It’s hard to believe that 2015 is almost at an end! The year has gone crazy fast and been a really fun, and also relaxing one. After a whirlwind 2014 with new jobs, selling a condo, buying a house, getting married, renovating and adding a new pup to the family, we were very much looking forward to a more slow-paced 2015, which is what we got. I’ll revisit my 2015 home goals in the next post and also take a look at 2016 goals, but for now, thought it would be fun to share my Top 5 favorites from 2015. I launched the blog in late August 2015, so some of the projects were completed before then, but this was the first time where I really put pen to paper about our lessons learned and what we might do differently.
- Master Bathroom Renovation: This is by far the biggest transformation in our house. Nothing like taking a bathroom down to the studs and starting over from scratch! However, it made our house so much more functional for us and was a huge upgrade to our master bedroom. And of course, the barn door is now my favorite feature in the house. Biggest surprise? How overwhelming it was to choose tile – I had it so easy in the kitchen because I knew exactly what I wanted but the bathroom was much harder for me.
The original 1970s master bathroom
The after with the barn door, new vanity – new everything!
- Screened Porch Makeover: I had been itching to get my hands on this room since we moved in and I love the way the space looks now. The striped floors look a million times better and now it’s really an indoor/outdoor living area as opposed to a place where we happen to place some furniture. And with all the rain we’ve had recently, I’m even more happy I went with outdoor furniture and fabrics for durability.
Before & After on the Screened Porch
- Kitchen Renovation Tips: While the kitchen renovation took place in 2014, I shared my lessons learned and tips in 2015. And writing these down really helped me prepare mentally for what the master bath renovation would entail. And, it was my first post that really got a lot traffic thanks to Remodelaholic sharing on her Facebook page!
- TV Stand/Dresser Makeover: I’m all about form AND function in our house and our TV stand, as cute as it is, was not cutting it anymore with the bigger TV. This was also my first time using dark wax and it turned out really well. While the dresser is basically empty right now, I know that one day it will provide excellent storage for dog toys, kid toys, etc. And it was the kick in the rear I needed to finish my SwatchPop! project for the living room wall (picture coming soon!).
Before
After two coats of paint and antiquing wax
- Christmas Home Tour: Ok, so this is cheating a little bit since it included 3 posts and not just one, but I had so much fun decorating for Christmas this year and sharing it with you all. I also loved following along on other blogger’s home tours – it’s amazing the creativity and talent that is out there.
Christmas Home Tour 2015
Overall, it was a great 2015 and I’ve learned so much about blogging and home decorating in the short time that Loveland Lodge has been live. It’s an incredibly welcoming online community and it’s been fun to virtually meet new bloggers and follow along on their home journeys too.
Cheers to 2015!
Shared on Southern Hospitality Best of 2015 Link Party,
[…] prioritize and figure out what makes the most sense to focus on first. You can take a look at the original post to see the items that were checked off before I launched the blog back in August. And […]