Every year, I share the projects I’d like to do in the year ahead. Last year, with a new baby, I kept it light and… didn’t even keep up with that very short list! After shelter-in-place began and I saw how we were living and working from home, I wrote about what I wished we had done by that point here. With all that in mind, I’m aiming for smaller, doable projects that shouldn’t cost much money that I can do myself, and tacking on a very short wish list of bigger renovations if we can budget for them. Here’s my list of 2021 projects.

Our home office

At this point, it’s kind of a running joke on this blog about how I want to update the office to make it more of a full library/work space/guest room. It already is all of that but it’s a hot mess.

While I’d love to fully redo this room – including getting all new shelving that is more custom for this space and hire an electrician to swap out the overhead light – I’m going to keep the project list affordable:

1. Add and rearrange shelving to accommodate as much of our stuff as possible.
2. Get a new desk since ours is sagging in the middle (it’s more than 10 years old and has gotten a lot of use this past decade).
3. Add plug-in lighting so we can see all of our files and books better.
4. Maybe get a new rug and update the window treatments.

Main bedroom

Generally, I like this room.  I’d love to repaint it and hire an electrician to swap out the overhead light, but, as it is, the room is pretty good. We still however don’t have closet doors and there are a few other upgrades I’d like to make. First, to catch up on the main bedroom, here is a story on our closet and here is a story about closet doors. And this is what I’d like to do in this year:

1. Replace our bed – Daniel got it before we met and I’ve never loved it – with a super simple wood frame and then DIY a headboard (I already have an idea that I will share if I actually do this).
2. Get better Roman shades or roller shades.
3. Install closet curtains instead of doors, and I have what I think is a cool idea.
4. Maybe get a new rug and add lighting to one dark corner.

And now for the wish list. I’m pretty sure we won’t get to these at all but would LOVE it if we could afford any of these, especially the biggie:

1. Hire out getting a new front porch (most of the wood flooring is fine but the wood railing is falling apart).
2. Get a new front door, one that lets in more light and is a bit more modern like our back door.
3. Start talking to general contractors about renovating our kitchen/first floor. This will, obviously, be huge in many ways, and we aren’t in a position to actually renovate our kitchen this year. BUT! We may be in a position to renovate it next year so it would be helpful if we could at least start conversations with potential contractors before the end of 2021.

There it is, my list of 2021 projects. Will any of them happen? We shall see! But at least I have some expert advice on how to get kick started on some DIYs, no matter how big or small (see last post for reference). Anyway, stick with me and see if I actually achieve any of these this year!