We purchased a fixer-upper in a coastal Connecticut city. In a 12 months, we constructed a suburban life that is so good I do not miss NYC.

• I spent my 20s residing my greatest life in New York City in small residences — then I fell in love.

• The coastal city remains to be near NYC, and I’ve fallen in love with residing right here in each season.

At 22, I had huge goals.

A current faculty grad, I needed to put in writing for {a magazine} and embrace the glitz and glam of Manhattan whereas residing in a classy loft match for Carrie Bradshaw.

In actuality, my overpriced condominium was extra “shoebox chic” with a galley kitchen and the smallest closet conceivable. Though it was tiny and generally had the aroma of weed wafting by way of the partitions, it was cute.

And, all through my 20s, I did create the life I’d imagined, full with boozy brunches, rooftop events, and occasional dates on the steps of the Met that felt like a scene from “Gossip Girl.”

Approaching 30 kicked off a brand-new stage: I moved in with the person of my goals, he proposed, and wedding ceremony plans commenced.

Beautiful presents from our registry arrived, with no room to take pleasure in them. We had been so over our cramped condominium, the crowded subways, and the approaching lease will increase.

This soon-to-be-newlywed started daydreaming of a walk-in closet and moonlit evenings dancing barefoot on a luscious garden (not pavement), surrounded by stars and silence (not visitors).

I pictured hydrangea gardens, a visitor bed room with crisp linens, and gradual weekends spent sipping espresso on my entrance porch.

It was formally time to show the web page on my 20s and embrace an period match for a Nancy Meyers film.

We headed to the suburbs of Connecticut

We set our sights on Greenwich, Connecticut, near household. Nestled on the Long Island Sound, this suburban city provides a picturesque coastal vibe.

Think: tree-lined streets, cedar-shingled New England-style homes by the seaside adorned with flower bins, charming e-book nooks with classic treasures, and boutiques with breezy linen attire.

At 40 minutes by prepare from NYC, it is an excellent commuting distance for my husband, whose job remains to be based mostly there.

A competitive housing market, inflated costs, and rising mortgage charges made our pursuit difficult. We spent date nights scrolling listings on Zillow. Whenever our real-estate agent referred to as, we hopped on a prepare to tour potential new houses.

Three months later, we had an accepted provide. Enter: our three-bedroom, two-bath fixer-upper in Greenwich.

Leaving behind the condominium the place we would made many recollections—and the town the place my husband proposed — was bittersweet, however we excitedly packed our baggage and hit the ‘burbs.

In one 12 months, we created the comfy dwelling of our goals

We selected the trail of most resistance to create our personal Nancy Meyers dream in actual life. Since we weren’t constructing new, we opted for the following neatest thing: a house we might renovate and make our personal.

Our little love nest had wall-to-wall carpeting and a dateed linoleum kitchen ground. The roof leaked. We did not dare enterprise up the creaky steps of the entrance porch.

We rolled up our sleeves and set to work.

Not solely did I discover ways to use a hammer, however I additionally swapped shopping the racks of Zara for scouring the aisles of Home Depot.

Walls had been demolished; new flooring, home windows, and doorways put in; a hearth constructed; and shiplap positioned. After a 12 months, our dream kitchen and grasp bathtub grew to become a actuality.

All in all, I’ve fallen in love with suburban life throughout each season

We’ve now lived right here for about two years, and I like that every season in Greenwich brings new traditions.

Spring and summer season (“patio season”) commences with Lilly Pulitzer sundresses, limoncello spritzes, and socializing on the Ave. It additionally means internet hosting backyard events the place family members can lastly match round our farm desk.

On weekends, we chill on our entrance porch in wicker furnishings with good books and the sounds of a babbling brook close by.

Autumn requires jack-o’-lantern carving round our firepit, toasting marshmallows, and sipping mulled wine.

We get trick-or-treaters now that we’re within the suburbs, so we line the driveway with pumpkins to welcome them.

Christmastime means harvesting a big balsam fir, which we lastly have the room for. We like to embellish it with velvet ribbons and painted by hand ornaments within the mild of our fire as vacation music performs within the background.

Hosting around the holidays is very enjoyable. It’s simpler to create grand tablescapes and charcuterie preparations now that I’ve received the area to retailer totally different decorations, candlesticks, chargers, glasses, and serviette rings.

This suburban life-style is so good that it is arduous to overlook the town

Now that I’ve a cutting garden, I can embellish with contemporary floral bouquets and snip herbs and heirloom tomatoes for my meal preps, too.

With an additional bed room, we have plenty of area to host buddies for weekend getaways, particularly those that need an escape from metropolis life. I discover pleasure in making their keep further particular —there’s at all times a contemporary set of towels and lavender bathtub cleaning soap ready on the visitor mattress.

All in all, I would not commerce spending my 20s in NYC for the world, however my 30s within the ‘burbs have been off to an unimaginable begin.

Though I do not make it into the town as usually as I believed I might, I’m OK with it. Our cozy cottage — dubbed Hydrangea House — and our Nancy Meyers-style life make it arduous to go away.

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