State of the House Address
Looking back and celebrating progress is fun, but my favorite thing to do is look ahead and make plans. I love planning. The execution of those plans is still a bit elusive at times, but having something to look forward to, work toward, and dream about is oftentimes what gets me up and going in the morning. There's nothing better than seeing a project move forward and watching real-time changes take place in a space you've only been able to visualize for so long. I have high hopes that this year we'll be able to see a lot of progress in the areas of our home that haven't been touched yet. So let's take a look at exactly what those areas are.
State of the House Address 2023
1. The Loft
The BIG project of 2023 will be the loft. It is virtually untouched, except for the removal of 80's paneling, a coat of white paint and new hardwood flooring. I remember how excited I was about this space when we moved in. It has a vaulted ceiling and is the cutest size, but because of other projects that took precedence, this space has been neglected for the four years we've lived here. No more! This is the year of the loft, and I can't wait to share my plans with you soon.
2. Primary Bedroom
Our bedroom will be the first project of 2023. The only thing we've done to this space is paint and decorate, and we've loved the space with just those changes. But I've been dreaming up plans for four years and it's time to finally see this room reach it's potential. I've actually already shared all the plans for our English Country Primary Bedroom Makeover on the blog, but just haven't been able to start executing those plans yet. I'll be wallpapering very soon though...like next week, so stay tuned!
THE DAY WE MOVED IN
AFTER PAINTING AND DECORATING
3. Laundry Room
This will be the most functional project of 2023, as we use and walk through this area multiple times every day. I've already laid the herringbone blue slate tile and started adding beadboard, but there is a lot more to be done. I'm itching to complete it because it is a very necessary space for us, and having it all buttoned up will be a blessing to the whole family. It's crazy to look back and see what this whole area used to look like. We actually added a wall to create a proper hallway and open up the laundry room, which was previously inefficient and poorly designed. I can't wait to reveal this one because the before and after will be pretty dramatic.
I mean, look at this before!
THE DAY WE MOVED IN
AFTER ADDING A WALL, NEW FLOORING, AND DECOR
That door to the left (in the above photo) leads into one big laundry room...well, bigger than it was before. It's hard to tell from my not-so-great before photos, but look at how odd this space was before.
This opening is the exact location of the door that now leads into the laundry room, and the white door in the photo is gone. That whole weird wall with the white door is gone and is all opened up.
All this cabinetry is gone and the whole room has been reconfigured. Now it's just waiting for me to have the time to finish the beadboard, add cabinetry, counters, shelving, and all the pretty stuff.
4. Formal Living Room
Our formal living room is the first room you see when you walk into the house, and it's beautiful as is, but it's one big white box currently. It was a big brown box when we moved in, but we fixed that with Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee. However, it's still pretty void of any real character or coziness, so Jeff and I have been talking about ways we want to remedy that. It's not something I can put a timeline on because it's a huge undertaking involving 20-foot ceilings, adding windows, building a floor-to-ceiling fireplace surround, covering up one half-moon window, and it spills into the entryway and stairwell, making it a complicated space to work on. I wrote a post outlining my plans for this space a few years ago, but the pandemic put a hold on our plans, and I'm sure happy it did because my taste has changed slightly and I'll be drawing up new plans.
THE DAY WE MOVED IN
The dining room you all love so much is off to the left. It was a much easier space to renovate than this formal living room will be, but I'm up to the challenge. It's just going to take time, careful budgeting, and patience on my part because I'll probably need to hire out quite a few things.
Here's how our formal living room has looked for four years...
5. Staircase
The staircase will be, hands down, the most satisfying project of 2023. I painted our banister and spindles black a few years ago, and then busted out the spindles in July of 2021, thinking we would have that part of the renovation done within a few months. It's now 18 months later and we're still living with a janky staircase. The carpet has been replaced with wood flooring, but it's not 100% complete. Our contractor still has to finish the top step, fix some trim, and install the steps leading into the loft. He's been MIA since early November, and I'm just trying to keep a firm grasp on gratitude during this delayed project.
The banister and spindles are my project, but I can't finish those until our contractor finishes his part, so it's all one big first-world frustration that the whole family will be excited to have resolved in the new year. Oh, and our dogs will be happy with the runner we'll have installed at some point.
THE DAY WE MOVED IN
We've enjoyed this space due to the cosmetic improvements we made, but we're excited to see the full potential of this space come to fruition this year. It includes paneling the huge walls in here as well, so that should be a fun project to share.
AFTER COSMETIC IMPROVEMENTS
WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY
6. Odds and Ends
A major accomplishment in 2023 will be to finish up the last 1% of every project I've done so far. It will be so nice to say these spaces are 100% done instead of 99%.
- Case out opening of dining room
- Add threshold to powder room
- Finish skim coating family room and install remaining trim
- Have new carpet installed in girls' bedrooms and ours
- Install closet door in school room/office
It's those pesky little things that I feel so proud of when I complete them because it's easy to do the big stuff that makes a dramatic impact, but completing those last little details is a different animal altogether.
Well, that was fun...for me at least. Last year I didn't get a chance to do a State of the House Address because it was just too hard of a year to even think about planning ahead. We were focused on making it through the seemingly never-ending renovations we had in front of us. But now that the dust has settled, we can begin to dream again and really get after these projects that will help our house feel less stressful and dysfunctional. I'm really looking forward to getting an orderly, peaceful house back in 2023.
Do you like to look ahead at the projects that you'd like to tackle each year or is it too stressful and overwhelming? I remember how difficult it was when we first moved in because the amount of work we wanted to do was daunting. But four years later, I can tell you it's worth pushing through and starting the climb no matter where you're at. You'll get there if you keep at it.
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