Since our life is very home oriented at the moment (we have been in our new house for nearly two months now) - and being the decor obsessed freak I am - I thought appropriate to start with 11 new year resolutions for the home! Here it goes:
1. More fresh flowers for the house. They smell great, look great and make you feel great. Overall, there are no reasons whatsoever not to have fresh flowers other than lazyness - which is not something I want to cultivate in 2011. Moving on...
Black & Spiro via Absolutely Beautiful Things
2. Entertain more. M's idea of entertaining consists of steaks on the "barbie" and a slab of beer (or 3!) - nothing wrong with that for a boy's night - but I want to greet our friends with much more this year: beautifully prepared and presented food, knockout tablescapes, decorations, ambience, the whole shebang. I have already started shopping for a whole range of serving plates and dishes over the holidays!
via Style Me Pretty
3. Splurge on at least one item per room. We are on a really tight decorating budget at the moment - mainly because we literally have to buy EVERYTHING. I left all my furniture back in Canada and M's previous "all-boys house" furniture is - well - not always suited to our wants. I have been very good with my budget - eBay is my new best friend - but I want to allow myself to splurge on at least one item per room - whether it's on a tufted wingback bed or a beautiful piece of bone inlay.
John Coolidge Photography via Decor Pad
4. Purchase artwork. My dad is an artist by profession and so is his girlfriend. So when I moved out of home, I already had a decent art collection. But having brought none of it back to Australia (yet) - I vow to make at least a couple of original artwork purchases this year to make the house a more beautiful space - and also because I refuse to buy "Ikea artwork".
Kristen Buckingham via La Dolce Vita
5. Focus on fabric. I have always been a little intimitaded by custom made curtains, pillowcases, rugs, or even upholstered sofas and chairs, but after buying my second pair of too-short ready-made curtains (our windows are pretty high) I have decided to take the plunge. It may cost a little more, but the result will be well worth it! I am even considering custom upholstered chairs.
6. Create an organised and elegant workspace. I have had enough of writing on my laptop on the dining room table and (not) filing my papers in shoeboxes. It is time for a real glamorous office space with (fingers crossed) a brand new Mac desktop computer. It may take a few months to put together but I can be patient...
via Lonny
7. Organized wardrobes. Our new house
8. Create an outdoor room. So much pristine outdoor space gets wasted if a backyard is not treated like another room. I want our backyard to be functional and relaxing, just like every other room of the house. It should have that wow-factor and be the perfect place to entertain guests - while also being the perfect place to curl up with a book or for an afternoon siesta in the shade.
Nuevo Estilo via Coco + Kelley
9. Have a welcoming guest bedroom. It is only January and we have people booked in to stay over at our house nearly every weekend for the next two months (and I love it!) As I have said it many times before, our second (and last) bedroom needs to become a dressing room, office and guest bedroom all at once. But the last thing I want my guests to feel is as if they are sleeping in a home office. So I need to make sure that I can accommodate with all the delicacies that people enjoy as guests: their own towels and robes, candles, soaps, wardrobe space... I want the space to feel cosy and inviting.
Peter Wilds via Marcus Design
10. Comfort above all. Comfort is crucial to me. I need to be able to curl up anywhere and take a nap, or read a magazine. I want lots of soft furnishings, oversized pillows and throws. We have a fireplace in every room which I am very much looking forward to. All that is missing for comfort is a bath :(
Marie Olssen Nylander via Solid Frog
11. Concrete floors. We have concrete floors in the dining and bathroom area, but they have been massacred by multicolored paint from previous owners! One of my plans in the next few weeks is to grind them back and give them a good polish for that industrial look we all love.
PS - While I was writing this, I thought of a few non-home related resolutions as well:
1. Improve & re-design the blog. I can't wait to have a little bit of free time to do this! I already have a few plans and ideas in mind. I just need a bit more than 24 hours a day!
2. More ME time. Between work, working out, the blog, taking care of the house and socializing, there is not much time me time left. This year I want to spend more time by myself to read a book, do my nails, get a face mask, or lounge in the sun.
3. Save! With all the home plans / travels plans I have this year, I better win the lotto. But in the midst of all this, I still want to manage to save a little for our next house or other project!
4. Stay in touch. It's not always easy to stay in touch from halfway around the world but my friends and family back home are well worth it. I will to my best to stay in touch with them, as I have been pretty bad at it in the last year..
5. Be contempt. I am ambitious by nature. It's really easy for me to want better or more. In a way this is a good thing. But I need to make an effort to realize how lucky I am and to be happy with what I have right now as it is more than one could wish for!
There it is, my savvy home resolutions for 2011. What are yours?
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