We built a house, now what?

The beginnings of At Home With Syro

More than a pretty picture

Welcome to At Home with Syro

Hi, friend.

If you’re here, welcome. I’m so glad you found your way to this little corner of the internet. I’m Lauren Syrowik (rhymes with ‘heroic’).

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ve probably seen plenty of photos of our home. But what you may not know is that this story started long before there was ever a house to photograph.

My husband’s family has built three homes over the years, so when we started looking for our first home together, I have a sneaking suspicion building one was his plan all along.

In 2017, we bought a piece of property with a dilapidated hoarder house sitting on it. Most people would’ve driven right past it. We looked at it and saw possibility. Our plan was to spend about a year designing our home before breaking ground.

Spoiler alert… that’s not what happened.

We spent that first year dreaming, sketching, and obsessing over floor plans. Then we spent another year taking those plans to builders, only to realize that between daycare for two little kids, my becoming a partner in my periodontal practice/building, and the realities of our budget, building just wasn’t in the cards yet.

At the time, it felt like a huge setback. Now, I honestly think it was one of the best things that could’ve happened. Those extra months gave us time to make our home ours.

I still remember sitting in our tiny condo after the kids were asleep with plans spread across the table. My husband drew much of the house himself in CAD, and we’d spend countless evenings making tiny changes that somehow felt like the biggest decisions in the world. We shrunk the footprint, which actually made the house flow so much better. We moved walls, reworked rooms, and changed our finish selections more times than I can count.

Looking back, I think those changes are what made our home so special.

The timing, of course, had other plans.

By the time we were finally ready to build, it was 2020. Construction costs had skyrocketed during COVID, and suddenly everything cost far more than it had just a year and a half before. Thankfully, our financial situation had changed too, and somehow everything came together when it was supposed to.

The build itself took almost two years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that building a home teaches you patience… whether you want to learn it or not. I did not. I still do not.

Maybe that’s also why I love homes that feel collected instead of decorated all at once.

Growing up, my parents did a huge renovation. In fact, they’re completely gutting that same house again today. I remember sleeping on a plywood floor for over a year because the finishes happened as they could afford them.

It may be a bit of a first-world problem, but that was terrible, and I told my husband early on I refused to live through years of projects again. (Joke’s on me.)

So while our home was being built, I started collecting. Weekend antique shops. eBay auctions. Estate sales. Marketplace scrolls that lasted far longer than I’d like to admit.

When it came to the larger furnishings, we worked with the incredible team at Leighanne LaMarre Interiors, who helped bring our vision to life. We started with little more than a bedroom set, and painstakingly selected pieces we truly loved instead of rushing to check boxes.

When we finally moved in during August of 2022, I thought I’d feel nothing but excitement.

Instead… I felt a little lost.

For more than five years, our evenings, weekends, conversations—honestly, so much of our life—had revolved around building this house. Suddenly there wasn’t a list to tackle or another decision to make.

I actually missed having a project.

A few months later, almost on a whim, I started an Instagram account called At Home with Syro. It was simply a creative outlet—a place to share our home, the things I’d learned along the way, and maybe inspire someone else who was creating a home they loved.

I never imagined it would grow into what it has. What started as a hobby has become a business, introduced me to an incredible community, and opened doors I never could’ve planned for.

And now… here we are.

So why Substack?

Because sometimes an Instagram caption just isn’t enough.

This is where I’ll share the stories behind the photos. We’ll talk about home design, why I made certain decisions, and the things I’d absolutely do differently. I’ll share my favorite budget finds right alongside the splurges that were worth every penny, antique treasures I’m hunting for, styling ideas, and the little details that make a house feel like home.

You’ll also get bits of real life around here.

Motherhood. Marriage. Running a dental practice. The beautiful chaos of everyday family life. And my current journey toward better health and weight loss—which has been just as much about changing habits and mindset as it has been about the number on the scale.

I don’t have it all figured out.

But I do love sharing what I’m learning, and I hope this feels more like catching up at a friend’s kitchen island who’s equally excited about paint colors, gardening, family chaos, daily stressors and finding joy in the everyday. My hope is to post 2-4 times per month.

Thank you for being part of this community from the very beginning. It means more than you know.

Please subscribe, and know that I’d love to hear from you. Introduce yourself in the comments and tell me:

• Where are you reading from?

• What’s one thing that makes your home feel like home?

• What would you love to see me write about?

I’m excited for what’s ahead.

Welcome home.

♡ Lauren