When does a house become a home?
When there is a family wall inside.
In the midst of all the renovations to the #totsreno house, we’ve also taken a lot of time to decorate and make the house feel comfortable and our’s.
Few things make me as happy as sitting on the loveseat and looking to my left at the wall to my right which has photos of some of the most important people and memories of my life. And my wife’s life too.
It started off as a solid, wood covered wall when we bought the house. With some careful punching, cutting, reframing, drywall and paint, it was transformed into a touching wall which honours a lot of special people.
We opened up the wall between the playroom and living room. It was a great decision as it improved airflow in the house and access to the upstairs stairwell.
But more importantly, it gave us a place where we were able to start hanging photos. My favourite photo on the wall is a shot of my wife I took of her on our wedding day. There are images of my grandparents – her a nurse, him a soldier – they sent each other during the Second World War. And I can’t look at the wall and not see the polar bear footprint. That brings memories of seeing polar bears in the wild along the James Bay coast of Ontario in 2006. My tour guide got me to within about 10 feet of a bear before we decided it might not be safe to get any closer. It was an awesome adventure I will always remember.
In time, we will add more photos to the wall. I have photos of four generation of both my mom and dad’s side of the family to have framed.
I love the idea of this wall and feel like keeps my more aware of where my wife and I have come from and how we have grown into a family. Even though my daughter only has one great-grandparent left, I want her to know the tremendous people who helped shape her parent’s lives.
