About Sherry
Welcome to Houzewize! I’m so happy you’re here.
Hi there, I’m Sherry! I’m a wife, mom, New York real estate agent, and the creator behind Houzewize. I started this blog as a place to share the things I truly love: DIY projects, art, decorating, designing spaces, and really, anything that lets me be creative. Creating has always been such a big part of who I am, and Houzewize has become my little corner to share that passion with you.
I’m pretty much always thinking about the next thing I can change, update, or refresh around the house. There’s always some little project or idea in the back of my mind, and I honestly love bringing those ideas to life.
Some of my favorite projects have come from figuring out how to get the look I want for less, whether that means painting something, giving an old piece of furniture a makeover, tackling a DIY project, or finding an affordable version of something I’ve fallen in love with.
How It All Started
My love for decorating and renovating really took off when my husband and I bought our home in Rockaway Beach, New York, in 2008.
And when I say it needed work… it needed work!
The house had been totally neglected for years and was definitely not move-in ready. But the location was incredible; we were a block and a half from the ocean, and we immediately saw tremendous potential in the house.
Honestly, we’ve always been more attracted to a house that needs work than to a perfectly finished one. There’s something exciting about being able to start with a blank or sometimes very imperfect canvas and slowly make it our own.
So that’s exactly what we did.
Little by little, we renovated, decorated, painted, built, and transformed the house into a home that felt like us.
And somewhere along the way, I realized how much I loved the whole process.
Then Hurricane Sandy Changed Everything
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit our community and caused devastating damage throughout Rockaway.
Our home took a hard hit, too.
After 4 years of work on the house, we suddenly found ourselves rebuilding and renovating all over again.
It was incredibly difficult, but starting over also gave us a chance to rethink some of the spaces in our home and make changes we probably wouldn’t have made otherwise.
My decorating style evolved along the way too. What was once more traditional and eclectic slowly became lighter, more relaxed, and influenced by a mixture of transitional and modern surroundings we have come to love.
Our home has changed so much over the years, and honestly, it’s still changing.
I don’t think our home will ever really be finished. That’s OK with me; it might not be OK with my husband, though. 😀
As our lives change, our homes change with us.
And I think that’s part of what makes them special.
Why I Started Houzewize
Houzewize started as a place for me to share everything I love about creating a home.
Creating a beautiful home sometimes means finding a great affordable dupe. Sometimes it means pulling out the paintbrush. And sometimes it means staring at something in my house for several weeks, thinking, I could probably make that myself.
And all of those little ideas that can completely change how a space feels.
What You’ll Find Here
Around Houzewize, you’ll find real projects from our home, before-and-after transformations, decorating ideas, approachable DIYs, affordable finds, and plenty of inspiration for making your home feel more beautiful and personal.
My hope is that when you visit Houzewize, you leave with an idea you’re excited to try at home, whether it’s a full room makeover or one small change that makes your space feel better.
But for me, it’s more than just creating a beautiful home; it’s really about having an outlet to be creative. For a long time, I pushed that part of myself aside, and Houzewize has given me a place to come back to it. It’s a space where I can experiment, make things, try new ideas, and simply enjoy creating again.
I hope you’ll stick around, look through some projects, and follow along because, around here, there’s almost always another makeover in the works.
Thanks so much for stopping by and being part of Houzewize.
I am so happy you stopped by!
