We’ve got some BIG plans for this old house. I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that I’ve had nothing but renovation ideas spinning around my head for weeks now (especially if you caught our house tour!). There’s a lot of work to do around here and I’ve shared more than once how overwhelming it’s felt at times.
I know renovating this house is going to be a long journey and, while sometimes I wish we could just snap our fingers and find ourselves on the other side of it all, I also know that renovating this house is going to be a really sentimental and special journey that we’re going to want to take our time with (you can read more about why here if you missed it). Brady keeps telling me that if this were a movie, we would be just heading into the musical montage – scenes of renovating together as a family, restoring this old house while making each space our own. Renovations can sometimes feel like they’re all about that before + after, but the journey to get there is just as important.
While it’s so tempting to rush things, I’m trying to slow myself down and really be intentional with it all. I want to strike the right balance between preservation and renovation as we restore this old house. I want to create spaces that feel cozy, warm & welcoming. I want to add charm, character and personality, so that each room really reflects our family. And most of all, I want to enjoy and even savour the journey along the way.
And so, I’m trying to make my peace with the fact that renovating this old house is going to take time. I know it’ll be a while before we have a finished space to enjoy. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few things I can tackle right away to help us feel a little more settled along the way. I’ve thought of more than a few projects I could work my way through sooner rather than later – relatively quick & easy things that wouldn’t necessarily be where we’ll end up, but would at least help us feel more comfortable through the journey. My list of ideas is quite long actually, but today, I wanted to share with you the ideas that are at the top of my list. I’d love to hear which one you’d start with in the comments at the end of this post!
Quick & Easy Renovation Projects I’m Planning to Tackle Right Away
ONE: Get rid of that purple door!
My first order of business is to lose that purple door and honestly, it couldn’t happen fast enough. In fact, I started stripping that purple paint off just a few days after we moved in. I still have some remnants of the white primer that I need to scrub out of the grain, but at least that purple is gone. I’m not sure yet whether I want to stain the door a more natural oak colour to match the oak inside the entryway, or if I want to go with a slightly darker stain (which will likely tie in with the new hardwood floors we’re planning to install down the road) – I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
TWO: New exterior door knobs.
I mean, how can I refinish this door and not replace that ugly brass knob that’s also covered in ugly purple paint? Thinking something more modern looking, maybe in black, would be a great juxtaposition with the more traditional oak door.
THREE: New exterior lights.
Sure, I’d really love to get rid of the peach stucco, but I know I need to give myself more time to really think through what exactly I want to do out here. In the mean time, I’m thinking we can at least replace these rusty old brass lights out front to update things a bit. I’m thinking some more substantial looking black lanterns maybe?
FOUR: Paint.
Next up, painting the walls. Ultimately, I’d love the paint the whole darn house, but for now, I’m going to start with our main floor and upstairs hallway. While I can’t wait to update the doors, trim and fixtures around the house, I’m going to kick things off with a simple coat of paint (or two probably) and at least get rid of all the yellow and green around our main floor and hallway.
FIVE: New sconces.
I actually don’t mind the sconces in our entryway and hallway – there’s something quite charming about them. But, unfortunately, they’re not in great shape and half of them are missing their glass shades. Not entirely sure just what I want to go with yet, but I really think changing them out for something slightly larger and with a more antique brass finish would go a long way to updating the look of our entry and hallway (especially with that new paint job).
SIX: Window coverings.
We tore down all of the window coverings before we even moved into the house. They were old, full of dust and dirt and most of them were barely even functional anymore anyway. It was well beyond time for them to go. Aside from our bedrooms, we haven’t missed them much, but I know as the days grow shorter and we need to have our lights on more, we’ll want a bit more privacy. I’ve ordered some samples from a few different companies, for both roman shades and curtains. Would you be interested in hearing more about that journey? If so, I’d be happy to share all about how I’m choosing our window coverings, both the type and fabrics, along with the processes of ordering and installing them. Let me know if you’re interested in hearing more about all of that in the comments below.
SEVEN: Set up the office.
This little office space off of the living room is an absolute disaster at the moment – it’s filled to the brim with furniture and is the only room that still has boxes left to unpack because there’s simply no room to do it. We’re planning to remove the built-in desk and shelves so that we can set up an office/ music room in here. Down the road, I’d love to have some fun in here with some bold wallpaper and darker coloured paint, but for now some patching and painting will do the trick to get us through.
EIGHT: New dining room light.
While all of the lighting needs to be replaced in this house, I don’t think there’s anything I hate more than this big old fan over our kitchen table. I feel like this would be a quick and easy swap that could have a really big impact for this space.
While I could probably go on for days sharing ideas for projects around here, these are the eight I’m planning to start with – quick and easy things that I can work on behind the scenes while we make our way through the bigger reno projects. I really think knocking a few of these off the list will go a long way to making us feel more at home and settled as we work through the big stuff. Wish me luck!
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
I can't wait to hear your thoughts!