Today I wanted to share with you 10 inspiring projects you can tackle in 2018 by going over what my most popular posts were in 2017. I always find this look back interesting because it tells me what resonates with you all the most… what was most helpful or inspiring?
Each one of these posts really hinge on ways I’ve updated my home and I’ll be linking to all the tutorials (and my budget!!) that are related to these 10 inspiring projects.
(Some affiliate links are used in this post)
10. Basement Bathroom Makeover
I think bathroom makeovers are my favorite type of room to refresh. The space is small and not overwhelming or expensive, and simple changes can have a big impact.
The details of what I did (and specific source links) are in my post link above, but the budget breakdown was as follows:
Paint: $90
Baseboard, battens, crown: $75
Wood for cabinet door & drawer refacing: $30
Vanity hardware: $15
Faucet, towel ring, toilet paper holder: $300
Sconce Lights: $160
Vinyl floor (installed by professional over tile): $250
New blinds: $45
Vintage Mirror: $35
Caulk, nails, glue, etc: $50
Total: $1050 (including hiring out the flooring install)
Here is what it looked like before and honestly I wish I could show you how it looked when we moved in! It used to have wallpaper with poker images on the top border of the walls, and black shiny baseboards and trim, and of course the cheapest fixtures possible, I immediately painted the walls and trim, and painted the vanity white when we moved in but it had been mostly untouched for years until we gave it love this summer.
9. Fall Farmhouse Kitchen & Pumpkin Pudding
My kitchen certainly has changed from my first fall home tour 2 years ago.
To see my fall kitchen last year, go here.
To jog your memory, this is our kitchen looked like when we first moved in:
Here is a list of what we have done to this room:
Installed Butcher Block Counters
Built Kitchen Island with Trash Storage
And to see the whole kitchen makeover with sources:
Total budget: ~$3000 (not hiring anything out)
8. Scandinavian-Inspired Christmas Family Room
While this technically isn’t a home project, my family room has taken quite the shape since I initially shared it in a Christmas home tour a few years ago. You can see the changes over the years below:
Holiday decorating doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated if you have a room you love. If you add character to the ‘foundation’ of the room (crown molding, built-ins, accent wall, wood floors, chandelier) and use neutral furnishings that are timeless, you end up needing less seasonal decor to make the room look beautiful and festive.
Below are some of my posts for putting together some of the softer elements of this room:
Why you Need Slipcovered Couches
How to Find the Perfect Rug Using Photoshop
The cost breakdown of the ‘permament’ furnishing in this room are as follows:
Chandelier (vintage): $100
Curtains & curtain rod: $100
Shades: $120
Rug (average price of rugs we have purchased for this room) : $400
Sofas (purchased second hand bought new slipcovers at Ikea): $600
Coffee table (built with build plans here): $50
Wing Chair (Given second hand, sewed drop cloth slipcover): $70
Console table (repainted): $60
Total: $1500
7. Fall Home Tour 2017
What a difference a new rug makes! It completely changed the feel of the room and you all seemed to love it too. I toned down the use of blues and upped the use of warmer tones for fall.
Here see what this room looked like when we moved in:
This is a list of what we have done to this room:
Added Bookcases & DIY Cabinet Bases
Converted Bookcases into Built-Ins
Total budget for “character-adding” elements of the room were about $900.
6. Farmhouse Night Stand
Since my home is small, finding the right size night stands for every bedroom in the style that I like, was a challenge. So I built them!
Above I built to mimic a vintage one I had in my bedroom before (that was a bit too large) and it cost me about $50. Below are the selections of night stands/end tables I have built:
Modern 3 Drawer Night Stand (~$50)
Daybed Night Stand (~$40)
X End Table (I have this on my side of the bed) (~$20)
Round Trestle End Table (~$10)
Farmhouse End Table (~$25)
5. Front Porch Makeover
You guys were just as excited about this makeover as I was! We definitely took on more than we probably should have, doing everything in just 1 week’s time, but I don’t regret any of the design choices. I love the way my front porch looks now! I worked with Behr Paint on this makeover, so I painted our bricks, painted the shutters and our front door, and stained those columns.
Here is what it looked like before we gave it a major facelift:
The specifics of the exterior makeover I’ll share further down in this post, but our total budget for this makeover that included painting the brick: ~$2500
4. No-Sew Tutorial – Curtains
This past summer I finished a room refresh fro my daughter and I have to say… these no-sew curtains were one of my favorite parts. I absolutely LOVE this fabric I found at Tonic Living (which also has pre-made curtains and unique designer pillows). I didn’t have to settle for too-short curtain panels with ho-hum pattern which is basically all that is available at local retailers.
Related posts:
Total budget for the room refresh: ~$1200
3. Scandinavian Christmas Kitchen
One of the simplest elements I added to our Christmas kitchen was these cute gingham curtains. I used 2 yards of fabric, fabric glue, and a cheap curtain rod from Target. Total spent? Less than $20. The rest of the things I added to the room for a festive holiday touch were mostly things I already owned, like those ceramic houses on the shelves.
If you are wanting to update even part of your kitchen without having to do a complete overhaul, I would suggest adding:
Wood shades from SelectBlinds: $50
No-sew curtains: $20
Farmhouse sink from Ikea: $300
Delta Cassidy Faucet: $300
Pendant Light above sink (found at Lowe’s): $50
Total spent on kitchen sink area: ~$720
2. Spring Home Tour 2017
If you have a small or poorly utilized entry way like I did, consider adding a bench with hooks above it! This area is one of my favorite things to decorate, with every new season.
The bench was a vintage church pew that I painted (mix of Annie Sloan Duck Egg and Pure White), the baskets were from HomeGoods, and I made the shelf with hooks.
Mantel Shelf with Hooks Tutorial
See my other spring home tours below:
Total spent for this entry area (bench, baskets, shelf): $250
1. Craftsman Style Porch Columns
We’ve come a long way on the front of our house. When we first moved in, this is what it looked like:
Here is a list a what we did:
Painted brick (entire house): ~$400
Built new shutters (with hardware): $300
Painted door: $20
Built new column surrounds: ~$300
Built Cedar Planter Boxes: ~$200
Made house number sign: ~$50
Tiled porch: ~$1200
Replaced light: $85
Added table and chairs: ~$500
Topiaries: ~$25
Total: ~$3100
I still have a few more spaces left in my home to finish up this year, but I’m hoping to finish them off this year! Happy New Year and please let me know what your favorite project was! I would also love to hear what you hope to tackle this year!
My friend, Came from TidBits put together a fun blog hop of several bloggers sharing their 2017 recaps… Don’t forget to browse through and get inspired!
TIDBITS | Finding Silver Pennies | Stacy Risenmay | Julie Blanner | Live Laugh Rowe
Maison De Pax | House by Hoff | Town and Country Living | Summer Adams | Unskinny Boppy
Zevy Joy | Decor Gold Designs | A Burst of Beautiful | Shabbyfufu | Seeking Lavendar Lane
Nina Hendrick Design Co. | Shades of Blue Interiors | Bless’er House | ZDesign at Home | Life on Virginia Street
The Wicker House | Cherished Bliss | Nesting with Grace | Place of my Taste | Simply Designing
AKA Design | Rooms FOR Rent | So Much Better with Age | French Country Cottage | Thistlewood Farms
Designthusiasm | Love Grows Wild | The Happy Housie
Thanks so much for joining me Rachel! You’ve certainly accomplished a lot this year, and the exterior of your home turned out so amazing! It’s so fun to watch you and see what you will do next. Take care my friend! Hope we get to see lots of each other this year!
Rachel, your home is stunning! I love that you shared the before and after’s and that porch and exterior makeover WOW!!! Happy New Year!
Your home is gorgeous Rachel and I love all your top posts! Well done. Happy New Year!
Hugs, Jamie
Happy New Year, Rachel! Wow! That exterior makeover is just amazing. IN LOVE with it, but I’m in love with all your projects. Can’t wait to see what you get up to in the New Year xx
Your before and after post are amazing! I love to see the transformation!
What paint did you use for your house? Did you only use one coat? It looks amazing, and I have an orange brick rancher as well I want to add some curb appeal to
If you check out the links to the blog post on that project it will give you all the details! The Porch Makeover is the specific one that has paint details.