision did allow, however, for the guest bedroom in the new house to come together with ease. I couldn’t have been more eager to finally unwrap the furniture I’d never seen but moved three times. The excitement barely had time to register as I was painting the room and building the furniture all through the day of Arlene’s arrival.
Christina and I had a great holiday and were so thankful to have family in our new home to share in it. This was the culmination of all our efforts to find a city to call home and the fulfillment of a dream of home ownership. We thank God for the blessings in our lives that have gotten us to where we are and recognize this is all a gift. Remaking the guest bed this week, Christina and I finally had a chance to reflect on the significance of the room being finished and the thought that kept coming to mind for me was simply, I feel old!
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