Tuesday

Corner View: Front Door
I love our house. It isn't large, but it's just right for us. When we started looking, my husband was working as a sous chef for a downtown restaurant and I did a lot of the house-hunting footwork alone until we had it narrowed down to three or four properties. I looked at forty houses over the course of a few months. Forty.
This one was the very first house I picked to see, and I knew in my heart the first time I walked up the street and saw its red door that this was it. The one. Honestly I probably would have bought it on the spot if it had been just me. Still, I went through the motions and plodded through forty properties in five or six different neighborhoods before all was said and done.
No other property even came close to the feeling this house gave me. It was like a vibration in the air every time I approached it, a little flicker of positive energy, as if the air smelled better here and shone a little brighter. Finally one day our agent gave us notice that someone else had made an offer on the house with the red door.
I panicked. We paid full price, with a few little negotiations. It was worth it.
I still get a little thrill of pride every time I walk up the block and see that house and know...it's mine! My chest swells a bit. My home.
Of course, it wasn't just the red door. You can paint any front door red. There were so many things that made it exactly the right house for us - the open, loft-like floorplan, the beautiful hardwood floors, the 1913 ranch-style square that had been doubled in size during a modern renovation, the lake park just half a block away with its waterfowl and cattails, the broad, quiet street that makes on feel like one lives in a small town, even just minutes from downtown Denver...but every time I come home, it's that magical red door I see, and it gives me that same little thrill of "rightness" that I had the very first time. I'm convinced one can have "chemistry" with a house just as one can have "chemistry" with a person. You just know. Like so many things in my life today.

For more Corner Views stop by Jane's place in Spain.

23 comments:

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

And seeing that adorable Q running up to the RED door must be the perfect cherry on top!

Nothing beats feeling 'so right' in your very own home!

Joyce said...

A wonderful red door and a cutie Q! I love her hat. xox

Daan said...

O yes, i can feel it right over here in Holland. I believe it isn't just the red door but wow do i love your red door!

and little Q is the best!

Rosa said...

Q looks adorable in that little outfit she's wearing and posing in front of the red front door.

Guusje said...

Oh, yes, sometimes you just know.....

la ninja said...

love at first "feel". silly how we often fight against it, isn't it?
but you got it and it makes you happy so that's that :)

Catalina said...

I adore the red door!!! And your little girl is so cute...

natasja said...

lovely photos!

Di said...

I think that a red door would be attractive to me too. I have a blue door and I love my blue door. Must try to photograph it but as it's inside a stone stairwell the light is not always the best!

Love the photos of Q - she more than brightens up your red door!

Bree said...

that last picture....

love the red!

Yanyan said...

Lovely pictures of Q and the red door is beautiful!

Cherry B said...

The colors are indeed so nice, and I'm sure the sweet little girl adding decor to the front of your house makes your chest swell with pride as well :)

Angie Muresan said...

I just love the little fashionista that Q is! I've always loved red doors on houses. Someone who paints their door that red must believe in love and live in love, wouldn't you say? Perhaps it is the love surrounding the home and within it, that you felt that first time.

Kaylovesvintage said...

your little girl is getting pretty everyday, what a cutie

Mlle Paradis said...

I love red doors too and desperately wanted to buy a house in Hawaii with one (and a giant lychee tree in the back).

I think there's something Feng Shui about Red Doors. They are propitious. And probably somebody else more expert has left a comment about that.

Victoria | Hibiscus Bloem said...

You sound as though you found your perfect home. Lovely front door and what a cutie in her hat.

anna said...

yes I am a big believer in chemistry! Love the pics of Q with the umbrella, they would make a great drawing too!

Palmer and Co said...

Q makes that door even better! Darling photos!

;) said...

A sweet CV !!!

Theresa said...

Great story, love that you are so happy there. The shot with Q and the yellow umbrella where she is looking head on is awesome.

likeschocolate said...

She is just so precious! Smiling all over. Have a wonderful week!

l i s e said...

love your red door. I feel just the same with my house.
have a wonderfull day

Yoli said...

That Q, peeking from the umbrella makes me want to pick her up and squeeze her! Gorgeous. I am a lover of red front doors. When I moved in my house which is still a work in progress the first thing I did was paint the front door red.

Love the VDJ coat and the combination of the leopard hat.