This time last year, we had just finished painting our hallway. It took an entire weekend and three coats of Little Greene’s Slaked Lime to cover the insipid peach walls we had inherited upon purchasing our house.
I had grand plans to rip up carpets, sand floorboards and ultimately create the kind of entryway I’d always dreamed of, but all we could afford back then was the paint. At the very least, I wanted light, bright walls before Christmas, and that was what I got.
Fast forward 12 months and it’s still all I’ve got. The boring beige carpet endures, and we’re yet to add the finishing touches I feel the space needs. Our hallway is perfectly functional, and most people wouldn’t even notice its shortcomings, but to my eye, it remains frustratingly unfinished.
I’m sensible enough to realise the work we’re doing to our home doesn’t even come close to the renovations undertaken by others. Almost everything we’ve tackled has been cosmetic. The place needs a lick of paint and an injection of personality, not major plumbing work and a new roof.
We looked at properties that did need those things. Grimy houses that smelt of damp and decay. A decrepit kitchen from the 1970s and a bathroom that made you feel like someone might have actually died in the tub. We tried to picture ourselves knocking down walls and rebuilding things from scratch, but in the end we knew we’d never make it work, not with two small children and both of us working from home.
For obvious reasons, minor DIY doesn’t carry the same sense of urgency as major renovations. While I seem to be acutely aware of my surroundings, Mr. LA appears oblivious. As long as his basic needs are met {food, running water, TV, bed}, he can live with sickly pale blue walls in the kitchen.
Although I appreciate how lucky we are to have a home at all, these words from a recent post on Holly’s Becker’s blog, Decor8, perfectly capture why I have days where all the things we haven’t done yet weigh heavily on my mind.
‘I can’t deal when rooms are upside down or incomplete, this makes me feel chaotic in my head. Can you relate? Home is my sanctuary, my place of love, peace, dreams and aspirations. If it’s a cluttered dump or piled with half-finished projects, I can’t give 100% to my family, friends or job.’
Despite my impatience, the decision to decorate slowly has been a deliberate one. Money, and the desire to avoid debt, plays a big part, but I always wanted this house to be much more considered than our last. I want a mixture of old and new furniture, artwork I adore and storage that meets our needs perfectly. These things take time.
So for now we’ll continue to live without a wardrobe, or even proper desks to work from! I’ll scour eBay for vintage finds and save my pennies for the living room rug we so desperately need. Early in the new year, the kitchen will finally get new tiles and a lick of paint. I’d like to think that by next Christmas our bedroom won’t make me weep with despair.
What do you think about decorating with patience? How do you cope with the chaos of an unfinished home?
Love Audrey xxx
We were lucky in a way and decorated all of our rooms before we moved in as we had the luxury of still living with parents. We still left the hallway for 2 years which finally got decorated last year, but we still have the horrible original carpets. The bathroom is still on our to do list over 3 years later, but it’s all time and money! Houses are always a work in progress I think though and always evolving – I don’t think we’ll ever be able to sit down and say ‘it’s done’!
Yes, our first home was painted before we moved in. Just bright white walls, but it made such a difference. You’re right about it never being done too, I guess I’d just like it to be a little more done than it is now! xxx
PS. I kind of wish you were still blogging about your home improvements, I was so inspired by your posts! Can’t quite believe that was 3 years ago. Loved your grey, yellow and teal bedroom!
I think when it comes to making a house your home it should be a slow process, not an overnight thing – it takes time to put your family’s personality in to a property. The way in which you and your family are doing up your house is the way I envision our first ‘family home’ coming together.
Of course we are in a family home now, although it is a rented property – that is intended to be a temporary thing before moving on to something slightly larger next year hopefully, but again rented for the time being – and I think that plays a part as to why it doesn’t feel like a ‘home’ to either me or my partner. My little one, aged one, isn’t fussed either way. Haha.
So, when I say our first family home, I mean the one we’d own, not somebody else’s home with our belongings in, which is what it feels like now. I hope that made sense!!
🙂
I do know what you mean. We rented before we bought our first home, and although I tried to make it nice, it always felt like we were passing through. I suppose because we were!
I was studying almost the entire time we lived in our first home and I think it had quite a ‘studenty’ feel, even though I wasn’t your average student. We just didn’t spend any time of money on it really, because our priorties were different I guess. A friend came to visit us in Bristol recently and he said our new home definitely felt more’grown up’, which I think means we’re heading in the right direction!
xxx
This is us! We were fortunate enough to be able to stay at my parents whilst having our house extended. The whole house was re-wired, plumbed, plastered, new flooring, kitchen and bathroom, doors etc etc but we didn’t decorate as such. Everywhere was painted white so it was fresh and a blank canvas. But even with several touch-ups it’s not so fresh but is still pretty blank.
We like a mixing old and new pieces and wouldn’t want it all matchy, matchy but when I go into peoples houses that are, I have to admit it’s very cosy. I’ve made a list and am going to tackle it room by room…although we’ve now started to think about the possibility of moving! I’m put off by thought of not being able to finally have a house that’s ‘done’ because we’d be taking on a bigger mortgage.
P.S I love the Eco Happy wallpaper- definitely want it featured in our home…whether we move or not.
I know what you mean about homes feeling cosy. I think that comes from places feeling ‘lived in’, and they just don’t get that way over night!
The wallpaper is fabulous, I love it so much. It always makes me smile when I peer into Izzy’s room as I walk past!
xxx
Oh Franky I feel you SO MUCH on this one. My fiance had already bought our house (a Victorian terrace) before we met, but it was in a shocking condition. He had made a fantastic start on things before I moved in, and at the end of last year we *finally* finished our kitchen. We still have a lot to go, however, and mostly things we can’t really do properly ourselves, like replacing the roof on our laundry and replastering. We’ve also got some simply gorgeous pebble dash to deal with somehow!
We’d hoped 2014 would be the year it would be finished, but alas, my temporary return to Australia put paid to that. 2015 has also been nixed due to our wedding (!!) and so it’s likely that we won’t make any substantial progress until 2016, which just seems soon far away. I think it’s ok to have occasional slumps about it (well…..it just happens anyway so I might as well accept it), as long as we pick up the paintbrushes every so often and promise ourselves one glorious day it will be done. Hang in there!