Overdue Revitalization
Empty Nesting should be the most glamorous
My LORD the stock market has been volatile lately. It has people nervous and worried about plans, particularly at our own little corner of the world. We are a certain age. We’ve been simultaneously been planning our “golden years”, our son’s college years and a VERY long overdue condominium remodel here in Beverly Hills.
In 2009, we bought this place and I vowed that it would be a place toddlers could run around and I could relax - no exposed electrical outlets, no rickety floor to ceiling windows, no valuable or dangerous items within reach of littles. Everything a toddler would break or swallow was out of reach and I went full 70s in my design scheme - an ebullient colorful mix of preschool art with pear green and the original parquet floors. This was the first home I’d lived in since the 70s with carpet. The previous owner purchased the unit when it was new in 1975, and had never used the GE appliances. Loving the idea of cooking in a kitchen exactly like my Aunt Sylvia’s, we opted to only install a new fridge and just do minimal cosmetics like a red bevelled acrylic sink and faux terrazzo floors. These were design choices I never would have made before (see below), but every choice was made in the name of making housekeeping easier and home making fun. I vowed to do a full kitchen remodel after five years and upgrade.
Five years came and went; we were still happy with the serviceability of the kitchen and we were starting to think towards retirement and how we wanted to allocate our resources. Then, in 2019 we bought our ever after house near New Orleans and all my efforts have gone in the direction of making that place home.
But now it’s time to give the ol’ condo some love. The next big step after this is retirement and selling the place (tbd; but we are planners). This time I’m talking clean surfaces and white on white. Undercounter everything. Luxury vinyl plank flooring (hardwood is a hate crime toward your neighbors below) throughout, maybe a pop of color, but this time, it’ll be full Beverly Hills glamour. I will use every Lisa Vanderpump trick and if we never decide to sell it, I will look gorgeous in all the filtered light and sparkle from my mother of pearl backsplash.
There will be updates.
