2016 – the year of home improvements

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I see this year as being THE year we sort out a huge list of things which need doing, in our home. When we moved in six years ago, we made a start putting our own stamp on our house, but within three months, I was pregnant and spent a lot of time sitting as still as I could, on the sofa, and eating ginger biscuits in a bid to keep my morning sickness at bay. Any thoughts of wallpapering and buying curtains went out the window.

Six years on, and I’m ashamed to say, there are a lot of things that still need attention. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we don’t live in a complete state of a house, but you know when there are just LOADS of little bitty things that all build up to feel like your WHOLE HOUSE isn’t how you’d like it?

Here’s what I’d love to do, in 2016:

Buy new white wooden blinds for my living room and bedroom. If money was no object, we’d get wooden shutters. Actually, if money was no object, we’d get new sash windows fitted. Our house is a Victorian terrace and they’d look gorgeous.

Our under-the-stairs cupboard is currently filled with junk (have you seen that episode of Friends where Chandler discovers Monica’s secret cupboard? It’s a bit like that) but I’m keen to get a handy man in to design some shelves and storage to go in there – as most of these spaces are, it’s an awkward space but I’m sure we could be utilising it better to store jackets, shoes, umbrellas, scooters, swimming kits and more.

Next on the list is our garden – it’s tiny but in the summer, it becomes a bit of a continuation of our kitchen. I wish we could have some bifold doors put in, but before we even think about that, we need to landscape the garden and probably have some artificial grass put down.

Our kitchen doesn’t need much work, but I’ve recently decided I’d love to paint our wooden units white, so I’ve been looking at different paint brands and trying to decide which will look best (and which will be easiest to apply!)

We recently had a new boiler fitted and it’s made the world of difference with how warm the house is. We’ve got wooden flooring and tiles through most of the house, so I want to make it a bit cosier with some new rugs, and a runner in the hallway.

Our dining room-slash-playroom needs a huge reorganisation. We basically need to spend a day taking old toys to charity shops and working out clever storage systems for what’s left. Has anyone cracked the toy storage thing? If so, please share your tips and send me links to things you’ve bought as I need all the help I can get!

What’s on your to do list around the home in 2016?

This post has been commissioned by Falcon Installations, Alpine Glass and Eco Energy. For details of how I work with brands, see my Work With Me page. Image of chair: Shutterstock.

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1 Comment

  1. sayali kamat
    January 17, 2017 / 11:41 am

    The Happy Homes blogis your one stop destination for all your decor needs, waterproofing solutions, tiling and home keeping.

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