Big news… we sold our house! For some of you this might come as a surprise (especially since we just finished our dream bathroom a year ago!) but those who have been following along for several years may remember that moving late this summer has been part of our long-term plan for a while now. It’s a BIG change for our family and it definitely comes with a few mixed emotions but Jeff and I are really excited about what’s to come! The whens and whys of it are kinda complicated so I thought I’d write a quick post to share some details and answer a few of the questions you may have! (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})
Where Are You Moving To?
We’re heading to Wilmington, North Carolina and… Morristown, New Jersey. I told you it was complicated! 😊 While we’ve been ready to leave Connecticut for a few years now, we’ve stuck around so that both of our daughters could finish high school here. We’ve always joked that the day our youngest daughter throws her graduation cap up in the air, we’re coming home and putting a “for sale” sign up in our front yard. It didn’t quite happen in that order because we listed and sold our house first and she just graduated from high school this past weekend but we weren’t too far off!
Why Wilmington?
We actually have a pretty long history with North Carolina. I went to college there (Duke) and my parents grew to love North Carolina so much during their trips to visit me that they decided to move to Wilmington when I was a senior. I lived in Raleigh for two years after graduation and Jeff lived nearby in Durham while he was going to graduate school. I then left for South Carolina to go to graduate school myself and once we were both out of grad school, we got married in Wilmington at First Presbyterian Church: 
We actually had our wedding reception in the same neighborhood that we are moving to! My parents have lived in the neighborhood for 20+ years and both the city and the neighborhood have always felt like a home away from home.
Since we planned to buy a house in Wilmington in 2021, we started casually looking at homes there a few years ago. We figured that if we found the right house at the right price, it would be nice to buy early and do a few renovations before moving in. We ended up finding a home in September of 2019 that we thought would be perfect for us and had been sitting on the market for a bit. It had a pretty dated interior but the owners meticulously maintained it – it had a newer 50-year roof, newer HVAC, great landscaping, and was just really loved and well cared for. We loved the idea of not having to put money into the “unseeables” but instead into updates to make it our own including kitchen and bathroom renovations. We put in an offer thinking it probably wouldn’t be accepted but it was and a few weeks later the house was ours!
It’s a 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home on a little less than half an acre and is essentially a ranch with the addition of a room over the garage. I love the tiered roofline, big windows, and copper accents (and think I’d love it even more if we painted the brick white – I’m working on getting Jeff on board with that idea…).
Why Morristown Too?
Jeff has been working for a company in New Jersey for a few years now and the commute from our home in CT is pretty hefty (1 ½ hours each way on a good day). He loves his job and is definitely not ready to retire yet so we decided we to sell our larger home in Connecticut and instead have two smaller homes (one in NC and one in NJ) and divide our time between the two.
We had originally planned to buy a small home or condo in New Jersey but the real estate market is currently so crazy that we decided to just rent in New Jersey for now. We went looking for a condo or apartment this weekend and signed a lease on an apartment in Morristown that’s within walking distance of restaurants, shops, and just about everything you could want. If any of you are from the area, we’re complete newbies so I’ve love hearing about any favorite places!
How Quickly Did You Sell Your House?
Like in many areas of the country right now, the real estate market in Connecticut is insane – definitely a seller’s market! Our realtor put our house on the MLS as “coming soon” and it didn’t take long for the first few days of showings to get booked up. Since we had so many back-to-back showings scheduled, we weren’t going to be able to be home at all during the day so we stayed at a local hotel. It ended up working out well because I didn’t have to worry about making sure everyone made their beds, cleaned the bathrooms, etc. every morning since we weren’t there to mess anything up!
To keep things quick and simple for us and potential buyers, our realtor set a date and time for all “best and final” offers to be submitted which was just four days after our house first opened for showings. That evening we met to evaluate all the offers and choose the new buyers for our home. Our house has since been inspected and all contingencies removed so we’re “sale pending” with a close date at the end of July.
Did You Renovate Your Wilmington Home Already?
You know how I said we decided to buy in Wilmington early so we could have renovations done before moving in? Well… that didn’t really happen quite like we anticipated. Six months after buying our home, everything went into lockdown and all of the plans we had for a major kitchen and bathroom renovation in 2020 basically went by the wayside.
However I did do a lot of small DIYs myself in 2020 – we went to Wilmington for spring break in early March of 2020 for what was supposed to be a one week visit and ended up unexpectedly quarantining there for several months. I took that time to pour myself into some house projects including some simple updates to our kitchen:
including removing the floral wallpaper, adding a new wallpaper backsplash & cabinet knobs, painting the yellowed cabinet frames & recessed lights, and adding new counter stools:
Sources: Woven counter stools | Wallpaper | Cabinet knobs
You can read about the details of my budget kitchen makeover {here}.
I also prettied up our kitchen eat-in area:
by removing the wallpaper, swapping out the light fixture, and adding a new round table, chairs, and rug:
Sources: Woven pendant | Round table | Bistro chairs | 7′ Round jute rug
You can see more details of my breakfast nook makeover {here}.
I also went to town on our guest room:
You can see more details of our new blue & white guest room {here}:
Sources: Queen beadboard bed (weathered white) | 12″ Memory foam queen mattress (no boxspring needed) | Blue & white quilted shams | Blue tasseled edge pillow covers | Navy embroidered lumbar pillow cover ( with {this} pillow insert) | Navy border duvet cover | Navy border sheets | White quilt | Backless bench at foot of bed | Nightstand | USB Lamp | Mirror (white – small)
New carpet, light fixture, and window treatments are soon to come!
And my girls’ room has gotten a little TLC too:
Sources: Gray damask peel & stick wallpaper | Curved wood beds | White chest | Rattan lamp | White quilts | Tassel duvet covers
You can see more of their room and get the details of how I hung their peel and stick wallpaper {here}.
Currently, I have a contractor working on a few projects in our dining and living rooms including taking down four decorative columns and the dividing arch between the two spaces:
and a complete overhaul of the fireplace too:
The main goal is to get any renovations done that involve changes to the hardwoods so we can get those refinished before moving in in early August.
What Are The First Projects You’ll Jump Into After Your Move?
Along with finishing the projects we recently started in the dining and living rooms, our master bathroom will be one of the first spaces I’ll be working on renovating. It does break my heart a little lot to leave behind our brand new master bathroom that I poured my heart into designing:
Shower sources: Pump bottles (16 oz white/gold) | Body brush | Sea sponge | Stool | Shelf sources: Floating shelves | White woven basket (medium) | Kumquat tree & stacked boxes – no longer available | Round basket for kumquat tree (small) | Gray & white striped planter | Colorful moth art print | White wood frame | Glass canister (1 gallon size) | Bath bombs | Belly basket with tassel | Favorite bath towels | Large lidded basket for hamper
and to be starting over with this 😳:
but I’m up for the challenge! Sometime in the next year we’ll also do a major kitchen renovation and I’m really excited to also get to work on dressing up our “circus room” off the kitchen (the ceiling reminds us of a big top tent 😊):
I see so much potential in this space! I’ll also be working on the girls’ bathroom, the powder room, replacing the door hardware throughout our home, adding a closet system to the master closet and all sorts of other projects. I’m excited to have you guys to share everything with and bounce ideas off of!
Why Did You Renovate Your Master Bathroom in Connecticut If You Knew You Would be Moving?
It might seem strange that we did a major master bathroom renovation when we knew that a year or so later we’d be putting our house on the market but there was good reason for it. We’ve put a lot of time and money into renovating our home in the 8 years we’ve been here (especially with our kitchen renovation) and every space EXCEPT for our master bathroom was like new. Our old master bathroom was super dated and the size of most powder rooms – without doing a major upgrade to it, we didn’t think we’d get our money out of all of the other upgrades and renovations that we’ve already put into our home. We’d hoped that doing this last major renovation so that our ENTIRE house was updated and move-in ready would help us sell our house faster and at a price that would cover the cost of it. Fortunately it did and we’re thrilled for the cute family that bought our house to have this space to enjoy for years to come!
Are You Sad to Leave?
Yes and no. We’ve made some lifelong friends in Connecticut, we absolutely LOVE our home here, we love being able to hop into NYC for a day trip or evening out, and Connecticut truly is an incredibly beautiful place to live. On the other hand, I’m NOT a winter person so I’ll be happy to leave the snow shovels behind and while Connecticut was a great place for us to live for 8 years, it’s never felt quite like “us” – we’re more at home in North Carolina where it feels a little friendlier and less rushed. Plus it will be nice to be so close to my parents, especially since my dad has some significant health issues, and closer to Jeff’s dad too.
Are You Selling Any Furniture?
Almost every time I’ve told someone that we’re moving the first question is, “Are you selling anything?” 😂. We’re taking some of our furniture with us, the family buying our home is buying some of it, and we’re giving other pieces to family members but we do have some furniture pieces and a lot of accessories that we’re going to part with. Once I figure out exactly what we’ll no longer need, I’ll share what I’m selling on Instagram Stories so stay tuned there if you’re local to Connecticut and may be interested in anything!
Any other questions? Send them my way!
XOXO,
Jane says
So, two things jump out at me about your new home. The red wallpaper in the master bath is exactly the wall paper I had installed in our dining room 20 years ago – and immediately regretted. You’ll be so glad to see that go; I know I was. Secondly, the room off the kitchen with the “circus” ceiling is exactly the same as my sunroom off of my family room. I’ve always been stumped by how the arrange and decorate this room as there is so much unusable wall space and no real way to arrange furniture , utilizing a wall as the backdrop. I love the sun pouring in, but again, not much room for furniture. I am excited to see how you choose to utilize this space.
Laura says
You are one of the first bloggers I began to follow several years ago and I so enjoy seeing all you’ve done to make your home so gorgeous! (And actually I entered one of your giveaways for some pillow covers years ago and won and it’s the only time I’ve ever won anything! )🤣. Can’t wait to see all the gorgeous changes to come in your home in Wilmington! Thanks for taking us all along for the ride!
Anonymous says
Kris, I’ve been following you religiously for a few years now…especially intrigued bc I’m a CT transplant. I always wondered where in CT you were. Imagine my surprise when I was going through the current listings in my town (I’m a realtor.com junkie) and I came across the most familiar pictures!!:). And my son’s friend lives right around the corner so I’ve been passing your home for years! Anyway, best wishes with your new adventures!
Linda says
Congratulations – can’t wait to follow all your new changes/updates – and be inspired all over again 😊
Susan says
Wishing you all the best in your new home …Love all the improvements you have made so far! (Not surprised your Connecticut house sold so quickly). Will look forward to your new adventures in N.C. !
gabi says
Morristown is great! Come visit the restaurants in mnearby Montclair. Good luck to you. Huge TJ /Homegoods in Cedar Knolls. Serena and Lily in Summit.
Mira says
I am happy don’t publish
Allie says
Our breakfast room is like your “circus room” off your kitchen. It is one of the main reasons I chose this house plan 😉
I used white bead board on the ceiling with a large Victorian fan in white, and had the hardwoods laid to mimic the ceiling and it is reminiscent of a gazebo. There are only windows, a French door and entries to the kitchen and great room except for one skinny wall. I had a custom mirror with muntins and sill made to match the other windows. Only a round table and four tall Chinese Chippendale chairs for height, but it feels like being outdoors. (So funny…I just saw the breakfast room set you have from Serena and Lily last night and loved it. If I didn’t already have the Chinese Chippendales, I could definitely go that route.)
I am DYING to see what you do in that bathroom with the neo angle tub. We are just about to start a remodel and have the same situation 😳
Mary Killian says
Congratulations on your moves! I’ve been following you for several years and love your design style.
We live in Basking Ridge, which is about 12 miles south of Morristown. Morristown is a great little town and, in addition to being popular with young couples and families, it’s become a very hot area for empty nesters. There’s a number of nice towns nearby as well. I think you’ll like the area!
Calypso in the Country says
So exciting, Kris! Now that you’ll be in NJ, we’ll have to meet for lunch or something. I’m only about 30 minutes from Morristown and also had an apartment there about 25 years ago. Plus, I worked in Morristown and Florham Park (the next town) over for about 12 years AND went to college in Florham Park! It’s such a great area. Madison is also a cute town and you’re only about 10 minutes from Short Hills Mall. Tons of great restaurants too! Congrats again!
Cheers!
Shelley
Laurie M says
Congratulations on your move(s) Kris! We left Connecticut (FC) and moved to South Carolina 18 months ago for warmer weather, a slower pace, and lower (substantially) taxes. We have since decided this isn’t the place for us and are currently looking in the Raleigh/Durham area. Went for a visit two weeks ago and really loved it. I can see why you’re heading back to NC. It’s a beautiful state and I kind of felt like I was back in CT. Good luck with your two new residences. I’m sure you’ll make both as beautiful as your CT home.
P.S. Maybe I can get some design advice when/if we become “almost” neighbors, lol!
Nancy says
Congratulations!!! So many changes but it sounds exciting. We’re in Miami FL and just bought a home after looking for a year and a half. It’s definitely a seller’s market. Not only are locals moving to bigger homes but we’re also competing with out of town buyers. We’re now doing repairs and updates before moving in. I’ve been looking over your articles for tips and ideas. Looking forward to seeing the progress of your new home. ❤️
Nanci says
Wow! Wallpaper city in that home! I don’t envy the removal process. You willlove having projects and making it your own. Those headers in the master bath have to go!!.
Patty says
Chris, I’m not the least bit surprised that your lovely CT home sold so quickly! I’ve loved watching all the beautiful updates that you’ve made and following along with your family changes. So excited to see all the beautiful updates to your NC home! I live pretty close by in Winston Salem and have loved visiting Wilmington and Carolina Beach for many years. All the best to you as I know that moving is hard – hoping it will go as smoothly as possible. 🙂
Susan says
Congratulations on selling your home Kris! Y’all definitely bought and sold at the right time!
Love, love your wedding photo. Y’all are precious. My son went to First Presbyterian for preschool. Such a beautiful church. I’m sure this will be a good move for your family. While we all complain about our traffic (I think people do everywhere), there won’t be any 11/2 hour commutes.
Welcome to the beach!
Susan A says
Congratulations! Your new home sounds like an exciting new adventure.
Martha says
Congratulations on your daughter’s graduation and on this next chapter for you! I look forward to all the new renovations and design that there is to come from your much awaited blogs😀
Margaret Dibling says
Just recently started following you. First, good luck and very best wishes on this new chapter in your lives. Love your style of decorating. It’s very calming and fresh. Looking forward to seeing what you create in NC.
Anna Mac says
Congratulations on this next aspect of your lives. It is exciting. We bought a small house in a beach town in 2019. We’d been looking for houses there for literally decades but the reality of the construction design (back of the napkin) kept us from making the leap. In the meantime we kept looking in surrounding towns until our realtor told us to look at his canal neighborhood in a town we’d never heard of. We planned to build but a real estate site pushed a house to us that was too perfect to overlook. My better half has finally been able to face giving up our home in Iowa to move down full time. Like you, we put love and treasure into that house over the course of 26 years making it so difficult to leave behind. But, while we kept expanding it and fine tuning the landscaping, it was always too much for us (six acres in an HOA neighborhood). While we just added a huge addition including a high end and gorgeous kitchen, all the baths need updating. With the housing market as crazy as it is, we’re going to confer with an agent to determine whether or not to finish or gut them. At that price point, many buyers want to choose finishes themselves. However, like you, this market is providing an opportunity to actually recoup all the money we’ve poured into the house over the years. We never anticipated that would be possible. We know we have to move quickly. In the meantime, my husband can continue tinkering with the beach house. We might put a second story on it, but I’d like to make it perfect in it’s current state (1961 block) and either get my parents in there or start short term vacation renting. We’re actually having difficulties keeping the family and friends of the family out of it already even with a rudimentary kitchen and with unfinished sheetrock around the new windows and sliders. Location, location, location.
LISA A RIBANDO says
First and foremost, you have not aged between your wedding photo and now photo :). I just had to get that in. You really hit the lottery, the great thing about moving from CT to NC is the annual property taxes that you will save and that you bought your retirement home before Covid happened where prices were lower and you can easily sell your house for over asking value and have a place to go to without a problem. Looking forward to the renovations in your new home. I think you should paint the brick white as well.
Sharynk says
Hi Kris. I sent you a message with some suggestions in Morristown, via Instagram. It’s a great place! Enjoy the next chapter!
Debby says
Kris,I love what you’ve done with the new house. We were in Wilmington yesterday visiting family in Landfall. They moved here along with their children from Mindham, NJ many years ago and never looked back. My son and wife lived in Wilmington and now in Raleigh where we live. It’s a small world. Love everything you do decorating.
Debby says
Also, I just ordered the ceiling fan with the clear acrylic blades for our master bedroom. Excited!
Mj says
Where in CT? I’m in Fairfield County. Just wondering how far away you are.. or whether it worth watching for what is going up for sale. 😉
Karen B. says
Kris,
I expected (from what you had said) that this would happen. I’m thrilled for you that you were able to sell so quickly and that you’ve worked out the next several months of living. It will be nice to have time to work on the North Carolina home while living in the rental in New Jersey.
More great posts will be in the works, no doubt. We, the fans of your blog, will have more wonderful ideas and solutions to read about. Best to you and your family.
xo,
karen
Elizabeth says
Wow! You followed our footsteps it seems! Did the same in Nova for 9 long years and our sons senior year spring my husband got a job in Charleston sc where we are from and our son got into school in sc, our daughter would be in her senior year at c of c and bam we moved when he graduated! Did our master bath the year before up there too lol and just finally after 4 years here did our master bath… but we are here to stay! I’m excited for you, it’s so sweet to find your place❤️
Kelly says
Congratulations on all the amazing things to come!! Morristown is an awesome town. I strongly recommend The Committed Pig for brunch, but need reservations. You can also hop on a train and take it to Ridgewood which is an amazing town as well. Best of luck with everything.
Faye says
I have followed you for quite a while and I remember when you made the posts about the work in the kitchen. I was born in CT, and still have a sister there, but no way would I want to deal with the winters. I’m looking forward to seeing your changes in the new home! Best wishes!
Kim says
Congratulations. I’m a long time follower and also live in the Raleigh area! Like you said North Carolina just feels like home. Excited to watch your next project!! I get so much inspiration from you!!
Christy @ Our Southern Home says
Congratulations!!! I live in SC, but we own a beach house in NC on Caswell Beach. It’s in Oak Island and near the amazing historic Southport. We live our summers there. It’s about 40 minutes from Wilmington. You are going to love Wilmington!
Kathleen says
Kris, I was caught in the middle of Covid too and I moved this past February during a snow storm) from New Canaan, CT. to the Hilton Head area of South Carolina. I lived in a home with stairs and the winters were getting to me too, so I moved down to SC to be close to my best friend of 52 years and her husband. They moved here a year before me and even though I’m a NY native, I was ready for a change and if they like it down here (they are also from the NYC area), I knew I would like it too. So far so good but I will tell you to move while you are younger. Being older now puts a toll on the older person, physically and mentally, so find your ‘forever’ home now. Good luck to you and your family! I love everything you’ve done so far and the house is beautiful. For the ‘circus’ room ceiling, I’ve seen a ceiling like that done in sheets (for lack of a better word) of bamboo and it was beautiful! They added strips of painted wood on each section to define the bamboo better. I’m sorry that I don’t remember where I saw it. Maybe Mark Sikes?
Rita says
Congrats and best wishes on your next adventure! I sooo enjoy all your tips, photos and suggestions on home decor and look forward to reading about your next challenges.
Question: I noticed something different in the recent master shower photo that I didn’t see in the original photos. What is the square metal accessory that is installed below the hand held sprayer…….is it a grab bar? If so, I’d love to know the supplier. I’m getting ready to tackle a bathroom, converting tub/shower to full shower, and would love to install something besides the typical safety grab bar.
Thanks!!
Julie says
Kris: I am really happy for the good outcome on selling your house and moving ahead on your new adventures. I love the new house too and you will make it gorgeous! I do have a couple of questions about your NC home. You said the wood floors are soon to be refinished, but a future kitchen remodel will eventually happen. Will the kitchen remodel affect the footprint and uncover parts of the old floor? Or would a new island cover it? Also, is the Karastan carpet going in all the bedrooms? The pic you have of the English Toffee color looks so fresh with a bit more greige to it. I bet that looks divine with the girls’ wallpaper!! This is going to be such a fun journey!