My husband, Steve, and I decided to move back to Wisconsin from New York City in kind of a flurry. We had been toying with the idea for awhile, and then one day in mid-May 2016, we just kind of decided we had to go for it. We sat down, made a game plan, and Steve booked a weekend trip to Wisconsin to start laying a foundation for our new life.

He was dead-set on us buying and moving into a house right away; me, not so much. It seemed like a really big challenge to take on in the middle of an insane life change. But on his weekend trip to Wisconsin, Steve looked at a few houses. My mom had driven past one that was for sale by owner, and when the two of them Facetimed me while checking it out, I could hear in their voices they had found a keeper. The picture kept freezing on the call, but I was sold the second I saw the herringbone wood floors and built-in china cabinet. Without me ever seeing it in person, we put in an offer. A couple weeks and one scarring U-Haul trip across the country later, we were homeowners.

I took two months off working that summer to decompress, so the house became my obsession. It felt good to have a creative outlet and to build a new life in our home state. 

We've almost been in our house for a year now, so I thought I would take this week to give a little tour. One of my favorite parts of running My Midwest Is Showing is going to meet the people I interview and seeing their spaces – I'm pretty nosy. I thought it was only fair that I let all of you look around my space too. Not to mention, it only seemed fitting after featuring Tracy Porter last week.

I'm kicking things off in the living room today! Take a look around:

Steve and I ordered this green velvet couch from CB2 before we even left New York, so the entire living room pretty much was planned around it.

We were lucky enough to inherit Steve's grandma's matchbook collection. We love to sort through them, and look at all the places she went to. Plus, the designs are so cool and retro. I threw them all into a glass container so you can see the whole collection at once.

I was obsessed with rocks and fossils as a child – in fact, there was a period of time when I wanted to be a paleontologist. These geode coasters were defintiely a must-have for me. 

This blown glass bowl has lived in Whitewater, Madison, Queens, Brooklyn, and now Waukesha. It originally belonged to my grandma, who bought it on a trip to Mexico. Despite tiny, delicate glass pieces, it miraculously remains perfectly in tact (knock on wood).

I bought this basket as a goodbye to NYC gift to myself. Note: this is how I justified several expensive purchases in my last frantic month in the city...

This credenza was our first purchase with Brew City Salvage! I think it's my favorite piece of furniture in the house. The basketweave detailing on the top drawers kills me.

I bought this gold pouf from the Moroccan shop at Chelsea Market in NYC. I convinced the man there to give me a discount because his shop was the first place I went when I decided to move. Note: The same man also once gave my mom a discount for smiling.

Let me know if you have any questions about my living room or any of the pieces in it! I'd love to answer in the comments below.

Don't forget to check out my bedrooms, kitchen & bathroom, and basement too! And get my household must-haves.