Hi there! I’m Karen Highland, a happy homeowner of a mid-century brick rancher, and this is my website. I live in Frederick, Maryland, with my husband of 35 years, Chris Highland. We love all things Mid-Century Modern. This is our journey to turn this home with great bones into our dream home.

Our home was built in 1956, on 9/10 of an acre in a quiet little neighborhood with three streets. If it sounds idyllic, it is.

Chris and I are real estate agents, and we’ve seen probably thousands of homes over the years. We’ve seen a huge amount of growth in our area during the last three decades.

New homes are being built all around us. They are very nice, but we were looking for something else. Something with that unmistakable mid-century look. Because of the building that took place in our county during the 50’s and 60’s, there were not a lot of homes that had what we were looking for…until we found this gem.

My husband and I are empty nesters…we’ve raised four children who have all flown away. This is an exciting new chapter for us, in the aspect that we get to do what I want with this home…(see what I did there!) Meaning, we don’t need to consider kids and their needs anymore, just our desires and needs.

However, we are still on a budget. To be totally honest, we have financial goals that we have not been quite able to keep up with while we were raising four kids…kids are expensive! While I want to create my dream home, I also want to make up some lost time in reaching our retirement goals.

I’m a DIY-er and a maker at heart. Through a combination of savvy shopping, DIY’s, thrifting, and upcycling, I’m on a mission to create a stylish and gracious home, all while sticking to a budget. Join me here each week, and on my Instagram and Pinterest, as I bring out the best of this nest.

If you enjoy a good real estate story, read our adventures in selling and buying a home.