Mom's Tree House

Archive for the ‘Home Decor’ Category

We all have a place to go to in where we can forget the chaos of our day, a place to forget the screeching noise of our  children, or a place were we simply could go and be comforted. For us, that is Nana’s place.

What makes this place so special, is the way she decorates her humble abode, making it into the stomping ground where all family and friends gather. No matter what age you are, you will always fit right in. You see, when you enter Nana’s house, you are walking into a place engulfed with both the past and the present.  

The Sitting Corner

 Nana and Papa purchased their home in Wantagh, NY  in 1988. Nana tells the story of how when she first saw the house, it smelled of smoke and mildew. She remembers how the walls were stained with dirt and cracked paint. She also recalls how the house looked like it stood still in time in the 1950′s. The house was dirty, smelly and old, but Nana saw charm, potential and loved it.

So, after purchasing the house, Nana decided to work in making the house warm, friendly and inviting. She made Papa strip walls, build shelves, hang hooks, paint and fix everything else that was broken. Nana looked to magazines for ideas but found more inspiration when she looked and thought of her family.

Through the years, Nana would visit garage sales and small antique stores to furnish her home. At one time, she became addicted to clocks and lamps. Right now, Nana’s house has about 14 clocks and 12 lamps.  She collected old doll houses, old tea sets and old kitchen ware. She would buy tables and refused to refurbish them as she believed the tables were fine as they were. She would also buy old tin cans and tarnished pots along with plastic fruits and flowers. She stenciled pictures, animals and flowers through out her walls and ceilings and filled the house with little nicks- knacks. Nana also would take pieces of furniture and items  from extended family members. Nana even found some old photographs of her ancestors taken during the 1930′s.  So, as Nana and Papa raised their three daughters, they collected,  fixed, painted and furnished.

In 2008, the house of “The Aunts”, the old stomping ground in Brooklyn, NY where she and brothers grew up in, was sold. A sad realization of one generation being lost but not forgotten.  Nana gathered plenty of memorable items and keepsakes, and found places for them in her own home. With each item, keepsake or picture, Nana tells a story.  Stories of people she loved,  lives passed and childhood memories.  Stories in where the next generation, one day will pass unto their own children. 

Today, Nana and Papa’s house is the place to be. Holidays are filled with laughter, love, and traditions which are made up along the way. Easter is now celebrated with easter egg hunts and egg painting. Every Christmas,  the five grandchildren prepare for their Annual ‘Cookie Party”. On Halloween, everyone gets dressed up in costumes, this includes cousins, Aunts, Uncles, moms, dads, Nana and Papa. The family goes out trick-a-treating and afterwards, Nana makes a massive meal which includes more goodies than we could ever ask for.

So, as the pieces of art, furniture and decor grew, so did the family.  A house was born with a new family and transformed to reflect the years of children, teenage heartaches, marriages, deaths and births. A house was planted to hold and keep the memories of lives passed, into the lives of today. Through these memories, these stories, Nana’s house became the  place we now know and love. The place where everyone goes to find their safe haven.

Please Note: Due to high celebrity status, Nana and Papa prefer to have their names and identity withheld, and simply be known as “Nana” and “Papa”.