The waiting is the hardest part

The “Design Party” in October was great fun! Architect Jimmy Dumas and Designer/Project Manager Anthony Malara discussed Anthony’s beautiful “as built” drawings and we all talked about—and sketched—what could be. A soaking tub? A pool? A master suite? A guest suite? A “green” home? What would change? What could stay?

The next day, a sort of manic panic seized me. My mind raced with ideas. What had we missed? What are we getting ourselves into? My husband and I had some feedback and I put together an email for Anthony and Jimmy. But then I kept writing. And writing.

Luckily, my husband stepped in as the voice of reason. If I keep sending stream-of-consciousness emails to service-oriented people, I could derail the project by pushing the design in an unintended direction. So I wrote again: ignore my last message. Later we followed up with a few points we both agreed on and I sent off the “official” feedback.

We did our homework well before selecting an architect. Our subscriptions included dwell, Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Metropolis, Met Home, House & Garden, Garden Design, domino, Design NJ and other shelter magazines for years. Our collection of books about buildings included Good green homes—Creating better homes for a healthier planet by Jennifer Roberts. We articulated our needs and desires in the dream house “Manifesto” and provided Anthony and Jimmy with a bound copy. We have met with, talked with and emailed the firm.

Now it is time to let go and let them do their thing.