People always seem interested in seeing house pictures, and I’ve been meaning to post about a topic Engie mentioned MANY MONTHS ago (only partially successfully, I will add) which is to ask what’s in all our closets.
Before we headed off to Europe, I took some photos of the house to document how we left things. A family moved in a few hours after we left, so it was good to have a baseline before/after in case anything were to go wrong while we’re away for insurance purposes.
I would hazard a guess that I handled thousands—literally!—of items in our home in the weeks leading up to our trip. Because people were moving in for such an extended period of time, I needed to clean and tidy things up differently than usual. I moved items out of drawers (I aimed for at LEAST one drawer free per vanity/dresser, but in many cases it was 2-3). I cleared out an entire entry closet, put away all our winter gear, moved our coats and shoes to a dedicated closet, etc.
So… these pictures are mostly representative of our home, but with it looking a lot cleaner and emptier than usual. I hope the family that has moved in feels like they can make it their own for a while without having to navigate around too much of our stuff!
First up, the entry!
Entry
The only shoes left are Belle’s plane footwear!
The only coat left hanging in this closet is my raincoat that I wore on our trip.
Usually, the boot trays and coat closet are packed with footwear and coats, so you’ll have to use your imagination 🙂
Or, I could insert an older picture…
Living/Dining Room
I didn’t change much of anything in the main living area of the house; I did pack up all our photobooks, but everything else stayed put.
I had planned to take the plants to a neighbour’s house for watering but when we pivoted to having someone stay full-time at our place, it meant our plants (and Ferrari the fish!) got to stay put.
All our luggage packed and ready for our trip to the airport.
Belle’s Bedroom
The right-hand side of her closet is empty, and the top drawers of her mini dresser are empty.
Master Bedroom/Ensuite
I cleared out the top drawer of my bedside table.
And the top TWO drawers on my side of the dresser. (I know John cleared out at least one on his side.)
We moved most of our “hanging” clothes to the left-hand side of the closet (forgot to take a picture) and all the totes are empty. Usually I use the white one to store PJs, the blue one for library books that need to be returned, and the laundry basket is for laundry!
Ditto in the bathroom. At least the top two drawers on each side were cleared out!
Also, I can’t remember if I ever posted finished pictures of the paint job in the bedroom/bathroom?
Here’s a side-by-side of the day we toured the house… and a little over a week ago. It’s not an astonishing change, but it was an inexpensive upgrade and I do NOT miss seeing Salmon Pink.
Main Bathroom
You know the drill! Top drawers all cleaned out!
Indy’s Bedroom
I forgot to take a picture of the closet, but all Indy’s remaining clothes are off to one side AND the top two drawers of his dresser were emptied out.
Since there are some youngish kids staying in the house, we moved Indy’s LEGO car sets, Pokemon cards, and glass snow globe collection to the basement office (which we locked).
He has very proudly taped each and every cross country ribbon to his wall (in ranked order). This is the last bedroom to get painted, so when that day comes, I may invest in a bulletin board or something similar to hold his ribbon collection.
Basement
I vacuumed. That is all.
Furnace/Storage Room
They need some space to store items so I made sure to clear off some shelves/leave empty totes; plus, there is lots of floor space.
Guest Room
I cleared off one shelf of the built-in so whoever stays in the room can set up some toys/books.
The guest room closet is where I put some of my clothing/footwear overflow, so there’s not much closet space left, but I cleared out three drawers in the dresser, so I hope that will suffice!
Engie, I haven’t gotten pictures of all the closets, but here’s our “cupboard under the stairs”… and it’s where we store all our seasonal decorations.
Laundry Room/Downstairs Bathroom
We used up everything in our deep freeze, and I defrosted and unplugged it. Other than that, not much needed to be done to prep this space!
Family Room
John put away a few of the bulkier speakers from behind the sectional, but aside from that, everything could be left as-is.
I have a hunch this LEGO nook is going to be very popular with our house guests 🙂 Indy had a few special projects he wanted set aside and everything he wanted to keep out of the way went into the office for safekeeping.
For anyone curious about how many books I own: this is it! Belle has one shelf of her built-ins that has some books and Indy has a set of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in his room, but I am not someone who particularly appreciates owning books. Just to the right of the Narnia compilation is Nicole’s book Inhale Exhale, though! I love to own books my friends write. Not pictured (because I loaned it out to a friend before I left) is Sarah’s brilliant planning book Best Laid Plans.
And there you have it. A bit of a house tour, albeit looking much emptier than normal!
- Any questions about where we store specific things?
- Do you collect books, or do you prefer borrowing from libraries?
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Such a lovely home, Elisabeth. I own one shelf of books (keepers) on my bookcase. The other two shelves hold my TBR’s that, unless they are extra incredible, will be donated to our LFL after I read them 🙂
That sounds like a very well-honed system!
I love borrowing (and returning books to) Little Free Libraries!
Your house looks so CLEAN and TIDY, Elisabeth! I absolutely love it. I have zero tolerance for clutter, so this is basically my dream setup.
Leaving empty drawers in each room is very thoughtful. It really feels like you really prepared the space for the family living there, not just moved your own things around.
What’s the story with the family staying there? Are they new to the area and house-hunting, or just doing a temporary relocation for a change of scenery?
We had friends staying in our apartment in Cape Town while we were in Zurich, and even in a tidy home there’s so much to do beforehand. I know exactly how much effort went into this. Nicely done!
I feel so seen, Catrina! This did take a lot of effort. Not clearing things, per se, but just all the thinking through and organizing, on top of trying to pack for almost 4 months away. I am SO glad those preparations are behind me.
I also feel better when I have most of the clutter under control; easier said than done with two kids in the house! I’m always amazed the week they’re away at camp how clean and tidy everything stays!
The family, unfortunately, had sudden property damage to their own house and have to be out for many months while it is being repaired. They were going to various Airbnbs, but were looking for a place to settle for a few months until their own home is liveable again. We had plans for a friend to stay in our house periodically and check on it, but a few weeks before we left we learned about their situation. We had a house that was going to be empty! It’s a bit of a drive (their kids, for example, have to be driven to school some distance away), but the price was right (we’re letting them stay; this isn’t a rental/tenant agreement of any sort) and it’s such a win-win.
Can someone send me a link to the blog about renting their house while they are gone? Apparently I missed the whole thing.
Sorry, Kathy. I can see now this is a bit confusing.
We aren’t actually renting our house out. A family needed a place to stay while their own home is being repaired from some damage. We learned about their search about a month before we left and pivoted from having a friend stay periodically/check in on our house, to having someone stay in it full time the entire time we’re away.
We never intended to rent it (arranging for a tenant, etc, for less than 4 months didn’t seem like an easy or smart idea), so this was an unexpected mutually beneficial situation.
Thanks for taking the time to reply!
My pleasure!
Your house looks so tidy but also welcoming! Sometimes super clean houses can feel a bit off putting like “Be careful you don’t mess up in here!” Yours strikes such a nice balance! How did the kids feel about having other people stay in their rooms? At 15 I think
I would have been cerebrally glad to be able to help someone out by letting them stay in my room for several months and emotionally very upset and concerned that things would be messed up haha!
Aww. This is such a kind sentiment. Believe me—our house usually looks way more “lived” in, too!
Both kids were fine with it (they know the people staying). Belle did request the tween boy NOT have her room 😉
Neither kid is overly attached to their stuff (and the things they really did care about, we just moved; like Indy’s LEGO).
Ah such good memories in that house. When you get back, the snowflakes in Belle’s room will be right on time for Christmas in July.
I own more books than you but not a ton. So far 2026 has been a record book buying year between BLP and Inhale, Exhale. Apart from the money factor, it’s just too convenient to check out ebooks on Libby.
This makes me so happy. I am delighted at the growing number of bloggers that have sat around my table <3
She is already counting down to NEXT Christmas, so she will be thrilled to get in the spirit as soon as we get home.
What a beautiful home – so organized and ordered. But cozy. I love the bathroom paint job I don’t think I realized that you found someone to stay in your house- that seems like a win/win
I do not own many books. I prefer to check them out of the library. I don’t know where I would keep my own books.
I hope your house is in the same pristine condition when you return.
Thanks so much <3
I did NOT like the salmon colour in the bathroom and it has been lovely to have a change.
I love, love, love the library and I don't like any extra "stuff" so having a very curated stack of books fits with my personality.
Gorgeous house- so bright and welcoming and comfortable! The Blue in the bathroom is so elegant without being dark!
We stayed in someone’s house for a semester when my kids were young so my husband could supervise student research. I loved the compactness of the 3 bedrooms, but I hated living with other people’s stuff around. ( What my 3 yr old did to their desk! Scissors should not be left out. Luckily I got it refinished before we left.) I couldn’t relax the whole time. They did lock their important stuff in a basement room, so we couldn’t do too much damage. So your choice to put things ( and special lego creations- like lighthouses?) behind a locked door is wise.
I was a bit worried the blue would feel too dark in a bathroom with no windows, but I’ve loved it. Such a pretty blue (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore).
I tried to get rid of as much stuff as possible so it felt a bit like a blank slate/Airbnb. Of course, there is lots of our stuff around because we live there, but hopefully the things we moved out of the way make it all feel seamless.
Your house is so beautiful! I loved seeing the room-by-room tour! You are so generous to let people stay there while you’re away, and you made it so welcoming for them. I don’t own a lot of books, and the ones I do own are about sewing or art, or are by people I know.
I own quite a few art books (well, this is mostly John… he LOVES to collect books of art by people like Van Gogh), but I own precisely zero sewing books 🙂
Wow- I love the new bathroom ( as opposed to the salmon pink). Your house is beautiful, and it’s going to be SO NICE when you come home to such a clean and organized space! The people who are staying there must be loving it. If it’s appropriate to share, I’m wondering what the circumstances are that caused them to need a temporary place to live (I’m thinking renovations of their own house?)
Unfortunately they had a house fire with extensive smoke damage and they had to get out immediately and it will take many months for their home to be habitable again.
I love how this all worked out for your family; you have someone coming in to live in, love your home, and tend to your plants and fishy! It’s the most perfect scenario. How sweet that you made room for their stuff. I’m sure they appreciate that very much.
I have a friend who does house swaps for vacations; like she has her home in Florida, and she will swap with people all over the world for a week or two. It’s pretty cool.
I don’t keep too many books on hand either. I pass them along after I read them unless I think I might read them again. I DO have Nicole’s, though….haven’t started it yet, but soon.
As an aussie, I’m so jealous of houses with basements – it’s not a thing here, and boy would I love all that extra space!
I’m curious on how it works out with have a family stay while you’re gone – did you have to do any paperwork or anything just so they can’t claim squatters rights or whatever it is? (Can you tell I read all the horror stories?) But on a less-doomsdayist mode, I’ve always been curious about letting a house sitter stay while we go on holidays so they can look after our dogs, but I always just feel that little bit funny about someone being in our space.
I love how organised you’ve been though, and I’m sure they’ll really appreciate all your efforts and how considerate you’ve been.
Basements are a blessing and a curse. Lots of extra space, but also a major flooding hazard!
We drafted an MOU that lays things out very clearly about start/end dates. There is definitely an element of trust on both sides, but we felt safe and secure doing it. (They aren’t strangers and we overlap in a major social way.) But, yes, I have also read/watched some horror stories on this topic.
It was a bit jarring to think about having someone in our space, but it was a win-win overall and I’m glad we could help them out. And just this morning they texted some important mail that came through which is so helpful!