J.Jordan Design

It was Christmas Break 1984. I could not wait to go across town to my aunt and uncle’s house, where my two beautiful, older GIRL cousins lived.  They had the it house.  They each had their own rooms; one was done in blue, the other in pink.  But more importantly, they had….wait for it…a basement!!!!!!!  Aka: KID ZONE!  An honest-to-goodness storage room basement!

That unfinished basement was like a castle in the eyes of my 7-year-old self. My two brothers and I, along with our two cousins, created Oscar-worthy live performances….musicals to be exact.  I mean, Grandpa Homer was the only person in our “audience” who actually sang along and encouraged us. After all, our creative talent came from him – he often played his guitar and his Kris Kringle’s Kottage plastic kazoo simultaneously (“There’s a hole in the bottom of the sea…”). But still, The Cousins Five (usually the Cousins Four because we often had to fire one of the “cousins” — I won’t name names, but anyone who knows my family could probably guess which one of my brothers I’m referring to!) produced several impressive performances.  In our productions, my name was always Cindy.

Back to the point.

My cousins’ house was my childhood dream house.  I loved that place.  The terra cotta tile and deep rust-colored accent wall in the foyer was my favorite.  It felt so warm.

They had the Barbie Dream House, too. The one with the elevator.

So what makes a dream house?  Everyone has his/her own ideas, and I believe those ideas can shift over time and through stages of life. I have come to realize that my dream house is not one particular structure or style; it’s not located on a particular side of town, or in a certain neighborhood. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s located on a big plot of land that is the “Midwest American Dream;” or in a subdivision; or on a busy, main-drag city street. I’ve lived in all of those.  And every single one has been my dream home for that moment.

*Side note: it’s March 23rd and we have accumulated over 2 inches of snow today, so my dream home today is on a beach somewhere in a tropical location, far away from Northern Indiana.

Not even cool.

With each one of my clients, I do a lot of listening. I listen to their stories, because in their stories I gain knowledge…in how they use their space, interact with one another, and the things they value. My goal is to guide them in creating a space or even a whole home environment (sometimes even an office!) in which they feel not only comfortable and welcoming of guests, but where at the end of the day they can look around and say, “This is home.” ” I love it here.” “I am blessed to be here.”

Let your space reflect you.