The day has come for me to commence my newest series, Home. This project emanated from our exhausting search for a new property in 2014. During which, I came to question my own views on the idea of ‘home’. Only recently have I come to understand that I had the wrong mentality all along. It was therefore inevitable that I turned this year-long journey into a new series.
Readers, you have been so patient and so kind in sharing my house-building adventure with me. I truly hope that it was worth the wait! So without further delay, I present to you the very first and complete tour of The Little Barn.
Where is your home located?
The Little Barn is located in a Provincial Park area in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is surrounded by trees, dirt roads, few neighbours, a school, and a lake which can be seen from our second storey. It’s incredibly picturesque.
What are your thoughts on the idea of ‘home’?
My personal views on the idea of a home have changed so drastically over the last few years, and I feel as if this series was born from my modified ideology. Before I was married, I never gave much thought to where or what I considered to be my home. I just innately knew that it was wherever my parents were. From Saskatchewan to Northwest Territories, my home was associated with with my family, and not a physical structure nor specific city. This was also the case when I relocated to Switzerland after obtaining my university degree. I had an apartment, a job, and friends in that country, but I never settled in to the point that it was my home.
After meeting and marrying my husband, we immediately moved to a new city in a neighbouring province. We made the decision to keep our condominium in Saskatchewan and to rent it out while we were living elsewhere. Even though we were living in Alberta, I constantly referred to Saskatchewan as home.
Less than a year later, I moved back to Saskatchewan while my husband continued his schooling in Alberta. I never really felt like I had ever settled into that city, and couldn’t wait to come back to our condo and resume my jobs that I had before we had moved. I also hated the idea of becoming a renter again. At that point, I began to regard a physical space as my home over where my family was living. Whatever kind of day that I was experiencing, I felt safe whenever I entered the doors of my house, and that all was right with the world. It helped that I also had Holly with me. Eventually, my husband moved back, and we bought Little Green shortly thereafter. Owning that little abode solidified the concept that a house is my home, and not so much my immediate friends or family. To me, it was all about the building itself.
A year and a half into owning Little Green, we began our search for another house. Specifically, one on an acreage. This is what kicked off the journey for what eventually became The Little Barn, and one that my readers got to experience alongside with me. Five months into our search, we were even more confused with what we were looking for than before we had even started. If we loved the house, we hated the land. If we loved the land, we hated the house. If we loved both, it was over 40 minutes outside of the city. We just couldn’t find our perfect home. I felt lost, desperate, and began second guessing if we would ever find anything that suited our needs and budget. However, we persisted. In what felt like the eleventh hour, we ended up finding a lot in a provincial park, and thus TLB came to be. Although it wasn’t an acreage, it was still in the country (which we liked), and was destined to be a beautiful home (which we loved). We thought that it was going to be a happy ending to our house story.
While we were building our new home, we lived on my parent’s acreage in my Baba’s house for seven months. I didn’t realize it at the time, but living there, on several acres located just outside of the city was the precise home that we were searching for all along. Only after moving into The Little Barn did I realize that I had the whole idea of a home and what I really wanted was entirely wrong. I discovered that it’s neither the house itself, nor is it much the community that it’s in that’s what is important. To me, home is Saskatchewan and my family. I am and always will be a prairie girl. I am humble and quiet but constantly have a storm brewing beneath the surface. I am strong and persistent. I know that I can survive months on end of -40°C weather, as well as +40°C in the summer. I know how to drive in whiteouts, and for hours at a time without seeing so much as a tree or hill all while keeping my sanity. I easily can find beauty in the simple things. I love to travel, but find comfort in coming back to the seemingly dull landscape of the prairies. As long as I have my family and my animals close to me, and I am somewhere in Saskatchewan, I will always be home. The Little Barn, although beautiful, is just a house.
What kinds of things influence your design style?
My design style changes as often as I do. Currently, both natural and industrial elements are the biggest influences in my style. I love any sort of furniture that is made out of reclaimed wood, metal, or vintage leather. Lately we have been putting casters on the bottom of all of our furniture. I live for succulents and am always trying to find a creative way to display them. Although I am an animal activist, I do have several hides, antlers, rugs around our house. (A fact that I am not so proud of.)
What do you consider to be one of your favourite items in your home? What could you never live without?
My favourite items in my home are without a doubt, my husband, our two dogs, and our cat. My plant collection is also up there. My computer and iPhone are very important as well.
Please share any ideas/stories/pictures that highlight your home.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking. If you would like to know more about the story of The Little Barn, you can do so by clicking here.
<3
Emory
If you would like to take part in this series, entitled Home, please email me at helloscarlettblog@outlook.com.
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Hello, Scarlett Blog 
Jess
/ 06/24/2015I love your home!!! How did you attach your wooden crates to the wall? I’ve been trying to do some one mine but wasn’t sure how to attach them!
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mara
/ 06/24/2015I absolutely love your green bed, where is it from??
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maryj
/ 03/31/2015Beautiful house! Love the wood. We are hoping to use reclaimed wood wherever we can. Your stairs got me thinking. . .
Thanks for your comment on Cabin to Craftsman!
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 03/31/2015Thank you for your comment!
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elmdriveimages
/ 03/30/2015Emory: thanks for the comment on A few Cardinals at the Feeders. Your barn/home is amazing…Incredibly designed…really NEAT!
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Mijnnikonenik
/ 03/28/2015This is great!
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Patrick Jones
/ 03/17/2015Great home :)
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G
/ 02/25/2015Your thoughts on a home are perfect! We will find our home, eventually….. we can always find a house, but a home is something special.
Our little family is always searching, needle-nose pointing the way ;)
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Haha oh that needle-nose Holly! She’s shoving her way through doors as Truman is barking his way through life. Our pets …
<3<3
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Tracy
/ 02/25/2015I saw your beautiful home listed on mls! What is your next project?
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Are you sure it was ours? ;-)))
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sillycrazylove
/ 02/24/2015So beautiful! <3 I love the design. It looks like home, nice and cozy.
http://www.sillycrazylove.com
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Thanks! It is a nice and cozy home, that’s for sure!
xx
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naomilovesyou
/ 02/24/2015Oh wow. I’m in complete awe of your home. It is beautiful. I love what you said about what home means to you as well. It’s different for everyone and we all eventually have to figure out where and what our home is. Enjoy living in your OWN house!
xx naomi — Naomi in Wonderland
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015It IS different for everyone. That’s exactly why I created this series. I wanted to see what it means for different folks, worldwide and from all walks of life!
If you’re interested in participating in the Home series, shoot me an email.
<3<3
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lindaglovinghome
/ 02/24/2015Beautiful! I love every inch. Kudos to your design, making it into reality……and I did not want to stop reading…so where’s the book? I, too am an animal activist… so your hides consider them a humble way to preserve their beauty. I don’t know how I found you in this blog world, but so glad I did. I guess kindred spirits seem to find one another….
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Ah! Thank you for this comment. Yes, I’m glad that we have “met” through the blogging world.
xoxo
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Tamara Kate
/ 02/23/2015The Little Barn is so beautiful, and I love how you have decorated it. This is the kind of minimalism that I can never seem to achieve!! Well done on your lovely house and home :)
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Thanks Tamara! I’m excited to see the posts to come!
:-)))
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Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser
/ 02/23/2015Emory – home is where the heart is! Always will be. It is all about what you make of it. I know people in the US who move just because of a job and absolutely hate the city or surrounding area, so what is the point of that? Then struggle to get out of that particular place to return home. Some people adapt easier than others there are no in concrete answers. Do what feels right for you. Whatever makes you happy.
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Cheryl, you and my mum are my voices of reason. Thank you. Please keep your comments coming.
<3
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Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser
/ 02/26/2015Emory, my Husband and I (we have 5 children ages 10 y.o. 8, 6, fraternal twins age 4) and have lived in the same home on the Atlantic Ocean in Florida (USA) since college graduations and marriage, built a few additions on as our family expanded, our families (extended) all live within 45 minutes of each other. Both set of Grandparents (My Mom and Dad are 61 y.o. & 63 y.o. in good health, his are 63 y.o Mom, 65 y.o. Dad also in good health). We are blessed indeed. Being near family is important while still maintaining independence. Your Florida – USA friend. Cheryl
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John
/ 02/23/2015Nice wide open spaces in the home, nice!! I love the wood textures. We love our Mojave Desert, and anything below 70F is too cold… :)
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/201570F!! Ha! Don’t ever come this way, then. :-)
Thanks for the comment!!
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micibakes
/ 02/23/2015It’s beautiful! Like in a fairy tale :)
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Awe, well thank you so much!
<3<3
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Chris
/ 02/23/2015I love how you did the exposed plumbing in the bathroom. Also you take such wonderful photos and the staging is fantastic. The back hallway is beautiful with the three colors of wood on the floor, doors and trim.
Yes, you do have a lot of antlers and animal skins. My only worry would be from a design perspective, not from a activist / environmental sustainability viewpoint. I don’t have a problem with it personally, nor should anyone else really. Our relationship with animals is critical to the human story since the dawn of man. And it’s important to remain tied to the earth and animals and our symbiotic relationships. Trying not to get preachy but it’s fine to have animal skins; and taxidermy references are a great design choice as well. I hunted for a number of years, and wish I still could get out there. It’s an incredible experience that definitely influences my interest in sustainability, the environment and animal welfare.
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/26/2015Chris, I think that I’m going to copy, paste, and frame your comment. I didn’t know that having these animal antlers and hides were a way of preserving and sustaining them. I always felt guilty, and like it was animal cruelty. I guess that was only one perspective. Thank you for showing me another. Now I will display them with pride.
<3<3
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Holly
/ 02/23/2015Oh Emory, it is absolutely beautiful. What a journey you’ve been on. A truly special house indeed!
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 02/23/2015Thanks, Holly. Yes, I still can’t believe that it turned out the way it did. Honestly. Going from my head, to a piece of paper, then to an architect that I have yet to meet, and finally our contractors. In amongst the chaos, they ended up pulling it together so beautifully. I will forever be blown away.
<3<3
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