Remember this post? Guess how much DIY we’ve done since then?
Absolutely none.
Ok, we may have tweaked the gallery wall in the living room and we did give our decking a good clean, but that’s it. Beyond picking paint colours, we’re yet to make a start on any of the big projects we hope to complete in 2015.
Having already invited my family to stay this Christmas, we really need to get cracking. Sleeping arrangements could be tricky if we fail to make the guest bedroom habitable before the festivities begin. Our self-imposed deadline might be months away, but we’ll have to fit projects in around family life and a busy freelance schedule. We’d also quite like to take a holiday this year!
In an effort to make ourselves a little more accountable, I thought I’d share our decorating goals here on the blog. Some tasks will be easy to tick off, others require a great deal of time and attention. Take a look here and here to see what the house looked like when we first moved in.
There are three main areas we intend to tackle this year; the kitchen, our master bedroom and the attic office/guest bedroom. No doubt a few smaller projects will creep in along the way too.
Kitchen
- Remove the weird stainless steel splashback behind the stove and replace with tiles throughout. I’d like to outsource this task, but Mr L.A. isn’t convinced.
- Paint the walls and woodwork.
- Add some art.
- Add some attractive storage to the countertops.
- Replace the oven. Unlikely to happen this year, but a girl can dream.
Master Bedroom
- Remove the defunct radiator from below the bay window.
- Remove the grotty carpet before calling in the professionals to sand and finish the floorboards beneath.
- Paint the walls and woodwork.
- Remove the ugly, broken blinds and replace with new window treatments.
- Source the perfect vintage chest of drawers for the small alcove. The larger alcove will eventually house a bespoke wardrobe, but we probably won’t be able to afford this until next year. In the meantime, the issue of clothes storage will continue to drive me gradually insane.
- Purchase a new bed, mattress, duvet and pillows.
- Replace our bedside tables and lamps.
- Change the overhead light.
- Begin adding art and accessories.
Attic Office/Guest Bedroom
- Paint the walls and woodwork.
- Purchase half of Ikea in order to furnish the room. We’ll need a sofa bed, two desks and as much storage as I can squeeze in.
- Finally sort through the boxes and bags we dumped up there when we first moved in 18 months ago.
- Try to make it as welcoming as we can for as little money as possible.
Bits and Bobs
- Replace our rickety dining chairs.
- Add a few outdoor accessories in the yarden.
- Purchase a small bookcase for Izzy. Alternatively, buy fewer books. {Unlikely}.
- Find a rug for Jesse’s bedroom.
It’s unlikely we’ll ‘finish’ any of the rooms we tackle this year, but we’d like them to be a little closer to ‘done’ before 2016 rolls around! Are you taking on any big DIY projects this year? Do you think our to-do list is achievable?
Love Audrey xxx
I think loads of it sounds achievable – certainly the smaller touches you’ve mentioned! It’s such a ‘mare when you write it all down like that though… I mean, our flat is a new build so doesn’t need much doing to it but we still have such a big list for such a teeny household! I’m desperate to get a new bed as ours is 4 foot and there’s a fine line between snuggling together and being cramped haha…
We also still haven’t sorted our spare room, it has boxes that haven’t been touched in 2 years, and I’d love a new sofa and a rug for the living room… This is the year I’ve finally started to feel like I’m nesting, I’ve already moved our room around, we’ve got proper curtains and stuff now too! Haha!
Wishing you luck with your list and I’m looking forward to any updates 🙂 xx
Breaking it down into a list definitely makes it look and feel like a lot of work! I find with DIY that it’s all the extra jobs that take the most time. Clearing a room so you can paint it, sourcing all the right tools and materials… it goes on and on! Hopefully we’ll make good progress.
Wonderful that you’re in nesting mode. Maybe it’s the wedding? Marriage makes a home feel even more important I think.
xxx
I’m squinting at the paint pot trying to see the colour! Just ordered ‘clock face’ for our living room having just decided to leave the kitchen knock through another year or two and tackle the living room. (New floor, repaint, maybe stove, new bookshelves)
I think your list is a wee bit ambitious maybe – I would probably concentrate on just your room and the attic room (& the bits and bobs!) The kitchen sounds like one of those jobs which sounds relatively small but could take over – can you live with it until 2016?
It’s either a tin of Shirting which we’ve used on woodwork throughout the house or it’s Gauze Mid from the children’s bedrooms. I love Little Greene paint and Clock Face looks very pretty indeed.
I think you might be right about the kitchen, which is why I’d like to get someone in to do the tiling. While we could definitely paint it over a single weekend, we’ve never tiled before so it might be tricky! Either way, I think it’s bottom of the list in terms of priority. The bedrooms will definitely come first.
Good luck with your living room!
xxx
I feel your pain Franky! I’m currently sitting in a house with the plaster in our hallway missing, our front wall back to bare brick before it’s re-rendered, disgusting pebble dash on the front, oh and The Somme as my backyard. It just so happens that we’re time and cash poor at the moment because we’ve got this tiny little thing coming up in August. Oh yeah, a wedding! It seems like the list never ends! But occasionally, as you strike a job off the list, you get that moment of true satisfaction of a job well done. That’s the best bit.
I know exactly what you mean. Even the small jobs feel like a big deal when you’re working through such an enormous list.
You’ve definitely got your hands full planning a wedding on top of house renovation! You should enjoy the process as much as possible. The house will still be there once you’ve said ‘I do’, but you only get one wedding day!
xxx
lovely blog! 🙂 love the layout!
please visit mine just starting 🙂
http://enjoybypaula.wordpress.com
xx
It’s so great that you’ve made a to do list, I always write one up but rarely tend to follow it through. Seems you have quite a bit to do as well, I’m in the process of redecorating the master bedroom, so far I’ve had the walls painted, I’ve ordered a bed from http://www.decur.co.uk and i’m now deciding whether I want floorboards or carpet…best of luck to you!