The Posh Life

I have written here so often about my love for the House on the Corner and what it is (homey, rambling, quirky, convenient, ours) that I have not really detailed what it is not (fashionable, edgy, stylish, compact, up-to-date).

That's why Husband and I really felt as if we were on vacation when we checked into The Loft: It was all of those latter adjectives.

Oh, people. If you are within the sound of my voice, you must reserve a few days at The Loft in Lake Odessa, Mich. Unless you are a snotty and overpaid hipster from Washington, D.C., this is as close as you will ever be to living in an HGTV location, and you will be able to accomplish this without seeing the rodent infestations that the HGTV "befores" always seem to have.

The Loft is (surprise!) a loft apartment located above the consignment shop in downtown Lake Odessa. Before you turn up your nose at the noise and traffic associated with a downtown, be aware that Lake Odessa is home to 2,018 souls and apparently all of them are asleep by mid-evening because we did not hear a peep.

Our host, Bill, bought this run-down building several years ago and remodeled both the consignment shop and the loft above it. I had always assumed a loft apartment would be big and drafty and unhospitable but Bill is a genius.

See that chair above, with the knitting plonked on the arm and Parenthood streaming on Netflix? That was my chair. See this sofa, with the comfy pillows and historic pictures behind it? That was Husband's sofa.

See this fireplace, which springs into flame with the touch of a button and was the perfect accompaniment to rain drumming on the windows? And the flat-screen TV above the fireplace where a certain team of destiny was on its way to winning the World Series?

That was what we saw when we looked up from our knitting and reading. It was heavenly.

Here's the full tour:

Living room. With an oversized clock that made my heart flutter. If you turn 180 degrees, you will be looking at the...

...kitchen and dining room. On the other side of the mirrored panel beyond the round table are two comfy Murphy beds, that are opposite...

...another sitting area, in case you have completely lost your mind and don't want to sit in front of the fire and watch the Royals.

I didn't take pictures of the bathroom, which is fantastically fantastic, because my photographic skills blah-blah-blah. Be assured it is in keeping with the spectacularity of the rest of the loft. Just carry over the 11-foot ceilings, white-washed brick, custom-made cabinetry, and the mood lighting. Oh, plus spa-quality toiletries that made me wash my hair 14 times in the four days we were there

There is only one minor downside to The Loft, and that is this:

Twenty-six steps from sidewalk to the door of the loft and no Sherpa to help with the ascent. But Bill had left chocolate-covered strawberries in the kitchen for us, and we would have had to share them with the Sherpa, so not such a bad deal.

The Loft was not the House on the Corner. It was not ours, and we are not the type of folk who would have such stylish digs, but for a few days, it was fun to pretend that it was and that we were.