🐓 Our hens laid their first eggs

Good Digs is a design and decor newsletter from The Good Trade. Every other Thursday, one of our editors pulls back the curtain on their space, inspirations, and reflections on home.

💛 A letter from our editor, Kate

Around this time last year I was compulsively scouring the internet for new housing listings. We’d outgrown our space, and I was itching to relocate.

I would go through the whole process — finding something with potential, spending hours obsessing over every spec, imagining our lives there — then scrapping it and starting all over when when one of the details wasn’t quite right and sent the whole fantasy tumbling down.

But then I came across one that felt a bit different than the others. It checked all of the most important boxes, and even most of my design preferences, too. Most importantly it was still within our daughter’s school zone, just barely. I double checked with the realtor twice and called the district office, just to make sure.

My partner liked it too, so we ran the numbers and then scheduled a visit. The children screeched like banshees through the house and, frankly, weren’t very well behaved. I wasn’t able to soak in the details the way I would have liked to. Part of me wanted to take this as a sign that this wasn’t the right fit.

But the truth was, it was perfect. I was just afraid to admit that I really wanted it.

I loved the bitter orange tree outside what I’d already decided would be the kids’ room, framed in the window like a piece of art. I imagined the children being able to play in the fully-fenced backyard without worry, sitting by the fireplace during the colder months, and hosting our friends.

I wanted a garden. I wanted to keep chickens. I wanted more comfort and more room to grow.

So we applied, and I was suddenly scared because admitting what I wanted meant opening myself up to the risk of losing it. The housing market in California is scarce, and I was afraid it wouldn’t go our way.

But then it did. And we moved in a few weeks later, into this space that originally felt out of reach.

We celebrated my birthday just days after moving in. We got the chickens and planted the garden. The kids played out back all summer long, scantily dressed and giggling way past bedtime.

This week, and almost one year to the day we’d first seen the listing online, our hens laid their first eggs. They’d been secretly laying in the space between the playhouse and our fence. When I finally discovered them there was a whole pile — ten in total. The moment felt full circle, lavish, like an embarrassment of riches.

All four us have grown while being here (eight, if we’re including the chicks!) and we’ve experienced overwhelming goodness.

Perhaps abundance is on its way to us if only we open ourselves up and allow it.

What We’re Loving At Home Right Now

Roost & Root — Over the last six months we’ve learned that a high-quality, locally made coop really is worth the investment. We just upgraded from our starter coop, and we’re so excited for our hens to move into their new digs.

Babyletto Bondi Bunk Bed — These bunks remain one of my favorite pieces in our home. We’ve transitioned our three and five year old from the bunk configuration to their side-by-side set up and recently back to bunks again. These save us so much space and give us lots of flexibility as our needs evolve in our three bedroom home.

Vintage Rugs — Our family recently ventured into LA to visit a hole-in-the-wall vintage rug dealer. The employees patiently and graciously showcased their gorgeous collection, and we brought home a gorgeous wool piece to complete our living room.

Framed Heirlooms — Art can be expensive. I’ve been enjoying decorating our home with treasured family photos, prints, and cards gifted to us by dear loved ones. We have a photo of each child taken on 35mm film in Joshua Tree National Park in the same location when they were roughly the same age, and I adore the tiny gallery.

Aesthetic Nontoxic Cleaning Supplies — I’m a sucker for anything that is visually pleasing. Not only because I find it pleasurable, but I find it less stimulating for my brain! I reviewed the top brands for gentle, but effective cleaning products, and Koala Eco is my all time favorite for accessibility, price, and being pretty.

What’s On My Wish List

More Rugs — We’ve built out the majority of our rooms with the most substantial furniture pieces and now I’m focused on trying to warm things up with rugs, curtains, and decor. I have my eye on these wool rugs from Revival.

Linen curtains — Our windows are desperate for treatments and I’m hoping to source about eight matching curtains for our living room. Quince has some great, affordable options, and I like these ones in flax.