Welcome to my little neck of the woods. My name is Clay and I’ve decided it’s high time to start a conversation with the world. This blog is my way of talking about things that interest me; primarily Decorating, Architecture, Entertaining, Style, and random Southern anecdotes.
To give a little backstory, and preface how this will go down, let me share with y’all a little bit about me. I’m a Southern boy transplanted to the Midwest. I grew up and spent the first half of my life in Arkansas, and then I up and moved to Indianapolis, where I’ve been living happily for the past several years. I spend most of my time working in the corporate world, but my free time is spent pouring over design books and shelter magazines obsessing about the next decorating trend.
I bought my dream house just about a year ago, and I spend most of the time trying to figure out how I want the place to look. It’s probably an unhealthy obsession, but it’s my obsession. When I got the place, unpacked the boxes, and had my first big party; several of my friends said a house like this needed to have a proper name. It’s no mansion by any means, but this house definitely has a soul and a presence, so I kind of agreed with them. So after thinking about various names, and doing some quick research on the history, I have now officially christened this house as, wait for it……..Birch Hill.
You see, it sits on a little hill, and there’s a great big river birch tree out front, so it seems fitting. Hence the name of this blog, Birch Hill Life, because basically I’m sharing my adventures here at Birch Hill with you. The picture below is what the house looked like the day I bought it last year. They’ll be lots more pictures of the place as we move along together. The house was built in 1920, and spent many years as a family home before spending several years as various commercial businesses. I bought it from flippers who turned it back into a single family home. Now I’m working to make it my own, bring back it’s true personality, and showcase my own personal style and flair for entertaining. Hopefully you won’t think I’ve ruined it!
I live to entertain, and I love to throw parties big and small. It’s nothing for me to have 2 people over for cocktails, a home cooked meal, and the latest gossip, and then turn around the next day and throw a party for 150 with a full blown spread and bars setup in every other room of the house. I’ve started collecting quite an arsenal of glasses, dishes, and every other random thing you might need to make people feel welcome and comfortable when they walk through my door.
As with most Southerners, I’ve got tons of crazy quirks, great family recipes, furniture inherited from some long gone family member, and colorful expressions and stories to keep most people entertained through at least three good stiff cocktails. So sit back, fix yourself a Coke, or better yet a bourbon and Coke, and stay tune for my random tips, tidbits, and musings. Hopefully I’ll entertain you along the way.