While, as many of us do, I view January as a bit of a clean slate, I also think it’s probably one of the worst times of year for me to make concrete goals. I am definitely affected by SAD and the lack of sunlight really wreaks havoc on my mood, energy levels and general disposition during the winter months. So trying to look ahead and get motivated to ‘hustle’ feels like I’m trying to run through treacle. Just getting back to a normal routine after the long Christmas break feels like a colossal effort and so I’ve decided I’m not going to put a huge amount of pressure on myself!

rose pink linen bedding from MADE

Where I’d prefer to spend the rest of my time until Spring.

Spring is certainly a better time to really make a start on goals, don’t you think? The sun is shining, there are buds poking out of the cold, hard ground and things suddenly feel lighter and easier. So for the time being and for the sake of this post, I’m going to just talk about goals that I already had in my head – not necessarily just because it’s a new year but because they are things I’m really looking forward to doing and I feel motivated when I think about them!

All the other big goals can wait for a few months – after all, 1st January is just a construct. It’s a day like any other and goal-setting can and should happen all the time. I’m going to wait to set those big ones (especially those on a more personal and business level) for a couple of months’ time!Β In the meantime, here’s what I am already pretty sure is going to happen in our home… ;)

Living room remodel

living room styling with coffee table and vintage brass shelf

I talked about my plans for our living room towards the end of last year, naively hoping we could start plans on the room before Christmas but from around mid-November, things always get incredibly busy and knowing we would be having people over as well as an increased amount of social engagements, those plans got shelved until after the New Year. This is our next project, however, and having a bit of additional time to think about things means my plans are pretty concrete in my head.

So we’re hoping to have this room finished by Spring. There’s quite a lot to do – from scraping old paint off the walls (a lot of it is flaking off), removing the wallpaper, adding wall panels, painting, updating the fireplace surround and tiles toΒ new flooring and new furniture, we’ve got our work cut out for ourselves. We’ve decided whilst the work is taking place, we’ll probably create a make-shift living room for ourselves in our dining room to take the pressure off.

mid-century sideboard with contemporary lighting

That sideboard is going to be for sale soon!

This means I need to start selling some of my dining room furniture that I had intended on letting go of anyway. So I need to get all that sorted fairly soon. I’m actually pretty damn excited about this. I’m totally over the dark purple colour in the living room at the moment (the colour & wallpaper were the choices of the previous owner, we’ve just lived with them for a while) and driven by my SAD, I just can’t live with the dark colour on the walls for any longer. It’s time for a change!

Kitchen/Dining Room extension

kitchen corner with butcherblock worktops and artwork

I’ve lived with this ugly kitchen far longer than I thought I would! Here’s how I’ve made it liveable for now.

I talked about our plans for the kitchen diner quite a few times here – in fact, it’s been in my head since last February so we’re talking nearly a year now! However, finding a contractor has proven much harder than we’d anticipated. It’s frustrating to be ready to go and just not being able to find someone reputable who responds to phone calls or emails. They come round, seem enthusiastic about the project and then… crickets. I don’t hear from them again. We’ve got someone else coming round later this month so everything is crossed that we like him and he’s happy to take on the project.

In terms of timing, it’s up in the air because I want to wait until we have a few quotes to compare (which has been impossible to get for the above reasons) and find the right person for the job. Once we do find our builder, it’ll depend on their own timing and projects. Of course, we want this all to happen as soon as possible so we’re really hoping we can start this project in the Spring or very early Summer.

Guest bedroom updates

guest bedroom styling grey yellow and green

As much as I love having a dedicated guest bedroom and I’ve done my best to make it a pleasant space for guests, I really want to at least paint the space and get it feeling a bit more styled. At the moment, it feels a bit of a mish-mash of furniture and accessories and I want to create a cohesive theme that marries with the rest of our home. I’m already making plans for this and while the electrics still need updating in that room (we can’t update them until the extension work takes place), I figure I can still get started on things like bedding, curtains and paint colours.

Of course, there are a million and one smaller things I’d love to do as well and probably will do but those are my big three for the house this year! Have you set goals for your own home this year? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear about your plans!


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