Good People, Good Light
Paul, Nishiel & Asha
Meet Nishiel, Paul, and baby Asha. Becoming parents while mid-renovation wasn’t exactly the plan—but like most beautiful detours, it revealed something better. Burnt out from the spreadsheets and CAD drawings, they ditched perfection and leaned into presence. “Take it as it comes,” they say. That mindset now shapes their days—less about getting it all done, more about being in it, together.
Jade: Parenthood, and homeownership —two massive life shifts and responsibilities all at once. Has one changed how you experience the other in ways you didn’t see coming?
Both: I think becoming parents at the same time we were trying to ‘finish’ our home forced us to actually be less precious about the parenting details. By the time Asha arrived we were pretty burnt out on all the overthinking, planning, mood boards, CAD drawings, and spreadsheeting that was essential to making our house project happen. For some reason, that feeling led us to the parenting approach of ‘take-it-as-comes’, be kind to yourself and DON'T overthink it.
The parenting approach is now coming full circle to the house as well. We (Nishiel) are learning to cede perfection to good. Take our time with the rest of it. Slow down.
Jade: You put so much thought into designing this home, and it shows. Now that you're living in it as a family with a little one, has anything about the space surprised you? Have certain corners or choices taken on new meaning?
Nishiel: Asha’s only just recently moved from our room to her own! It took us a while to move her in, because of course I hated the idea of her being so far, but really because we took 6 months to unpack the last of the boxes that had been piled into her room.
The room is in the old mudroom off the back. It was kind of a practical decision to put her in the tiny room– after all, a NY baby doesnt need all that much space. But now that she sleeps in there, Ive had a chance to spend a little time in the space. I've been really charmed by how its small size, and single picture window to the garden makes it feel incredibly cozy and serene. I’m excited to see how it evolves as she grows.
Jade: What’s something about fatherhood that’s changed you in a way you didn’t see coming? A shift in how you move through the day, what you notice, what you care about?
Paul: I’m someone who usually enjoys forming habits and routines, but it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of things I need to do these days. Cutting the fat in my schedule has been surprisingly rewarding and a reminder not to get too set in my ways.
Jade: There’s something about being photographed at home, in your own world, that makes you see yourselves a little differently (speaking from experience with my first at-home shoot!). Did this one make you pause and take it all in? Any moments where you thought, oh wow, this is our life now?
Both: Well, Asha slept pretty poorly the night before, so in a sense, we did think– is this our life now? Paul literally said, “I'm going to look like shit”. LOL! I guess better to be remembered as it was.
Jade: There is so much advice out there for new parents and new homeowners. What’s one piece of wisdom that’s stuck with you? Something that, in the chaos of all this change, has felt like an anchor rather than just more noise?
Nishiel: A few things:
For one, stop looking at Instagram!
Everything is a WIP and you are going to take steps forward, backward, and mostly sideways.
Know when to call in the professionals! The women who are loving and caring for my child at daycare are true professionals and know way more than I do about babies. The same goes for a really good plumber!
