House for Sale, Filled with Memories

Irwin Weiner ASID - This month's Design2Share banner is a shot of my master bedroom by the amazing architectural photographer Chris Cooper. The reason for this banner instead of our usual focus on home goods and furnishings? My partner and I decided three weeks ago to sell our Pennsylvania country house after ten years.

The reasons for not selling would fill a long list: 10 years of wonderful memories, a beautiful garden, a home that's fixed up just right and just the right size, wonderful neighbors, a sleepy Delaware River town close enough to every convenience but distant enough to be a peaceful and relaxing retreat. Overall, a perfect country retreat only an hour and a half from Manhattan, centrally located between NYC and Philadelphia.

But one "let's sell" reason outweighed the others: we've run out of projects and ways to fix up the house and property. Our D2S readers know how much Jay and I enjoy DIY and makeover projects for the home, and our list ran out.

We could spend much more on expanding the extensive gardens, but to what point? The Derek Sutphin designed master landscape plan, boasting two secret garden rooms, is a delight as it is.

It's time for someone else to enjoy this beautiful home. Which brings me to the ultimate reason for this post. I wanted to somehow formally say good-bye to a house that's filled with good memories. Dinners by candlelight with a roaring fire going in the fireplace.

The discovery during remodeling that the original structure was actually a "barge house," the framing made from decommissioned barge boards from the Delaware Canal. The thrill of having a totally renovated modern kitchen - there's nothing like cooking and entertaining!

The beautiful displays of flowers and leaves through the growing season, with meals out on the patio. Pool parties. Falling asleep on the porch swing.

We know we'll have regrets when we move, but we'll also have immense satisfaction in knowing that we were excellent stewards of our Bucks County PA home ... and that we'll have more real estate adventures (in the same area - we love it in Bucks) with a new fixer-upper home, filled to brim with projects to tackle. Click here or on any of the photos above for more information on our PA house and a 25-photo slideshow.