The following images make me wish I could carry a professional photographer in my pocket. Since that’s not possible, we were thrilled to have a local photographer visit for an afternoon. Andrea Hubbell, a talented photographer from nearby Charlottesville, VA, is shooting a series called “living spaces” and invited us to take part. We’re not too camera shy when it comes to our home, and we love seeing it through someone else’s eye—especially someone skilled with a camera—so we happily said yes.
We couldn’t be happier we did. Andrea was friendly, unobtrusive, and her photos are gorgeous:
We enjoyed the wide-angle room shots, but what really delighted us were the small details Andrea noticed—little things we hardly ever photograph or even see. Those everyday touches are the ones that make a house feel lived-in. Case in point: Sherry’s beloved pile of paint chips.
Andrea posted many more photos from her visit on her blog; the images shown here are just a selection. These were taken about three weeks ago, so some rooms have already changed a bit since then (ahem—bedroom and living room), and a few spaces aren’t included because they were mid-project when she arrived (looking at you, laundry room built-ins). Here’s a shot of us with Andrea—fun fact: Sherry isn’t wearing a black shirt in this one, which surprised me and made her almost unrecognizable.
But Andrea wasn’t the only person to capture our home recently. We received a sweet email from a 16-year-old reader in the Netherlands named Karlijn, who recreated our house in The Sims. Working within the game’s limitations (she joked she would have added a burger if she could), she still managed an impressively accurate virtual version of our rooms.
First up is our guest room, complete with teal walls, a green headboard, and two slipper chairs that closely resemble our real ones:
We laughed at the realistic “alley” on the left side of this Sims capture of our living room—there’s the big gray sectional, a green rug, the bedroom door, and the large paned window, all faithfully represented:
True to life, our windowless kitchen looks quite dark with the lights off in the Sims version—accurate and a little funny to see rendered digitally:
Our favorite might be the Sims version of Clara’s room. The game added an unexpected highway view outside her window, which cracked us up—Karlijn probably had limited control over the surroundings, but it’s charming nonetheless:
Maybe Karlijn was also offering subtle decorating suggestions. Should we add a zebra rug to the bedroom? It would certainly be dramatic:
Or consider outdoor lighting on the patio—something we’ve been thinking about, like large-bulb string lights. The Sims version makes that idea look appealing.
Maybe some fellow Sims players can locate Karlijn’s game world and drop in on our virtual house. I’m hopeless with video games—my last memory of city-building ended with a tornado and a monster taking down my skyscrapers—so I’ll leave the digital visits to others. Big thanks to Andrea and Karlijn for using their talents to capture and reinterpret our home. It’s always refreshing to see a familiar place through someone else’s perspective. Have you ever recreated your house in a game or room-planning tool, or seen photos someone else took that made you notice details you’d never seen before?
Psst—We announced this week’s giveaway winners. Check the post to see if you’re one of them.