Hello everyone! I wanted to take a moment to share some of my aspirations for the new year, particularly regarding home improvements and my work here on the blog. 2017 was a standout year for me—I felt more professionally fulfilled than ever before, pouring tremendous effort into everything I did. It was an enjoyable journey, and it’s incredibly rewarding to reflect on all that hard work manifested in our bnb property (now about 90% complete) and our personal residence (fully finished, though any homeowner knows the work never truly ends).
Here’s a look at the projects I’m aiming to accomplish in 2018!
First up, a few objectives for our family home:
-Install a deck and finish landscaping in the backyard. Over the last two years, we’ve tackled all the indoor renovations, but the outdoor space—aside from painting it white, adding flowerbeds, and building two playhouses (we’ve shared one; the other hasn’t been posted yet)—has remained largely untouched. In 2018, our plan is to add a deck and complete the yard’s landscaping.
-Revamp the kitchen to suit our new daily rhythm. Since Nova joined us, we’re preparing quick meals at home all the time—a major shift from our previous habit of dining out frequently or cooking at a more relaxed pace. I’m eager to reorganize and entirely redo our small pantry. I believe this will help me stay on top of daily food prep and the endless cycle of washing dishes.
-Optimize our closet storage. We’re happy with our closets, but ever since we customized Nova’s closet, I’ve been envisioning ways to adjust ours to better accommodate our belongings. I plan to implement a few small changes this year.
-Adapt Nova’s nursery for her toddler stage. Since the nursery was designed before we were matched, I always anticipated needing to make adjustments once our child arrived. To be clear, I don’t regret completing it fully before meeting Nova. It gave me a positive focus during a very challenging period, and tweaking it now is far easier than starting from scratch. Plus, since we hope to adopt another child down the line, anything Nova outgrows can be saved for them.
I’ll save the full list of modifications for a dedicated post (I expect to finish by next month; I’m already working on it), but I’m thrilled to keep using this room for her as she grows. I think it can definitely evolve with her!
-Complete room tours. I still need to photograph our den, the hallway bathroom (currently referred to as the “kids” bathroom or Nova’s bathroom), our master bedroom, and my office.
-Produce a before/after home tour video. When we first got the keys to this house, we filmed a “before” tour. I’m really looking forward to capturing new footage of every room and editing it together with the original footage. After nearly three years of hard work, that will be incredibly satisfying!
-Finish these bookshelves. I’m working on this right now! I’m really excited to complete this project—it’s one of my all-time favorites.
Now, a few goals for my bnb property:
-Tour the laundry room and living room. I only have two tours left for this home before it’s fully documented. Should I also make a video tour for these spaces?
-Landscape the exterior. I’m still deciding what to do with the backyard. It’s a nice, spacious area. I’m considering starting with a playset and a willow tree! And I haven’t yet decided whether to paint the brick exterior. I know many people oppose painting brick, but a lot of the beautifully remodeled homes in this area are painted. I’m still undecided.
Additional blog goals for 2018 …
-A decor product line. For years, I’ve dreamed of launching a product line in the decor category, but it never quite worked out or felt right. I think this could finally be our year. I’m optimistic!
-Invest in another property. I’m not sure what type yet, but I had such a positive experience with the bnb last year that I’d like to invest in another property (and we definitely aren’t moving, at least for now!). I love the idea of a tiny home or a cabin. Right now, I’m just exploring options and dreaming.
Well, that wraps up my goals! Since becoming a mom, I definitely have less time to chase endless projects, so I plan to channel all my energy into ABM, A Color Story (which will launch a companion app in early 2018), and Oui Fresh. On the blog, I’ll focus primarily on decor content, but I’ll still share other passions like green beauty and occasional personal updates.
If you have requests for anything you’d like to see on ABM (from me or any of the other writers), we’d love to hear them.
I can honestly say that after 10 years of blogging, I’m enjoying it more than ever—maybe even a lot more. And I believe the secret to our longevity is continuing to change and evolve each year, following our passions.
I hope your 2018 is off to a wonderful start! Love, Elsie
Credits// Author: Elsie Larson. Photography by Elsie Larson and Amber Ulmer.
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