I just finished uploading all the photos for this post, and I am already second-guessing our ambitions for this year--especially since I have to take it easy (doctor's orders) these next 3 months and then we'll have a newborn and then...?? And then apparently we'll be tackling the staircase, that's what!
As "fun" as it is to read recap after recap of what every blog has done over the past year (hey--we're guilty, too), we love to look forward and plan/predict the big projects we'll tackle in the year to come. It gets us excited, is fun to look back on at the end of the year and gives you something to look forward to as well. Let's dive in and spill the goods about what is to come:
1. Picture me wincing while whispering, the floors. In the first quarter of this year, before baby girl gets here in April, we'll be tearing up all the tile and carpet on the 1st floor (all 1700 square feet!) and laying new flooring. It will be messy and hard and time-consuming and it will be absolutely worth it. We just keep saying that--It will be worth it!
The carpet is all in horrible shape and while the tile isn't our style, it's also configured around elements we will be removing/moving, like the pantry and kitchen island--so it has got to go too. We are giving ourselves a conservative 3 months for this project (crossing our fingers we can get it done faster!) and will be starting in the next week or so. We're waiting on 2 more samples to arrive before we share our direction.
2. The nursery, of course! The nursery is on the first floor and will be receiving the same new flooring treatment as the rest of the square footage surrounding it, but also, you know, other decor. It's a very blank slate after its recent paint job, but I just ordered an area rug today as a sort of jumping board for the rest of the room and will share a mood board, soon!
3. Greta's room is also on our list this year. So far, we have plopped her bed in place. Her room is downstairs and although it desperately needs new carpet, too--we are just not sure it is in the cards this year. That won't stop us from sprucing the rest of the room up and injecting her personality into it. She has been through a lot lately and we want to make sure she has a special place just for her.
4. Call it the year of the bedrooms if you must, but our room is getting some attention this year, too! We've never done a proper full makeover on our bedroom--ever. We need that. A sort of sanctuary to come to at the end of the day. I think everyone needs that, right? Our room (like so many others, I'm sure) is always last on the list, so knocking it out our first year here seems like a good idea to us. We like our nightstands and mattress, but pretty much everything else will go. So say your goodbyes to the bed and pathetic, old bedding. Ha!
5. We. can. not. WAIT. to tackle the lighting (and lack thereof) in the great room. This will most likely be a first quarter project as well. The fluorescents in the kitchen, bad but also off-centered dining chandelier and outdated and low ceiling fan in the living area are all getting the boot. We'll be adding recessed lighting throughout the space, with room for a new fixture in the dining room as well as some pendants in the kitchen (when the time comes). We tackled recessed lighting ourselves in our last home's family room, but are really thrilled we'll have attic access to work in this time around. Really. Can't wait.
6. When we painted the great room, we didn't extend the paint into the adjoining staircase because it required a little more effort. For starters, a ladder at scary angles. But also, the removal of some awkward accent-wall wainscoting? We want to tear that down, paint the whole thing, add a new chandelier and hundreds of family photos. Or a few large pieces of art? We'll see.
7. Add a fireplace in the living room. Hanging our fauxdenza in the living room was always a sort of placeholder until we figured out how to put a fireplace on that wall. And, well, we figured it out. Now we are just gathering ideas for the actual look we want to go for before we pull that project plug.
8. And lastly, by the end of the year, we want to have a plan in place for a kitchen remodel in the beginning of 2015. Our kitchen is a good size and has a lot of potential, we think, but the current layout just isn't working for any of us. The pantry is in the dining room. The island is large, but an odd shape (we'll actually be tearing that out before we do the floors). And the appliances are sadly on their last leg--here's hoping they can hold on just a little longer! Our last kitchen took us several months to plan so putting the planning on the calendar this year will hopefully give us a good start into an actual renovation next year.
So those are 8 projects you can look for and forward to in 2014. Each one we're excited about. Some, we're just anxious to get done (floors!) while others, we're truly looking forward to the process--three bedrooms in one year just sounds like the best year ever.
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[…] have made it a tradition around here to make a post in the first week of the year about what projects we’d like to get done over the course of the year. They are our very […]
[…] wet by the window, too. But replacing all that is nothing. We’re just moving her room up our to-do list for this year. However, our neighbors weren’t so […]
I just discovered your blog (how is this possible!?) and I am in love with it! I am super excited to see what is coming for your house and I will probably reading your archives for days! I'm especially excited to see what you do with those tile floors...I'm pretty sure we have the EXACT same ones at our new house and I can't stand them. I want to rip them out right this second!!
Following you on Instagram now as well just to complete the stalker-ish obsession! ha!
Have a great day!
Amber @ Averie Lane
ps. fellow Idaho Blogger too!
Hello. We just closed on our first home and I am struggling with the family room layout. Our open kitchen, dining and family room space is similar to yours (but flipped). I remembered this post and your plans for a fireplace in 2014. Once the fp is complete where will you put your tv? Everyone has suggested above the fp (my initial thought too) but after reading up on it, it doesn't seem like the best choice.
How exciting for you! We are actually planning to put our tv above our fireplace, actually.
We're planning on moving into a new home and have our second baby on the way come June and we're just about on the same design track. Definitely tackling our floors first and foremost. I learned from our first kid that life gets put on hold those first few months the baby is born so I'm squeezing in as much as I can before the baby comes---I'm sure you guys feel the same way! I already love your living room. Can't wait to see it evolve : ] Happy new year, Julia!
Yay! I'm looking forward to all of these projects. I love when bloggers share what they're planning so I can think about what id do first and build up excitement.t to see what they do. 2014 looks like an exciting year for your family!
What a great list of projects and plans for the new year! I can't wait to see the new flooring and things!
Good luck with all of your plans! I'm sure whatever you complete will be beautiful.
Yay - excited for all your plans! I am thinking about our kitchen remodel now and have given myself a few months (after years of fake dreaming about it) to really get plans in place - glad to hear I am not the only one that needs that kind of time to make up my mind on it! And a word to the wise on tile removal - it is a messy and occasionally bloody job. Last time I removed a huge room of it small shards of tile got everywhere, cutting up my hands - wear protection! :)
Oy. Can't wait??
Can't wait to see what you guys have come up with! Especially adding a fireplace. I have dreams of adding one to our house, but I am not sure how that would work out. So, I'm excited to see what you came up with!
Good luck! Neat that you guys decided to look ahead too! Good luck with the floors - we removed tile and carpet downstairs and few years back. Let's just say, we were happy to contract it out. Removing tile is not for the faint of heart.
We'd love to hire out the tile removal! Do you remember how much you paid? Maybe I'll call around.
Your floors remind of me what I've been thinking about with all of our yard work. On Monday I dug out well over 100 pavers (for the second time in under 2 weeks). As I continued to crow bar and haul them to a pile for someone else, I kept telling myself, "this will be beautiful in the end. It might take time, it might be painful. Tomorrow is a rest day. Just do it."
The next morning my hub looked at me and said, "it's beautiful, babe. Thank you for your hard work and dedication."
So awesome. Congrats Wendy! That sounds like a ton of work! Every project that we've poured ourselves into has been worth it, so we're confident we'll be happy in 3 months. :)
Very cool!! Have you guys thought about going (even more) crazy and vaulting the ceiling in the great room/kitchen area? It would really accent the fireplace plans.
Ugh. EVERY DAY!!! That was our original plan when we first moved in, but with the way the roof and ceiling beams are, we were told it would require replacing our entire roof, unfortunately. So we're going to do the best we can with our non-vaulted ceiling.
Man that view into your reading room never fails to make me swoon! Can't wait to see it with the new floors. Love your style and excited to see the rooms evolve this year.
Ambitious plans, but sounds like the results will be really cool (and worth it!). I'm interested to see how your flooring turns out - I'm sure it will look great. We're in the process of planning our 2014 house projects as well - we've got a huge wishlist that needs some serious editing...