Making A House A Home

Penske moving truck outside our Florida home before relocating to Tennessee after the buyers purchased most of our furniture, décor, books, and household items.

Our Story

After relocating from Florida to Tennessee in 2026, my wife Lisa and I found ourselves furnishing and decorating a new home from scratch.

In an unexpected twist, the buyers of our Florida home purchased much of our furniture, décor, household items, books, and even many of our plants. We packed our clothes, our cat, and a few essentials and started a new chapter.

What started as a move quickly became a complete home-furnishing adventure.

From furniture and lighting to appliances, organization, decorating decisions, and room makeovers, everything featured here has been personally purchased, assembled, used, and evaluated in our own home.

Some rooms are finished. Some are still evolving. And some decisions are still being debated.

If you're creating a home of your own, I hope our experiences help make the journey a little easier.

All products featured on this page were purchased by us unless otherwise noted. Opinions are our own based on real-world use in our home.

Current Projects

Creating Our Living Room From Scratch

Starting with an empty room, we're selecting furniture, lighting, rugs, artwork, and décor to create a comfortable gathering space.

Building a Home Office

Finding the right desk, storage, organization systems, and workspace setup for everyday life.

Creating a Bedroom Retreat

From the bed and mattress to dressers, lighting, rugs, and décor, we're building a bedroom that feels comfortable and relaxing.

Organizing a New Kitchen

Choosing appliances, storage solutions, and everyday essentials for a functional kitchen.

Music Wall Project

Designing a music-inspired feature wall with artwork, memorabilia, and personal touches.

Making the House Feel Like Home

The finishing touches, decorating decisions, and lessons learned along the way.

Products We've Purchased So Far

Living Room

  • Lamp ✅
  • Chaise
  • Rug
  • Art

Home Office

  • Desk ✅

Kitchen

  • Refrigerator

Bedroom

  • Bed
  • Nightstands
  • Lamps

Featured Reviews

51" Dimmable Walnut Traditional Solid Wood Floor Lamp

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5

Retailer: Wayfair
Purchased: May 2026
Category: Lighting
Used In: Living Room

We purchased the 51" Dimmable Walnut Traditional Solid Wood Floor Lamp from Wayfair while furnishing our Tennessee living room from scratch.

51" Dimmable Walnut Traditional Solid Wood Floor Lamp from Wayfair shown in our Tennessee living room, featuring a walnut finish, cylindrical fabric shade, and warm ambient lighting.

Why We Chose It

When we moved from Florida to Tennessee, we started with an empty living room and needed lighting that would add warmth without taking up much space. We were drawn to this lamp's mid-century design, slim footprint, and dark wood finish.

Floor lamp shown on brighter light setting beside a chair in the living room.

What I Liked

  • Easy assembly
  • Attractive mid-century styling
  • Small footprint works well in corners
  • Stable once assembled
  • Two brightness settings
  • Soft, diffused light through the fabric shade
Close-up of the lamp's wood legs and fabric shade.

Things to Know

  • Best used as ambient lighting rather than a reading lamp
  • The tall cylindrical shade creates a softer glow than a directional light
  • Works particularly well in living rooms, bedrooms, and sitting areas

Would I Buy It Again?

Yes. This has been one of our favorite lighting purchases so far. The two brightness settings make it more versatile than many decorative floor lamps, and the design fits perfectly with the warm, mid-century style we're creating in our Tennessee home.

Computer Desk with 7 Drawers, 57 Inch Home Office Desk with File Drawers,Executive Desk with Golden Legs and Handles

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4/5

Retailer: Wayfair
Purchased: May 2026
Category: Home Office Furniture
Used In: Home Office

57-inch white executive desk with seven drawers, gold hardware, and file storage photographed in our Tennessee home office.

Why We Chose It

When furnishing our new Tennessee home from scratch, I wanted a desk that looked more like furniture than office equipment. The combination of the white finish, gold accents, generous storage, and executive styling immediately caught my attention.

I needed a workspace large enough for daily business tasks while still fitting comfortably in our home office.

Storage drawers inside a 57-inch white executive desk showing file and utility storage compartments.

What I Liked

  • Beautiful white-and-gold design that looks much more expensive than it is
  • Seven drawers provide excellent storage
  • Large work surface with plenty of room for a computer and paperwork
  • File drawers help keep documents organized
  • Sturdy and substantial once assembled
  • Fits perfectly with our home's transitional style
Assembly instructions for a 57-inch executive desk with handwritten corrections and notes.

Things To Know

  • Assembly is time-consuming
  • The instruction manual contains several errors
  • Some hardware and parts were incorrectly identified in the guide
  • Drawer rail illustrations were reversed in certain steps
  • A few pieces were not clearly labeled
  • This is definitely easier as a two-person assembly project

I made extensive notes directly on the instruction manual because several steps required troubleshooting beyond what was shown in the guide.

Would I Buy It Again?

Yes.

The desk itself exceeded my expectations. While the assembly process was frustrating due to inaccurate instructions, the finished product is attractive, sturdy, and highly functional. Now that it's assembled and in daily use, I'm extremely happy with the purchase and would buy it again.