J and I officially moved into our new loft a little over a week ago. It’s been a pretty great experience so far, minus our run-in with a scorpion on our first night.

Before moving in, we lived in his parents’ house while construction was being done on the loft. Though it’s practically just the two of us here (my brother in-law lived with us, too), I still felt like a guest in someone’s home. Being newly wed and having moved to a foreign country, I desperately needed a space of my own, with the freedom to do whatever I wanted, be it making a giant mess in the kitchen, rearranging furniture, or taking a break from my computer for an impromptu song and dance session (this happens on the regular, folks).

I work from home, and since the WiFi was strongest in our bedroom, that’s where my pseudo-office was set up. I could go entire days without ever leaving that room, save for a few trips down the stairs to the kitchen. It was a fairly large room, but dark and crowded. In the loft now, though, there is so much light and space I could do cartwheels! Really, I have done cartwheels from my bedroom to the kitchen. Eventually we’ll probably separate the bedroom with walls, but for now it’s just wide open spaces.

We’re currently in bare-bones mode in terms of design. We have the furniture and everything is in working condition, so the function is there, but not the fashion. I’m obsessed with our brick ceilings and can’t wait to add all the little personal touches that will make our house a home. I’m heading back stateside at the end of the week so I plan to stock up on everything from Ikea that I can fit into my suitcase to bring back. Once decorated I’ll post more pictures. I dream of curtains, rugs, throws, pillows, and house plants; but for the time being, I’ll settle for cartwheels.