2019 Home Goals

Truth be told, I had no idea if I should even write a 2019 Home Goals list given our current circumstances.

I mean, how you do plan home décor and DIY projects for an entire year when you have yet to figure out how you’re going to move a single piece of furniture or hang a heavy mirror by yourself.

Planning Home Goals During Busy Seasons of Life

While things are definitely starting to improve since S’s accident, I know we still have a long way to go.

We’re fully aware this recovery process is going to take months. And should we ever doubt the gravity of the situation, there is a bright red parking permit with a summer expiration date hanging from the rear-view mirror of the car to remind us.

Honestly, it would be really easy to give up on these 2019 Home Goals just for the sake of convenience.

But every time I think about doing that, I hear my Mom repeating one of her favorite quotes, ”You’ll either find an excuse or you’ll find a way,” she used to tell us.

Setting Realistic 2019 Home Goals 

While you might not be able to relate to being a caregiver or having a wheelchair and ramps in your home right now, you’ve likely faced a similar situation where you’ve had to figure out how to make your home goals a reality by yourself or without extra help.

Maybe you don’t have a handy spouse or a side kick bestie to help you with big projects.  Maybe you’re short on cash and you don’t even know where to start.

Maybe you want to redo your entire house and you’re already overwhelmed at all the different ideas on your Pinterest board. Maybe you’re secretly wondering if it’s even worth trying to turn your house into a home you love.

Whatever situation you’re facing right now, I can assure you, you’re in good company when it comes to the, “how am I going to pull this off/do this on my own/afford this/make time for this” part of your big home goal dreams.

I don’t know the answer to some of these questions myself.

I’ve learned over the past few months though, we don’t have to have all the answers.

We just have to have a desire to chase those things that are important to us, big or small, to choose faith over fear and then get started.

So, with that in mind here is a look at our 2019 Home Goals (in no particular order)…

Dining Room Makeover

Last year, we gave the kitchen a makeover and the entry a makeover both of which we still love.  Once those projects were finished, we had planned to give the dining room a makeover too given the dining room basically sits in the middle of those two spaces.

Unfortunately, after S fell, all our projects got put on hold, so I’d like to kick off 2019 by finishing the dining room.

Our plan is to simply paint the walls of the dining room in Valspar’s Bistro White to keep a consistent color palette throughout the house.

We still love the dining room table, the dining room light and the buffet we made from the old fence posts at Loblolly Manor so all of those items will stay.

Eventually, I would love to have a different hutch but for now, this one is still functional.

I plan to paint it in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen, plank the back of the top of the hutch and paint the planks in Valspar’s Du Jour or Ultra White.

I would also love to replace the white chairs currently in the dining room.  They’re in decent shape but not in great shape.

That being said, we need at least 6-8 chairs and as you guys know replacing 8 dining room chairs is going to be expensive.

I’m kind of on the fence about replacing them right now because I can’t decide which chair selection would be the best bang for the buck…upholstered vs slipcovered vs bare wood.

The youngest little will be 4 this year and while they don’t live here, having family friendly fabrics is always something front and center in my mind because hello, #stickyfingers and #slobberykisses!

I’m hoping to get a new rug for the living room (more on that in the next section) so I’d like to use the rug we currently have in the living room in the dining room, hang a fabulous set of antelope print curtains and replace the artwork.

Living Room Makeover

Removing the TV from the living room to create a library style living room was one of my favorite projects of 2018.

Most of the time, I love snuggling up on the couch and reading a good book or visiting with guests without the distraction of a TV in the living room.

But if I’m being totally honest, there are times when the littles visit or when we’re trying to watch a big game event or just want to watch a movie on Friday nights, I wish we had a TV or a movie screen in the living room.

I’ve been bouncing around ideas with my Dad on how we can use the living room as a library and a movie room.

We’re still working out a few kinks but we’re getting close to coming up with a good compromise.

To pull off the living room makeover, we’ll need new chairs, a new rug, new artwork above the mantel, and a set of bookcases that span the length of the living room wall.

We’ll keep the existing couch, end table and coffee table though because they’re all in good shape.

Bedroom Retreat Makeover

Being a caregiver for most of last year has really taught me the importance of carving out space specifically designated for respite.

It’s also made me realize how easily the bedrooms in the house need to change to meet the needs of the people who occupy them and for houseguests too.

A few years ago, we gave one of the bedrooms a neutral makeover and while it worked for a time, the layout has driven me crazy from the beginning.

The room is incredibly difficult to style because one wall houses a small window which is perpendicular to a wall that houses two doors.

If you style the bed next to the window there is no room for a side table which would make the space more functional.

So, you have to style the room like this and when you do, you’re basically staring at an awkward wall and a small window the minute you open the door.

My solution is to make this room into my office and to change the office back to a bedroom.  The only drawback and major point of hesitation is that this bedroom currently has the biggest of the two closets.

As you guys know, closets are everything in small bedrooms and retreat spaces which means this space is going to require very careful planning and consideration.

If I had to create a bedroom retreat space it would be a room filled with white planked walls, the current headboard made from a vintage fireplace mantel, pale pink sheets with layers of soft bedding mixed with a fun bachelor plaid fabric curtains, to use the desk in the office as a nightstand, to keep current French style dressers, add a fresh rug and pull everything together with a fabulous piece of wall art.

Obviously, the needs of the teeny-tiny closet will have to be addressed to make this dream scenario fully functional.

New Office Makeover

I love the current set up of my office, so I would basically just add a wall treatment (possibly board and batten) to the bedroom turned office, keep the bookcases my dad built, continue to use the dresser between the bookcases that holds supplies, keep the rug and the chandelier too.

I would love to get a bigger and more functional desk and find a way to balance the awkward wall with the little window.

Adding another window would be ideal but not possible given the way the hurricane straps are constructed.

That being said, we might be able to create the appearance of another window complete with matching curtains without putting one in then we’d be able to put a comfy settee in the middle of the two windows.

Since the closet in this room is a walk-in closet, there would be plenty of room for extra storage, client materials and an inventory closet as well.

Laundry Room Makeover

Back when I only used the laundry room one or two days a week, it seemed like the space was a great mix of beauty and function.

Now that we’re doing laundry multiple times a week though, I’ve realized it’s not nearly as functional as it could be.

Not only that, we’re probably due for a new washer and dryer this year too.

We have very different ideas about how the laundry room should look and how to make it more functional as well.

One idea involves getting rid of the pedestals under both machines to create a permanent folding station and installing cabinets above the washer and dryer.

Obviously, this idea would hinge on whether we get front end loaders or a top loading washing machine.

The other idea involves keeping our current set up and switching out the folding station we’re using now for an armoire style folding station that we could also use as a functional storage.

Back Patio Makeover

We’ve had this space on our to-do list for two years now!

In fact, we were supposed to give the back patio a makeover for the Spring One Room Challenge, but S wound up having a completely different surgery in May, so it just wasn’t possible.

Given you can see this area from the kitchen, the breakfast nook and the living room we would love to make this outdoor living space an extension of our indoor living spaces.

We plan to…

• repair, paint and stencil the patio slab
• add couches and outdoor rugs to create seating areas
• add flower and vegetable boxes around the perimeter
• create additional seating around the firepit
• relocate the farmhouse style dining room table closer to the firepit making it easier to grill out and cook everything from pizzas to smores.

This would be a huge undertaking, so it will probably have to be completed in phases.

Also, everyone LOVES the porch swing so we’re trying to find a way to work another one into the mix.

Garage Makeover

This is another space that we will have to take in phases.  Our garage is a total and complete mess. I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat it.

The garage is so bad I hate to even lift the door to access tools and other things even in front of my family.

Our ultimate goal is to make the space a completely functional workshop but in order for that to happen, we’re going to have to start decluttering one bag and bin at a time.

It’s just that simple.

My dreams for the garage are so big and overwhelming I’m almost afraid to put them down on paper.

I know little by little dreams start taking shape when you take daily action on them which is why I’m starting by decluttering all our Christmas decorations.

Progress Not Perfection

As with all goals, dreams and diy projects for that matter, I’m sure our 2019 Home Goals list will grow and change during the year.  I’m excited to see what we will accomplish though.

I’ll keep you guys posted.

If you’re still on the fence about making 2019 home goals, keep in mind, you don’t have to have all the answers figured out right this minute.  You just have to choose faith over fear and get started!

Are you ready to make 2019 Home Goals yet? We’d love to hear the ideas you’re most excited about!

Take a Look at Our Other Popular Posts of 2019:

• Top Ten Posts of 2019
• 2019 Word of the Year
• Our Favorite One Room Challenge Makeover Posts 

Many blessings,

CoCo