Works In Progress
House In Bloom
Designer Dahlia Newberry has officially retired from her stale, predictable life in Connecticut for a fresh start and a new chapter, at least for the summer. She is returning home to Southold, New York, with her rescue dog Harry to sell her Aunt Lil’s house and seek some well-earned peace and perspective. Her only goal is to take ownership of her life and piece together the remains of her past. The last thing on her mind is love, and certainly not with the sought-after reality television star of Hamptons House, Noah Sterling, who’s almost a decade younger. There’s a lot of work ahead at her family’s charming cedar shake colonial overlooking the Peconic Bay, but she is determined to get it listed within the month. In the weeks following her arrival, she uncovers old secrets shared by two sisters and long-lost clues buried in their garden that threaten the only certainty she’s known for the last 40 years. What will she do when love, lies, hope, and sorrow drown the happy memories of the place and people she truly belonged with. Can the truth set her free, so she can finally bloom into the woman she was meant to be and find the love she deserves?
The House That Fixed Me
Lanie Hansen, a lifestyle blogger, and house flipper, is about to turn 40. She is faced with a new adventure after an unthinkable tragedy. Although she is lost and broken, she’s not willing to give up or throw in the towel just yet. Lanie, her son Beau, and rescue dog Ollie decide to leave their fifth flip behind, along with all their memories, in order to heal. She sets sail for a new season and a new house, this time a tear down on the ocean. Lanie’s resilience is tested as she embarks on a home journey like no other, with a true “fixer-upper,” and battles the demons of her boundless grief. She must navigate the ins and outs of managing a high-risk and challenging home remodel for the first time on her own. As her seasons change, she readjusts her sails and follows her heart back to where it all began. She reconnects with Cole, an old love from her post-college Aspen days, whom she once saw forever with. The Ocean Cottage tests her resilience and gives her the clarity needed to embrace a second chance. In the process, she discovers how capable, valuable, and resilient she is, answering the question, can a house really fix her?
Home Wasn’t Built In a Day
What if I told you there was an easy way to get over the decorating hurdle and create a home you love that reflected you and your family? That you could find peace in a long-term plan and uncover delight in dating design instead of dread. That you didn’t need a designer on speed dial or to scroll for hours on Pinterest directionless ever again. That you could stop putting pressure on yourself to have the perfect house yesterday and start shaping a sanctuary with meaning specific to your needs. And that you could give your home the gift of time; after all, home wasn’t built in a day.
This book is a design guide to help everyday home enthusiasts envision the home they’ve always dreamed of and find joy in the process. It offers a step-by-step guide, with over 100+ ideas to loving the process again and leaving comparisons at the doorstep. It champions the idea that a home evolves over time and supports small victories as much as the big ones. It’s about making your home work for you, finding your place in design, and empowering you through these simple steps. The book urges you to listen to your instinct to cultivate the infinite possibilities of home. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, which is more reason to listen to your instinct and inner voice. You know what you like, so let’s figure out what that is.
