After the ridiculous amount of moving my husband and I have done over the last 5 years, we've finally decided to put down a few roots (or so we hope) and take the plunge into being home owners. With all of our past apartments and rental spaces, we've photographed each and every one before leaving, do you do the same?
We've lived in 4 states, 7 cities and 11 different dwellings over the recent years and in case you had any doubts — we're completely illogical and no one should ever follow in our footsteps. Before we left each place, we made sure to take another round of photographs, being able to eventually show our kids those "crazy years that Mommy and Daddy had."
Looking back on them now, each place had it's own spirit, memories, quirks and problems, but no matter what, we enjoyed them all (even if 4 of them flooded!). We've made sure to take shots of the first thing we saw in the morning when we awoke, the last thing we saw when leaving or even how the sun poked through the trees while we were there. It's the things like that which will stick with you forever. Read the captions above to see a little insight to each one of the spaces we've lived in before!
Do you make sure to take pictures when you move in, move out and somewhere in between to show yourself a bit settled? Or would you rather forget the whole time frame and keep it off record, never to be heard from again? Let us know below!
Image: Sarah Rae Trover
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yep. happened after every apartment. i got everything all cleaned up and looking better than any day we ever 'lived in it'...took a bunch of photos to remember our fond memories...then began the process of packing.
it's a somber and nostalgic act...but having the ability to look back on those places have been a blessing, and a reminder of the great times we had there.
I think taking shots of your old apartment lets you see the transformation of design style. When I look back at my old apartment it makes me smile to see how much I loved red and that I was quite happy living with my husband in 550 sq feet.
Oh, I can tell. This lime green color is going to replace robin's egg blue as the AT theme color. Isn't it?
Oh man, I've been so emotional this week over our upcoming move! Even though we're going to be in a way better place, I am realizing our current apartment hold many memories of difficult times conquered (2008 anyone?). I have lots of pictures of our apartment and I know I'll look back on them fondly and remember our time here as a time when we figured out who we were and what we want out of life and worked hard to keep our heads above water. *sigh* Looking forward to moving into our new place and making some new happy memories next!
NellyP - The lime green magazine rack in the first photo was a can of Oops! paint at the hardware store for $1 (who can pass that up) and the green on the wall in the last shot was there when we moved in. We always meant to change it, when it was darker it felt soupy and off somehow, we just never did!
Gorgeous homes you've had! I especially like the room with the map and the & sign. Looks great!
Jeanne
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RainyPenguinVintage
We just photographed our place last night, in preparation for a move on Saturday. I'm really going to miss this apartment, but hopefully the photos will be a nice memory.
I aways meant to submit our apartment for small cool, but never had the chance!
sarahrae I think you're on to something - an accidental trendsetter maybe. Just a hunch.
My husband is in the military and we've moved 6 times in the 5 years we have been married from East Coast to Hawaii back to the East Coast and most recently to the West Coast. Before this last move, I decided to take pictures of our rental property. For one, I realized I'd like a record of the places we've lived. We move so often that you easily forget the places you called home.
Reason No.2, it's a great resource to go back and see how you decorated/arranged your furniture. Not that you can do everything exactly the same, but it's a nice reference for future properties.
I'm moving in a week and just photographed my apartment "for old times' sake." It took me two years to get it just right, and I have a lot of peices that were perfect for a certain spot but might not work in the new house. It's bittersweet, even though I'm thrilled to finally be a homeowner.
I photographed my china cabinets so I could remember how all of the Fiesta was displayed.
I really enjoyed this post. One of favorites yet!
I do enjoy photographing my apartments before when moving out. It's always fun to look at old pictures and think about how that particularly room or apartment felt. Each one tends to have it's own vibe.
My last move (in 2008) was difficult and not by choice -- I was forced to leave the lovely 1915 duplex in Minneapolis that I'd been renting for 10 years because my landlord fell into foreclosure. When it was empty, I photographed the architectural details and finishes that made it "home." Leaded glass windows, an ornate kitchen radiator, a delicate bedroom light fixture painted with pastel flowers, the remaining push button light switch... and, of course, the "cracked ice" red Formica kitchen countertops. I looked through the photos again last week -- they made me smile, and miss my old house.
I just moved out of my first apartment and vowed to take pictures. I totally forgot until my boyfriend and I had packed up half the living room. I was crushed. My awesome bf put all the big things and some little decorative things back in place just so I could take some pictures. It wasn't quite the same, but it was still something to remember my old home by. I won't make that mistake again!
I did this but for more practical reasons really. I knew we were planning big renovations at the new place and wanted to be able to show our new architect what we did before and what our style was. Much easier than trying to explain.