Along with setting our own personal goals, and goals as a family, we like to set goals for our home as well–a list of projects if you will. 2021’s project list shifted when we moved but is still fun to look back on. We finished nearly all 8 out of the 9 projects from the list we made when we moved to North Carolina. That one unfinished project is now at the top of our 2022 project list!
1. Installing wallpaper and more in the music room
Rug | Ottoman | Chair | Throw Pillow
We’re installing a 360º mural in here and it’s going to be gorgeous. The lower part of the walls will have chair rail and a substantial wainscoting treatment, that will compliment the already existing crown. Still unsure of what color to paint the wainscoting, but I’m toying with the idea of deep red as a tribute to our last music room. Or a gray blue… I also have plans to hang a show-stopper bubble light in here!
2. Make our backyard plans a reality!
The backyard renderings are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and we cannot wait to see it come to fruition! The digging for the pool has commenced and we’re told we’ll be swimming in 20 weeks! Looking out the window at the Jurassic Park sized mud puddles is a little depressing, but I’m thinking long-term. We hope to be in this home for years to come, and having a pool to play in and lounge around has always been a dream of ours. And now we live in a place that’s actually warm enough for it! We are meeting with a local plant specialist next week to talk all about the local plants we’re going to be bringing in and I can’t wait!
3. Build an upstairs laundry room
This is probably the biggest home project of 2022, and it’s three-fold. Having a laundry room on the second floor is a must for us. I think we got spoiled with our last house, but it’s literally the only thing about the layout of this home that isn’t quite clicking for us. The girls are all on the second-level, and we can’t stop thinking how incredible it would be to have a laundry room on the same floor as all of these clothes that go in and out all week. I wouldn’t mind fitting a small set in our bathroom when we renovate it, too!
The current laundry room is on the main floor, tucked away near the garage entrance (right behind the dining room wall). It’s a small room, that’s not really close to ANY bedroom that we have other plans for. More on that in a minute! To create an upstairs laundry room, we’re taking square-feet from Greta’s bathroom, and the playroom. That bathroom is gigantic, and the playroom is gigantic, and both will lend to a more functional laundry space. You can see from the before picture of the playroom, that door that leads into Greta’s bathroom. We’re hoping to get started on this soon after the music room gets finished!
4. Greta’s bathroom
With the laundry room build-out, Greta’s bathroom will need some reconfiguring. There’s a cluster-F of doors in there right now. First you walk through the door into the bathroom that has two vanities with so many cabinet doors and drawers. There’s a door that leads to the playroom (from the bathroom, yes), a door to get to the toilet and shower, and a door to the linen closet. Too many doors! We’re going to simplify the layout, shrink the square footage and make it more functional for a soon-to-be teenager.
5. Turn the downstairs laundry room into a…
POOL BATHROOM! Accessible from the outside and in, having a bathroom space to use from the pool is going to be an incredible use of space! Our main priorities in this bathroom is to have a toilet, a sink, and we would love to squeeze in a shower if possible. Oh and tons of towel storage is a must!
6. Finish the kitchen
Wood Baskets | Wire Baskets | Clear Canisters | Tiered Stand | Le Creuset
We’ve surrendered the timeline of the kitchen being finished to the arrival of the appliances. Until then, here’s a punch list of all the things that need to be done for the kitchen to officially be completed.
7. Finish the dining room
Art (digital download) | Lantern Fixture | Table | Chairs
The ball is rolling in the dining room! We hung this gorgeous lantern fixture, and I ordered the cutest wooden antique chairs to go in this space. I’ve been unsure if I should do wallpaper in here or just paint, until I looked at these grasscloth Spoonflower wallpaper samples. My heart skipped a beat looking through them all and I’m currently day-dreaming about two. Decisions to make!
8. Phase one in Faye’s room
Rug | Bed | Rabbit Table Lamp | Sheets | Canopy
Faye’s room has sponge paint on the walls. I don’t know exactly what is going to be done in Faye’s room, but we will be painting at the bare minimum and probably swapping her bed for a twin so she has a little more room to spread out. Of course it will be something that goes adorably with the new canopy we got for her bed.
9. Kitchenette in the home office
Table | Office Chairs | Task Lamp | Smeg Fridge | Pebble Ice Maker
Above the guest house there’s a really large open space, and it had a kitchenette in it when we moved in. This is our home office for now, and we decided to put a kitchenette back in–in a more streamlined way. We’re using IKEA cabinets, paired with our line of Semihandmade cabinet fronts! We’re making a trip to Ikea this weekend and hoping we can come back with cabinets!
10. Phase one in our primary bathroom
We really wanted to do a full bathroom renovation this year, but it’s just not in the budget, time-wise or financially. To tide us over until next year, we’re at least painting over the lime green walls, I have a fun plan for the floors and some updated lighting. We’d also love to get a bidet because we’re completely missing ours!
And that’s the 2022 project list! What’s on your list this year!!!
Great post
Consider all the towels you will use at the pool. You will be moving them up and down stairs if your only laundry is on the top floor. Maybe a laundry in the guest house closet if there’s no space on the main house 1st floor,
Happy New Year!! I’m SO excited to follow along as these projects unfold! I get so much inspiration & joy out of all that you share & everything is so darn beautiful:)) Can’t wait!! xo
So exciting! You mention that you’ll be using the open space above the guest house as a home office “for now.” Do you have different long-term plans for your office? So curious : )
We can totally see it as a game room/hang out. Pool table/ foosball, game table. Hopefully a place our kids can hang out with their friends. No plans immediately though
I am still laughing at the cluster f comment! I appreciated that! I am so excited to see what I can learn from you in 2022! Your house is really start ing to reflect your style and that is beautiful to see! Happy new year to you and your family!