This is a very long overdue post. I took photos of my friend’s home back in March 2018. My friend, Yumi, is a dear friend of mine who is also Japanese married to an American and a perpetual expat due to her husband’s job. We reunited back in Virginia in the summer of 2017 when she returned from their posting in Ukraine. We had not lived in the same city for 7 years, but as if no time has passed since. A short of one year was way too brief for me to be in the same city with her as I moved away. However, I am grateful that I overlapped the time with her back in Virginia.

Expat’s Making Home Back Home

I witnessed my expat friend, Yumi, renovate her first home that she and her husband bought sight unseen from overseas. She spent roughly about 2 months for the renovation from the time she got quotes from two contractors to the time she and her family moved into their new home. It was amazingly fast. I thought if I ever renovate our home when we return to Virginia, I want to do the same as she did. She did all the designing of her home herself. She also bought pretty much all the furniture as she and her family did not own any when they returned to the U.S. I remember that she was in the same stage as myself in the current situation – in a limbo. Then what it felt like all of a sudden, her new home was beautifully done.

Making home is a fun process if you are patient and fond of decorating. However, for someone like me who is passionate about decorating home, but alas, lacks patience (patience is a virtue!) it can be a very grinding period of time when you just want it to be over. I should enjoy this process as much as I can because I know that this phase lasts only for so long in a life overseas.

Modern Country Style Home

I hope you will enjoy touring her modern country style home that was made with love. I admire everything she has done to her home.

Yumi is also a certified consultant for color analysis. She is the one who got me really into color analysis. I have previously published posts about her.

Below are the posts on color analysis.

Seasonal Color Analysis
Color Analysis II
Color Analysis III

She loves animals and has a certification for dog grooming. Yumi is a multi-talented lady! I actually asked her if she would cut human hair (thinking maybe I will ask her to cut mine), but then she said that it was completely different. Later I wondered if my logic was similar to asking a veterinarian to diagnose a human. The photography below is her dog, Coco. Isn’t she so adorable?