It’s been years since Andy and I unexpectedly sold our dream house and stumbled across the perfect piece of property. In fact, today marks exactly 6 years since we signed on that dotted line and handed the keys of our first home to someone else.
Andy, with the help of a few generous individuals, took something we had only dreamed of and made it into a reality. When it because clear to us children were not meant to be part of our family plan, we sold one of our biggest accomplishments.
In 2020, we decided on house plans and broke ground on our new forever home. I wanted to share the entire process in real-time, but I quickly realized working full time, designing and building a house, and learning how to be a content creator at the same time was not feasible.
Behind the scenes, I continued to learn while documenting the entire process and now that we have moved in and projects are on a smaller scale, I want to share with you where we started, our progress so far, what’s to come, and most importantly, what we’ve learned along the way.
The Holub house is more than just a physical structure where we live. I want The Holub House to be a place where everyone is welcome on this journey as we create our forever home. Whether you are interested in home design or not, at the end of the day, my intention for this space is to inspire you to seek out what makes you feel most alive and do more of that. Over the last few years, I have discovered when I am creating, I feel most aligned with who I’m meant to be in this world. In Oprah’s words, “there is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born.”
There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born.
Oprah Winfrey
Home design always intimidated me, so despite already turning one dream into reality by building our first house from the ground up, I never fully leaned into making our home feel personal. Sure, I loved our house. More than just wood and nails, it had been the setting of countless memories and represented our biggest accomplishment to date, but somehow, it still didn’t quite feel like home. Maybe something in my subconscious knew it wasn’t permanent or maybe I was too afraid of making bold decisions because I didn’t want to open myself up to criticism. To be honest, it was probably a combination of both, but either way, when we set out to build this new home, it felt different from the start.
We sold our house in 2018 and in 2019, I became extremely sick. Some days, I barely had the energy to get dressed, so needless to say, by the time I worked a full day at the office, I was exhausted. I was living as a shell of a person in a short-term rental, and for the first time, I understood the impact a home can have on wellbeing.
I believe coming home should feel like receiving the perfect hug – you know the kind I’m talking about. The ones where both arms are wrapped around you with a gentle, but tight squeeze that melts all your stress away, even if just for the moment. My goal is to make walking through the front door feel like that.
By getting out of my comfort zone and embracing design elements I loved, regardless if they were outside the norm, I helped create a home completely different than our first one in the best possible way. I want to carry that same commitment to every area of my life, beginning with the relaunch of The Holub House.
As my dedication to The Holub House is reignited, excitement, panic, and anxiety have all set in, but underneath any hesitation or fear is peace. Just like how it felt different when we started building our home in 2020, building The Holub House digital space feels different now.
Sometimes an opportunity we didn’t see coming presents itself. At first, maybe we tend to shy away, we make a list of all the reasons not to go for it, we think of all the reasons it just won’t work out, or why it’s not for us. Sometimes, we let the opportunity die right there, without ever entertaining the idea and it’s possibilities. But then, there are other times when an opportunity just keeps itself in our peripheral thoughts. It’s not something we are continuously focused on, but comes to mind from time to time until it makes it’s way front and center. It’s at this point, that we have to take a leap of faith. Even if the road isn’t laid out before us, we just have to trust our gut and take the next step. This is my next step.
Something Casey Neistat said in a YouTube video helped ground me in moments of spiral after we sold our house and had no idea what was in store for our future.
Liking what you have is not a good enough reason not to want something better.
Casey Neistat
I also have a tattoo with words from my mom’s journal that reads, “let the life you lead be all you need. Be better.”
For years, I’ve let comfort stand in the way of something better, so today, I’m once again embracing the advice of my mom and Casey.
Welcome to The Holub House.
Thank you, so much.
We would love that! They are certainly labors of love, but well worth it when they are done.
I miss you, too! I could absolutely see you as a designer, you have impeccable taste. Thank you, Toi. It’s certainly been a wild ride, but there’s no one else I’d rather be on it with.