It's a new year; the time for resolutions and reinventions but for a lot of us it can also be a time of disappointment and regret. Goals unmet, promises broken, and the coming year can leave us feeling intimidated and overwhelmed. The pressure we put on ourselves can be brutal and while there is nothing wrong with self improvement, being happy where we're at while still pushing forward is a far more important objective. Bloom where you grow I always say.
Sometimes we need to make huge life changes that transform us in big, dramatic leaps but far more often it's the little steps we take everyday the redefine who we are. This is true for our hearts, our bodies, and our homes.
We are likely selling our home in the next few months (possibly this month), so I have been going through the house looking for little ways to upgrade neglected spaces that will add value without costing me much time or money. When we bought the home we did the big stuff right away; new paint and lighting in every room, new kitchen counters, new flooring, painted the cabinets, updated hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms, and throughout the two and a half years we've been here I've done a million other things both big and small. But the time to put in hard work is over at this house, now we're getting ready to move on and start again in a new place which I couldn't be more excite about. I can't go very long without a project however and I truly believe that the little touches here and there are often what matter most.
With all that said, I have a couple of before and afters for you today that are great examples of how you can really upgrade a space with minimal effort and cost.
The first area is a small closet that is inside the walk-in closet of our primary bedroom where I hang my dresses. I have done major build outs in all the other closets of the house but had very much neglected my own (typical). I had big plans for it at one point but now I just wanted an easy update that would appeal to any buyer.
Here is the before:
Not the worst thing in the world but I despise these wire rack shelves and there's certainly nothing interesting about it.
I decided a deeper shelf with a nice wood trim would suffice with the clothing bar sort of hidden underneath. Luckily I had all the supplies I needed and I didn't spend a dime for this project. I used a large MDF drop that was left over from building out my daughter's closet a few months ago and a piece of the White Oak board given to me by a woodworker by husband knows. I also had plenty of random trim pieces on hand for the cleats as well as
the rod holders, paint, and stain. I know most people don't keep all this stuff lying around but if I had to buy everything I think this project would cost well under $100, especially if you used a regular pine board instead of the White Oak which would have cost at least $40 by itself.
So here is the after:
A simple change that makes the place I keep my most special clothes a little more special.
The next project was a little more involved though not much. The area over my toilet was pretty meh and just felt like a missed opportunity for some visual interest. The pressed flower frames are nice but there was a lot of negative space on the wall and at this angle they always reflect the light from the window so you basically can't even see them. Also because the flush buttons are on the top of the tank I couldn't add anything there which I am usually a fan of doing.
The before:
I decided to add two live edge cedar shelves with some art and a plant which is a combination that can pretty much never go wrong in my house. The only difficult part of this project was cutting through the really thick planks, which was a struggle for my old chop saw, and the mind-numbing amount of sanding I had to do on the rough wood. I got through it though and the results were really lovely shelves. Cedar is best left unsealed so I just finished the wood with some boiled linseed oil. The brackets were left over from another project but I spray painted them black to match the frames and of course all the CULT products I have in the bathroom. Then I added a print from an Asheville artist I love Brian Mashburn, another print that my son and I made from a tree stump, a CULT candle in White Light, a Golden Pothos and some easy to reach toilet paper.
Here is the result:
Now again, I spent $0 on this as it was all things I already had but brackets are pretty inexpensive these days and you can often find live edge boards on FB marketplace for a reasonable price though plain white pine boards with a nice stain can look great as well.
Home improvement doesn't have to cost a fortune and it doesn't even have to take a lot of hard work. As with everything, the effort you make in one area can ripple outward to touch every part of your life. And if you feel intimidated or overwhelmed, just start small.