2021 Renovation Project Superlatives
I know we’re barely into the new year—and it’s typically a time for making resolutions about the coming months—but before we get too far into “what’s happening next” territory, I want to pause, reflect, and appreciate all that we accomplished in and around our home during the year 2021. We completed a surprising amount of projects last year on top of growing and giving birth to the newest member of our family. Some went exactly as planned, some turned out better than we imagined, and some kind of flopped. To help explain, I’ve assigned each project from the year a superlative, à la high school. So without further ado, I present to you the graduating class of 2021 Renovation Projects!
BEST DRESSED: FIREPLACE
This project had the most notable pivot — 180 degrees from dirty, crumbling brick to crisp & clean white. It’s something you can see from almost anywhere in the main living area, and it really changes the look of the entire space.
MOST ATHLETIC: KITCHEN
Where the fireplace is something nice to look at but rarely gets touched at all, the kitchen is easily the hardest working room in the house, so this renovation is regularly put through the ringer. It hands-down gets the most physical use — doors and drawers opened and closed, spilled on, touched, wiped off, etc. — and it’s still looking as great as the day we finished. Keep it up, kitchen, you’re doing great.
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: OSCAR’S ROOM
This renovation added the most value to our house (an additional bedroom is never a bad thing), and it made the biggest impact for us in terms of daily function. Oscar has his own space that’s near enough to make night wakings easier, but isolated enough to get good sleep, be it day or night. And no one has to share a room or move into the downstairs bedroom alone!
LEAST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: LANDSCAPING
This little front yard “island” was physically the hardest, longest-term project, and also yielded the briefest reward. We left it mulched and pristine, weeded to perfection and hopeful for a spring of adding beautiful plants. Cut to today, mid-winter, and the mulch is barely visible under a thick bed of apparently winter-resistent weeds. Cool.
CLASS CLOWN: LOFT
This project was the most fun to work on, and is the most fun to use now that it’s finished. Other than renting a carpet stretcher, it didn’t require the use of power tools, and was easy enough that I didn’t need Jason’s help much which meant I could easily sneak progress in here and there during nights or on weekends while he took care of the kids.
TEACHER’S PET: MAIN BATH VANITY
This was such a small, easy project that I almost forgot we did it, but it makes such a difference in my mood to see a more beautiful space first thing in the morning and last thing at night. A quick coat of paint and swapping the fixtures makes this feel like a small luxury and gives me fancy-hotel-bath vibes.
BEST EYES: DECK
A clean, pressure-washed deck makes such a big difference in how our house looks on the outside, and it satisfied (slightly) the itch to update our exterior. This project was long and messy, but I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve gone on a walk together and upon seeing our house from the road said “wow, it looks like we got a new deck!” While I’m still not satisfied with our exterior overall, this project certainly helps the house make a better first impression.