How to Nest for Less™

Home Goals 2012

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OK, I guess I’ll jump on this bandwagon and write down my Home Goals for 2012! The Nester is having a Home Goals linky party today and I might as well make a To Do List for the big house projects I want to accomplish this year. So here we go!

1. GREAT ROOM MAKEOVER
First up is to give my great room a makeover. My family spends the most time in this room and it’s the first thing you see when you enter our ranch style home. The current color scheme is tan, red and some olive green, but I’d like to give this space a huge POP of color. I won’t be getting new couches this year, but new drapes, accent pillows and an area rug will help liven this space. I also plan on moving the couch into the corner away from the window to let in some more natural light.

I’m also painting my house next week! Since my walls are continuous in my open floorplan, the great room, dining room, hallway and stairway will all be getting a fresh coat of paint. Super excited!

2. DINING ROOM
This is my “blah” room that I’ve put on hold for the past 5 years. To liven up the space, I plan on getting some bold drape panels, patterned slipcovers for my two end chairs and a new light fixture. We also have a piano on the tan wall underneath the mirror now. I’m considering giving it a coat of peacock blue! Yep, big POPS of color throughout the home. Oh, and the red accent wall is staying…no matter what you say!

3. KITCHEN
I made a lot of changes to my kitchen this past year, including a stone backsplash, crown molding on my bland oak cabinets, a new accent storage table and iron leaf wall art. In 2012 I would like to replace my sliding glass door vertical blinds with some beautiful curtain panels. I’d also like new lighting over the kitchen table & pendant lighting over the kitchen center island. I’m also toying around with the idea of painting my island. I just need a little push! OH, and flooring! My goodness I would LOVE new flooring! But that might just have to wait until I can afford hardwood throughout the entire home.

4. CRAFT ROOM/HOME OFFICE
OK, I painted this room back in November and I’m still unsure about the color. Sometimes I love the yellow, and other times I want to rip my eyes out. I think my biggest gripe is that nothing photographs well in this room. The yellow just bounces off the walls and onto any project I’m trying to photograph. Maybe curtains and a new accent pillow will help calm the yellow down. I’m just having a hard time figuring out complimentary colors. I’d also like to find a beautiful armoire that I can paint and will use to organize my crafts. Hmm… to repaint or not to repaint. That is the question.

5. BACKYARD
And finally we have the backyard transformation! This space is so bad I don’t even have a decent picture of it (the only one I can find is this shot of my daughter from 2 1/2 years ago and it doesn’t show much). My concrete patio isn’t very large but I’d still like to make good use of the space. As of right now I only have our gas grill and black iron patio dining set. This year I plan on adding some loungers, an outdoor rug, some colorful pillows and A LOT OF LANDSCAPING! The only problem? I hate gardening. But I must suck it up and find my inner green thumb since I have an active 4 year old who will be spending countless hours in the backyard this summer.

And that’s it! Small order, right? HA. I really just want to mark some big things off the list in 2012 so I can feel better about living with this house for a couple more years until we’re ready to sell. Wish me luck!

So, what’s on your To Do List for 2012? Any big plans??

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Comments

  1. Maria says

    Wishing you such luck! Can’t wait to see all of the changes come into play! You know I’ll be here — reading away! 🙂

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks Maria!!

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks so much Julie! Now it’s just finding the money to fund all of these projects 🙂

  4. Katie @ Newcomb Home says

    Your house already looks great! I love the accent wall in your kitchen. New curtain panels would be a great finishing touch.

    Found my way here through The Nester’s link party. Have a great day!

  5. MeganDVD says

    Ohh…I can not wait to see what part of the spectrum you will end up using for your pop of color! I love all the renos and redos you have in mind. I am in the same sort on the repaint fence with our Hall Bath. Trust me..I KNOW how you feel. 🙂

    Cheers~
    e

  7. claire rose says

    Hi found you at the nester’s-good luck with your goals too!I’m your newest follower- Stop on by to visit!!

  8. Bri says

    Hey! I, too, found you on at Nester’s, but I saw that you’re also in St. Louis. I’m in Columbia! You have a gorgeous house, I hope you have fun attaining your goals! As a suggestion for that yellow room, maybe add some bead board around the base to break up the bright. We have a ton of bold rooms and the only way we could do it without getting overwhelmed with color was to use larger, neutral furniture and molding.

    • howtonestforless says

      Bri, that’s a great idea!! I might just have to try that one to break up the color. So cool that you live in Columbia just down the road! We head up there for Mizzou games all the time 🙂

  9. thistlewoodfarm says

    WOW! I love everything about your site. It’s so clean and perfect. The arrows in the pictures are perfect. This is the best explanation of goals I have seen on the Nester’s site! Good luck in 2012!

    blessings,
    karianne

    • howtonestforless says

      Aww, thanks so much Karianne!! I appreciate it. Heading over to your site now to check it out 🙂

  10. Tammy @ A Walk in the Countryside says

    I love your pics with the arrows! Last year I put in a lot of flower beds in my back yard. Now, I’m like you, I don’t have a green thumb and don’t particularly like gardening but I enjoy looking at the result. I took the time to put my beds in right and used plenty of mulch. The only upkeep, besides the occassional clipping of overzealous plants, was weeding while I walked around drinking my morning cup of coffee and turning on the water sprinklers. I’ve tried gardening in the past but didn’t put much effort into my beds and I always failed at keeping them up. Good luck on all your goals!!!

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks so much, Tammy! Great advice: I just need to spend the time to do it correctly the first time!

  12. Terry Moore says

    You have a big list this but very do-able. I have one suggestion on your craft room walls. I adore the wonderful job done on these walls. I assume it’s a stencil. With that, how about toning down the yellow with an all over wash? You can do a test board with the yellow painted on it. Then mix up four parts glaze to one part paint…I would do a white or maybe with a tint of very pale yellow. Roll it on then take a four inch paint brush and do criss crosses. It is easier with two people but can be done by rolling on a small area then doing the paint brush technique. Use paper towels to keep the brush dry. It will look whiter than you want at first but be patient and let it dry, you will be amazed how the glaze (looks milky) dries clear, so your original paint color comes through. So do a test sample first and see if you like it when it’s dry. Just an idea.

    • howtonestforless says

      Terry, that is a fabulous idea! Do you have any preference for a brand of glaze? Or the best place to buy one? I was also thinking about doing bead board on the lower half to break up the yellow a bit. Thank you SO MUCH for the input!

  13. Karen At Home says

    Just found your blog via Home Stories A to Z. I love all the changes you have in mind, can’t wait to see it all come together!

  14. Shiloh says

    Wow! You have some fantastic ideas. I’m excited to see how they come out when you finish them. I love all the color in your home. It’s lovely.

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks so much, Shiloh!

  15. Alida says

    Love the yellow in your craft room, but what if you had only an accent wall as opposed to the whole room?? Maybe it won’t feel so overpowering then. You have a lovely home – good luck with all your projects.

    I’d love to invite you to share this on my Thingamajig Thursday party going on now…http://radcrafter.com/2012/01/thingamajig-thursday-party-11/

    Alida
    radcrafter.com

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks Alida! That’s a great idea actually! I’m a huge fan of accent walls… I did the same thing in my daughter’s bedroom and it looks fantastic. Thanks for the tip!

  16. Rachel Beal says

    First I LOVE your yellow wall, i would not change it! Not to mention it muat have been alot of work. I also have a red accent in my dining room that I have had 4 years and do not plan on changing it. Can’t wait to see the changes you make, good luck!

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks so much, Rachel. I think I’m keeping the yellow wall… at least for now. It’s growing on me 🙂

  17. Missy says

    What color red is that on your walls?

    • howtonestforless says

      Unfortunately I don’t have that paint can anymore since we redid the room. So sorry!

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