Wow, what a year 2022 was! Feels like it went too fast, and in some ways not fast enough. I certainly had my ups and downs, but overall I feel like it taught me a lot both, professionally and from a personal perspective. I didn’t have as much time and energy as I would have liked to devote to our house projects. I’m really hoping I can change that this year. I got a new diary which will hopefully take my organisational skills to a whole new level. I had a pretty clear vision of what my ‘decorating calendar’ would look like for 2023 but of course, new things have cropped up that need immediate attention. We discovered a big leak in our lovely dining room just before Christmas and now it seems we have leaks all over the house (deep breaths..). I’ll share more about this soon and will document the progress as always.
But I’m not letting this get in the way of my plans for 2023. I think this year will be all about mini-makeovers and a few bigger ones too. And I’m not setting any deadlines this time. That’s way too stressful with everything else that’s going on in our house right now. I am fully going to embrace slow decorating which is all about living in the house first and letting your home evolve over time. And most importantly trust my intuition which has never let me down so far (touch wood!).
FINISH FIREPLACE ROOM RENO
This room makeover has turned into the longest ever. Our extension in the old house was finished faster than this project. And no, I’m not joking! But I firmly believe good things take time. I’m determined to make this room everything I’ve dreamed of. It’s the one room in the house I never go in and that will change very soon. I’m refusing to cut corners or settle for anything. It’s taken me a while to decide on the paint colour but I think I have found it. We had unexpected delays due to lead times on materials. Everything has been more expensive and has taken longer. But that’s just the world we live in right now. Luckily things seem to be picking up again, which is promising.
MEDIA WALL
I’d love to install a media wall in our fireplace room. This room will serve a dual purpose and I want to make the big TV blend in as much as possible. This is technically part of the fireplace room reno but I’ve put it separately as it really is a project on its own. I’ve been flip-flopping about what type of wall I want here (concrete effect or wood) and until I have that narrowed down there is no point in getting quotes. Lots of companies are doing media wall installation these days, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find one. I’m definitely leaning towards wood but I still need to decide whether I want it to cover the whole wall or just part of the wall. Ah, these things are never easy, are they?
SORT OUT MY DAUGHTER’S BEDROOM STORAGE
My youngest daughter’s bedroom has very little storage at the moment. When we moved in it had none so I panicked and bought a standard-size wardrobe and chest. Big mistake! It’s way too small and flimsy for a kid’s room. I wish I had asked for a quote from a carpenter to build a built-in wardrobe, like in our other bedroom. It’s so much bigger and cleverly designed (space-saving in mind). She also needs a new desk and a bigger bed, which I will need to take into account when planning the space.
MY ELDEST DAUGHTER’S BEDROOM MINI MAKE-OVER
My eldest daughter is growing up and is quite vocal about what she wants these days. She has been asking for a room makeover for months and has even created her own mood board. I think it’s wonderful when children get old enough to want to get involved in decorating. They spend so much time in their rooms that their bedroom should reflect their personality. My only advice as a parent would be to think long-term (kids won’t) and you don’t want to be changing the wallpaper every year. I’m actually quite looking forward to this one as it will be my first ‘collaboration’ with my daughter.
EN-SUITE STORAGE
We do seem to be lacking storage space in this house. Although our en-suite was fully modernised and refurbished 10 years ago, it is totally lacking storage. Maybe that’s just me being high maintenance but I don’t know how the previous owners managed with such a minimalist bathroom. It needs shelving and a proper vanity unit. But I don’t like putting shelves on tiled walls unless I am absolutely sure that they will stay there. I quite like the idea of glass bathroom shelves that display your favourite products (and maybe a few baskets to hide the less aesthetic clutter).
BUY MORE SUSTAINABLY
I’m trying to do little things to decorate the house more sustainably. That means using natural and recycled materials when possible and buying from ethically conscious brands. I’ll be also upcycling old items and investing in quality furniture and homewares that last. I have been quite short-sighted in the past and learned my lesson. If you want to buy long-lasting and well-built furniture it will come at a price. But that doesn’t that you should blow your entire budget on brand-new items. Buy second-hand, shop on eBay, and visit charity shops and antique markets for real bargains. You’d be surprised how many designer pieces end up there that are just waiting for you to give them a new lease of life. A bit of paint can do wonders and I even discovered a sofa makeover that used upholstery paint on Living etc. I haven’t tested this myself so I have no idea what the result is like, but what a fab idea, right?
Have you made a plan for the new year yet?
