I Am Home Decorating Challenged

Our house!

It has almost been a year since my husband and I bought our home.  We started out of the gate strong with plans to renovate our Mid-Century Modern.  Within six weeks of closing escrow, we had the hardwood floors in our entire house redone.  The change was drastic; it was immediate; and our new floors are gorgeous.

We also did some minor cosmetic changes such as ripping down the old window coverings and replacing them with new colorful drapes and decorative shades. 

My mom – who is renovating her home in New Mexico – is a big fan of HGTV and the DIY channel.  She sent us a few links for shows that were looking for new homeowners, such as ourselves, to be a part of DIY projects reality shows. 

We actually submitted a video to be considered as contestants and, much to our surprise, we got the role; however, once we found out that it would be up to Jason and I to actually do the renovations, we passed on the opportunity. I think “Divorce Court” would have been in our future.  Also, this show renovated living rooms and that could possibly be the only room in our house that doesn’t need to be changed.

Not really being the DIY-types, our home renovating aspirations sort of fizzled out around Christmas.  Other than purchasing some throw pillows, we haven’t done anything since the New Year.

Our procrastination isn’t because we don’t want to make progress.  I mean, if we had unlimited funds, I’m pretty sure we would move into a rental in order to blow out and renovate our kitchen; revamp our deck; and change our façade.  These projects will all come in due time; however, right now, there are so many little projects that need to be done we don’t even know where to begin.

Our view!

When I personally start thinking about everything we want – um, need – to do around our house, my brain just sort of shuts down.  It is almost like that scene from the Mel Brook’s movie “High Anxiety” where I am spinning out of control.

So, I start to think about things I can control like what to cook for dinner and what I want to wear to my next girls’ dinner.

However, hope and inspiration came to me last Friday when I found an article from the publication “CountryLiving” by Beth Ann Fennelly.  The editorial profiles Emily and Michael Knotts who renovated their home on the cheap.

There was even a reference to open cabinets on my favorite trash TV show, "True Blood."  They actually referenced this article.

http://realestate.yahoo.com/news/a-diy-north-carolina-home.html

I have to say – as a self-proclaimed non-DIY-er – this article absolutely encouraged me.  In particular, the dining room table which they made for $11 is amazing.  It is exactly what I have been looking for over the past year but unable to find in our price range.

Since I don’t have any DIY experience – and I’m not that handy (really) – I could not actually build a dining room table, but I think Jason could. He is the artist in our family.

However, part of the problem is finding the time to do all these projects.  I can barely keep up with my blog let alone take the time to even just clean our garage.

But both Jason and I agree that a change has got to come.  We have decided to get serious about tackling these home improvement projects.

Since summer is here and we spend most of our time out on our deck enjoying our ocean view, this is the first order of business.  Jason is going to weather-proof and paint the deck, while I re-upholster our orbit lounger.  (Yes, it is as cool as it sounds.)  We plan to hit up some estate sales and look for some unique pieces to mix in with our existing patio furniture.  It is time to get busy.

When the deck is done, I’m setting my sights even higher and plan to renovate our guest bathroom.  At 8’ by 8’, I think it is doable. 

Like anything else, revamping our home is going to be a process, it will be one step at a time.