Friday, May 15, 2020

News to Share

Venice, Florida

Big news. I am house hunting. Again. I have decided on Venice, Florida, about 30 minutes south. Although I love the house here, a great house is not enough. A house in not a home. I will leave it at that. The good news is that I will have a new house and will share the house hunting, renovating, decorating, and all of it here. I am really looking forward to this next chapter. If any of you know Venice and have ideas for me, let me know, please. Trying to narrow down neighborhoods. This weekend the puppies and I will take a long drive and explore more by car - so far I have just been looking online. I have a wonderful agent down here who I worked with on this house, so that's good.

Venice is chic, low key, historic, great restaurants and beaches, really nice vibe. I'm very excited to go "full on" Palm Beach/Chinoiserie/Florida/Tropical in my new house. My daughter wants a Tiki Bar in the lanai. I have extra rolls of wallpaper from my laundry room and dining room in Virginia that I hope to use, especially the Brunschwig & Fils laundry room paper "Ironing Bored" that was a Palm Beach favorite before it was discontinued.

Venice Fishing Pier

Downtown Venice

Grand Palm - one community I am considering

33 comments:

  1. I have never heard of Venice, Florida. Best wishes on your move and that you will find the perfect house that feels like home!! God always has a plan so hopefully this is where you will find happiness.

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    1. Thank you for your good wishes - much appreciated.

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  2. Our cousins have a place in Venice and it is a lovely, quaint, friendly place as well as very beautiful. I'm excited to follow your new decorating, especially that laundry room wallpaper! That One Room Challenge was how I discovered your blog. AMAZING room. Pamela

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    1. Thanks. I miss my laundry room! So happy I have several rolls to do a laundry room here. Sounds crazy but that was my favorite room in my old house.

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  3. Venice looks lovely. Best wishes for a productive, successful house hunt. I hope you find a new house that feels like home.

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    1. Thank you so much. I am looking forward to a fresh start.

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  4. At the risk of being overly trite: Life is not a rehearsal; it's always better to make the tough decisions sooner rather than later. I wish you every happiness and a wonderful adventure with your new home.

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    1. Not trite, very true. I am looking forward to sharing this new adventure and I hope everyone enjoys it. Thank you.

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  5. WOW! Another adventure! I applaud you for following your instincts as to what is "right" for you, both mentally and physically! You are nothing if not resilient. Can't wait to watch you work your magic! Always fun! Above all else, SEEK JOY!!!

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    1. Thank you my friend. The last few years have been horrible for me and 2020 is even worse. My word. We all need resilience right now. This too shall pass. I appreciate your support over the years very much.

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  6. Venice is really quite a nice location. A little funky, a little classy and more laid back. With a fantastic biking trail! Looking forward to hearing about your new home vs. house!

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    1. Great description - just my style. And very dog friendly - French or English bull dog? I have two Japanese Chins.

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  7. Perfect choice! My family lives there and loves everything about the small town, friendly, old Florida vibe. Good luck!

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    1. Yes, it has an Old Florida vibe that I just love and is very dog friendly. Thank you so much. Very exciting!

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  8. Venice is beautiful and so excited for you. We are looking at a second home for ourselves away from Michigan :) if you don't mind can yo share the realtor you are working with.

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    1. I am from Lake Forest, Illinois originally. I highly recommend Christina Miller who is the managing broker of Sarasota Bay Real Estate at 941-713-2340. We bought this house using her and she is wonderful to work with.

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    2. Thank you and Cheers to your new adventure !

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  9. At a certain age—and I am older than you—you realize throwing more time at something that isn't working is a waste of precious time you have left. I wish you the very best in the next chapter of your life. And I agree with your comment above about your laundry room. It was the best room in your former house: so much joy and fun for such a practical space. In August, my husband and I will have been married 45 years. I can't even begin to think how living without him would look. You have been through so much these last few years, I do hope the new house will be a place for you to become your best and happiest you!

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    1. Thank you so much. I always think I can fix anything but a person is not a house and some things can't be fixed. Yes, the last five years have been really bad for me, but onward and upward I hope. I am excited about having a new home to play with.

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  10. Looking forward to posts on your new adventure.

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  11. Best wishes to you Beth. I have followed your site for years & always look forward to seeing new posts. I am in Ft Myers/Estero area. I live in a Neal Communities neighborhood which I think may be the builder of Grand Palm. -Jen

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    1. Yes, you are right. Not sure if I want that new construction resort type community or an older house to redo. Are you happy with your Neal home?

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    2. Mixed feelings about Neal Communities. They are excellent as far as standing behind warranty issues, but they will also accept sloppy work from contractors during the construction process and then wait and let the buyer complain before redoing it the right way. This is likely different with every community, since different communities have different construction oversight. The biggest headache we have had with our home is sloppy drywall finishing. It’s not smooth, nor is it the typical rough texture of FL homes. It has an inconsistent finish and looks messy. I would buy another Neal home but would pay close attn to details. We bought this house as a spec home. I don’t think you can go wrong in Venice whatever you choose It’s a beautiful city.

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    3. Thanks for your insights - Grand Palm does look very nice.

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  12. Best wishes for your new adventure! My sister lived in Venice for years,said it was the most wonderful place to live!!I live in Naples Fl,it is wonderful too. Better times will come!

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    1. Thank you. We almost ended up in Naples at Audubon. I love that area too.

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  13. Best of luck. Can't wait to follow along on your decorating adventure.
    I think you will love this photographer who captures Old Florida on a grand scale. His gallery is in Venice and he's a character. His Ghost Orchid photos are TDF!

    https://clydebutcher.com/galleries/

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing his work. It is amazing. One will definitely find a place in my new home.

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  14. All the best to you, Beth. Seems like you had gotten the Sarasota house just perfect and now you're leaving it! Good for you to find where you truly need to be. I always say I love Sarasota (my family had a condo on the beach) but that was sooooo long ago. I would imagine it's extremely built up no. I love your ability to move forward and I envy your energy!! We have friends who love Naples but I don't know anyone in Venice. It appears to be charming. Can't wait to follow along on your journey. I truly mean it.

    Also wanted to say that I have always loved your blog and missed it when you were gone for a while. I love it even more now that you share a bit of your own home, style and life. I use #chinoiseriechic on almost everything I post on Instagram. You should have figured out a way to get residuals!!! LOL! xo Cathy

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    1. Thank you so much. I could truly write a book about my life the last few years. Someday I might share, but now is not the time. Thank you for your loyalty and I hope you will enjoy this next home adventure. Sarasota is getting built up for sure but this house is surrounded by lakes and farms and is very quiet. Venice is hot too. This area of Florida has been discovered.

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  15. I WILL BE WATCHING FROM CALIFORNIA!
    HAVE FUN WITH THE ADVENTURE.................I jus SUBSCRIBED!

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