Moving to Germany – A house to call home

When my husband Chuck decided to go back to the Army after finishing LSU 13 years ago I knew there would be moves involved but I didn’t expect 8 moves in 13 years. I know it sounds excessive but some were required and some were by choice (when he deploys I sometimes return home to New Orleans.) Although all this moving can be hard, I have to say, I love having a new house every few years to put my stamp on.  I love the hunt for the new house, the planning, and shopping for all the new things we will need and bring in all together. However, this last move was different; we were moving overseas to Germany and I had no idea what to expect. I knew the house would be smaller but what should I bring? In previous moves, I had gone ahead and many times already decided where we would be living before we even began the move. This time we were jumping in completely unaware of what lay ahead.  I packed using William Morris’ maxim, “Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

We arrived in Germany in April and found a house pretty quickly but spent a month in the hotel waiting for the old tenants to move out. By the time we finally got into the house, I was ready to get settled, and fast! The house was in good condition but needed a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint just about everywhere.  I fortunately had a good place to start. I have one ritual I complete before every move. I always buy new bedding for all the beds( sheets, blankets, pillows, the works) and I buy fabrics that I can use for drapery and pillows, etc. (Since I am my own seamstress I have a little obsession with fabric.)  This ritual paid off in a big way, not because it gave me a good start in getting the house together, but because they don’t often sell Queen/ full bedding in Europe and fabric is hard to find and extremely expensive. Once we moved in I had a week to wait for our household goods to be delivered so I spent the time cleaning and painting.  When our furniture was delivered I was ready to get to work with my bedding, fabric, and useful and beautiful things.

We have now been in the house for 3½ months., I am making good progress and loving the results and most importantly learning where to find the good stuff! We have a thrift store down the road that I make a loop through just about every day. I found the most wonderful store in Nuremberg called Flex that sells amazing mid-century items at prices you would not believe (in a good way.)I am eyeballing a hot pink Cuckoo clock (can’t move to Germany and come back without a Cuckoo.) I have been to some massive home décor/furniture stores that are overwhelming.  And of course, when we talk about overwhelming we can’t forget Ikea every new homeowner on a budget’s best friend. Lastly, I’m making my shopping list for the next time I come home.

I have much of the house put together now (I never say finished because it never is) so now I have time to sit down and blog about it. I will share the results and updates here with you.