2022 Project Recap, 2023 Plans
/Before and Afters of 2022
When you’re always working on a home project, sometimes it feels like you never actually accomplished anything. That’s why I like to pause at the beginning of each year and reflect on the projects we tackled the previous year to get some perspective. This is that post!
Giant, Expensive, Low-Visual Impact Projects
Last year we had two big home projects that we talked very little about - replacing all the windows throughout the house and getting a new roof.
While we don’t regret moving forward with either of these projects (energy efficiency, anyone?), they weren’t exactly blog or social media-worthy content. Windows aren’t that exciting in itself. And since we have a flat roof that you can’t even see, the new roof adventure would have been pretty underwhelming to share too. While we tackled these updates quietly, if you have questions about something related to either of these projects feel free to ask!
Now on to the much more visually exciting projects…
Toddler Bedroom Makeover
After nearly three years of living in this house, our younger daughter’s room finally got a makeover! I loved getting the chance to try out a new design concept in this space and I’m really happy with how her “dipped” room turned out. It’s so much brighter and more cheerful from where it started!
Upstairs Laundry Room Renovation
This was my first year taking part in the One Room Challenge, and it was a blast! I decided to finally finish my laundry room. I loved sharing weekly updates and trying some new techniques. I really pushed myself with this project and gained a lot of confidence doing things I didn’t believe I could do on my own.
Plus, I got a pretty sweet laundry room out of it!
Loft/Bonus Room Overhaul
We started our loft renovation on a whim late in 2021. By the end of the year, we had gutted the room and hung new drywall. In 2022 we really made the space come to life with new floors, paint, and tons of finishing touches.
And while there are still little changes I’d like to make throughout the room (heck, since this picture was taken, we’ve already fixed the ceiling and swapped out the table!), it’s safe to say it’s mostly complete - especially the kitchenette!
Partial Progress: Mudroom
We haven’t talked (or shown) much about the mudroom over the last year, but some changes have actually happened in there. This is where it started:
This is where we left off last summer after we removed the staircase (temporarily!) and the closet:
And here’s where we are today:
The wallpaper is no more! And when we had the laundry room drywalled, we went ahead and had the drywall finished in this room at the same time.
While the space obviously isn’t in its finished state, we’re ever so slowly heading in the right direction. Once we’re ready to officially work on this room, I’ll be sure to share all the steps along the way! I have PLANS (peep the paint samples I’ve been testing on the wall).
Looking Ahead
I usually take the time to write a separate post about our project plans for the new year, but this year is a little different. If you’ve been following along on Facebook and Instagram, you might already know that I quit my day job!
I'm excited, terrified, grateful, anxious, and so many more emotions all wrapped into one. At this point, I’m not really sure what my home improvement goals will look like this year. But I do have some other goals for this year…
I'm really looking forward to slowing down next year and taking my time to learn new skills without leaning on Lucius to help (but I’m admittedly a little nervous too!). I'm so excited to not feel rushed to pack everything into the weekend because now I’ll have time during the week to work on projects!
What's interesting is that with my new work/life balance, slowing down is actually going to mean better and more frequent content for you! Plus, it won't be so disjointed, which makes my type-A brain very content.
I'm SO looking forward to learning how to relax and spend the weekends with my kids and with friends. I can't wait to practice being in the present moment instead of always planning 5 steps ahead.
All that being said, there are, of course, projects I’ve been giving the side-eye recently:
Tying up loose ends
Last year I officially declared 2022 the year of getting ish done! Which meant leaving the 95% club.
Have you ever heard anyone talk about being in the 95% club? If you're not familiar with DIY, that's where you get 95% done in a room and move on without finishing the last piece.
We have several rooms that have just that little 5% before we can call them complete, and I would LOVE to stop noticing all the loose ends around the house - a piece of trim here, some paint that needs to be touched up there. Finishing these small tasks will feel just like crossing something off a list, which is oh so satisfying.
Loose Plans
I'm resisting the anxious thoughts that are telling me to plan all my projects for the next year out right now, but it’s a struggle!
I have to be honest, I don't entirely believe in my own abilities. I want so badly to build out the mudroom of my dreams and finally finish my closet, but I don't feel confident that I can do those projects on my own just yet.
To ease myself into those projects, I'll probably be starting with something smaller like renovating the old laundry room into a functional storage closet (it’s a wreck!) or building out Lucius' closet (which is pretty pathetic right now).
I'm also looking forward to flipping some furniture and spending time painting pictures instead of just walls. Oh, and we may or may not have some other properties we've purchased that I'll be working on…
Keep following along to see all that I have in store for this year!
