Recently married, Susan Lafferty moved into her new husband's apartment in Massachusetts. Starting their lives together also meant redesigning the apartment with both of their belongings, an unforeseen challenge for the couple. Woman's Day sent designer Annie Selke to help—and give their space a fresh look.
Moving Past the Pain
Ten years ago, Susan Lafferty received the news that brought her life to a halt: Her husband of 19 years, Mitch, had lung cancer and just months to live. "It was like everything started moving in slow motion," the mother of three, now 58, says. "There was a complete reshuffling of our priorities. We realized how fragile life really is, and how quickly it can be taken away."
After Mitch's death, Susan soldiered on. But by the summer of 2010, with her children grown into young adults, she was ready to start focusing on herself. Though she wasn't seeking a new relationship, a chance encounter at a hotel bar changed that. "The bartender mixed up my drink with the gentleman's next to me," recalls Susan. "We started talking and by the end of the evening, Will and I had exchanged phone numbers."
Budding Romance
Susan and Will, 46, started as friends, but despite their physical distance (he lived two hours away), the relationship turned into something more. A big test came when he met her children. "We had dinner on my birthday," Susan says. "Afterward, I told him I appreciated his go-with-the-flow attitude and he said, 'With you, it's as easy as breathing.'" When Will proposed last October, saying yes felt the same way for Susan.
Susan, whose career offers her more flexibility, sold her Darien, CT, home to move in with Will in Housatonic, MA. "Combining our belongings was a challenge," she says. That's when designer Annie Selke stepped in to create a space where the couple can begin their life together. "Will and I are entering a wonderful new phase," says Susan. "The updated apartment is really just the icing on the cake."
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