Where to Start
…when everything seems like a priority. As we plan out the last few bits of our initial little renovation (and look at the total we’ve spent), I feel overwhelmed by all that is left to do. I know in my mind that we have forever, but I also feel like I’m bursting at the seams with ideas and the desire to be settled.
We finally decided to sell our house and move just before my birthday this year (January 10th) and from that point forward we have been in state of house transition- decluttering and staging, selling and donating, moving into our furnished rental and going through the agonizing process that is house hunting in 2023. It’s been a long time since I felt like I live a house that feels like mine.
At the same time, the truth is that we cannot do everything at once while maintaining our self-imposed financial boundaries. Nothing we could buy is worth the peace of mind that we’d lose by dipping into our savings to furnish the whole house (exactly the way we want it) at once. I also simply do not have the mental bandwidth to make thoughtful decisions for every part of our house at once. Slow and steady will be the name of the game.
With that in mind, these are projects I’d like to focus on first:
Unpacking and another round of decluttering of our stuff. Just having our things again- our furniture, art, MY KING SIZED BED- is going to feel like a luxury. I also want to be brutal in deciding what stays as I sift through boxes and blue bags that I packed away nearly 9 months ago. I was pretty discerning while packing but I am certain I can do even better. We’ve lived without so much of this stuff for a long time and I’d love to settle in with a clean slate.
Optimize what we’ve got and sell or donate the rest. In the same vein as #1, I want to see what of our existing furniture works, and what is better to sell or donate. At a minimum I know I have some furniture and a beautiful runner that will need to find a new home. There’s also another less fun task here- the previous owners left items behind in the shed and other storage closets. We need to clear those areas out.
Window coverings. We need them- so many of our windows don’t even have cheap shades and well… we are not that far from the neighbors or the street and privacy is important. Although I need a quick fix, I ideally don’t want to waste time and money on short term solutions. If I buy and install shades, I’d really like them to be the shades we keep for a while rather than something we replace down the line. Maybe I’ll hold off on the curtains until I’m farther along with the design? It’s also worth noting I have no idea what I’m doing in this area. Our last house had plantation shutters and radiators under nearly every window so I avoided adding any sort of drapery. I’m excited to learn but truth be told, I can’t even really articulate what I like yet, so I’ve got some research to do.
Plant our front garden. Fall planting season is upon us! With the exterior painting and new picket fence, there’s going to be a “classic cottage” vibe going on and I’m really going to lean into that. I’d love to finalize a garden plan and plant some of my “anchor” shrubs and trees so that we can enjoy them for years to come. We’ll also need to paint the fence!
Get our living spaces ready for guests. Even if I don’t have my dream Coley Home swivel seats in the living room on day one, I want to have space for friends and family to sit and be comfortable in our main living spaces. This will mean figuring out seating in the living room, bar stools in the kitchen, some outdoor furniture, and maybe a small eat-in area in the kitchen.
Make the playroom a place my kids love. Our children have been troopers in a year full of change and stressed parents. I am so excited to give them two (!) special play areas in this house. I am largely planning to use what we have for their spaces, with the potential addition of some better toy organization and two cork boards to display their artwork.
Enjoy our new home and neighborhood. As someone who feels like they always need to being DOING, I need to remind myself to stop and focus on the (many!) great things that are already there. We somehow managed to buy in a truly charming and walkable neighborhood, and I don’t want to be slogging away on a project every night and weekend instead of exploring the area. Adjusting to a new home is also something that’s going to take time and energy and I want to leave space for that.
