2019 was definitely a big year of home updates. We completely revamped our upstairs area and bedrooms. This year, we have plans to makeover our downstairs area, which consists of our formal dining, living room and kitchen area. Here is what’s on the plan right now and some of our ideas for these spaces!

Paint 

On the plan for January is to paint the entire downstairs. We are using Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee at 75% (that’s a lighter formulation), using Sherwin Williams paint (with a bright white base). The sheen is a low gloss Eggshell, which is between Matte and Eggshell, and still has washability. The shade is a beautiful creamy white that’s not too yellow, too stark, or too anything else. Very neutral and pretty in all lights.

Change out light switches and outlet covers

We love the Lutron switches and plates in Satin (we use Snow color), and I’ve already started updating them throughout the downstairs, as we paint.

Update gallery wall

In February, I’ll be updating our living room gallery wall by incorporating new art and changing up some of the frames and sizes for a less uniform look. We want to use art to bring warmth and interest in the space. But can we talk about how terrifying a gallery wall can be?! Anyone else? I’ve tackled a few in my day, but I still get nervous about getting everything just right… eek!

New buffet storage

We are planning to switch out our mahogany buffet and hutch in the dining space to a slightly bigger, slightly taller black piece. We love the one from Ballard Designs as it has both open and cabinet shelving. It allows us to display what we love, and hide some of our other seasonal pieces. I plan to change out the hardware to more contemporary, bright brassy pulls that will contrast with the black. It will bring a touch of modern to the traditional.

New sconces for dining room

After we receive our new buffet furniture piece, we plan to hardwire sconces on each side. These from McGee & Co. are beautiful, and add a nice, sort of romantic touch to the room.

New chandelier

Although I love our chandelier, I have been wanting to switch it up to give it a more modern flair. Again, for us, our home is a dance between modern and traditional, between clean lines and vintage interest. I love Aerin lighting and this particular piece continues to call to me. I love the idea of a white chandelier and think it would bring a really cool vibe to the space.

Add architectural interest

Tony and I have been wanting to do this forever. Our home doesn’t have much architectural interest, so we’d like to bring some by using a distressed wooden beam, either in the ceiling between our dining room and living room, or by wrapping the column and archway. The below photo is our inspiration. I think this is going to make a huge difference, and bring some much needed texture to the space too.

Switch out stairway fixture

The pendant in the stairway is one we got at Lowe’s or Home Depot a long time ago. The inside light fixture is perpetually crooked which bothers me, plus I want something a little more interesting. I keep going back to this light here. It’s not a done deal as I worry it may not give enough light, but we’ll see as the plan progresses. This change up may happen later in the year.

Remodel powder bathroom

This may be the biggest project downstairs. We plan to make the powder bathroom a bit fun, taking some risks with wallpaper (thinking one below) and making it a moodier, edgier space. New toilet, new vanity, new mirror and light. I’m nervous about my ideas, but also excited. This will likely happen sometime in the summer.

Update our patio door

We’re switching out the one we have… Awhile ago, we painted ours black as a temporary solution, but the paint is chipping off and doesn’t look great. We’re purchasing a patio door that’s pre-painted in black and updating the hardware too. Easy change but a little pricey.

Edit as much as possible

One of the best things we’ve done in the past year, is go through our rooms and edit edit edit. We’ve worked hard to eliminate anything we don’t need, to reduce visual clutter, to focus on what’s functional and let our furniture do double duty wherever possible. When we get our new buffet, for example, I may try to eliminate our separate bar cart and use some of the space in the furniture to have a bar area. I find that cleaning up spaces not only makes things look cleaner and more polished, but it also allows the real focus pieces in each room to shine.

Consider new pendants in the kitchen

Lighting is everything to me, in case you haven’t noticed! We love the light fixtures we had when we updated our kitchen, but they are a bit on the “heavy” side. I want to look around and see if I can lighten the space in any way, perhaps some white pendants? Color? Something different?  I’m not sure just yet. This will happen late in the year… I think, but want to see how the rest of the projects come together first.

Bonus project: update baseboards

Budget and time providing, I would love to update our baseboards this year. When our house was built nearly 20 years ago, they used cheapy casing, and I’d love to modernize them with taller, but simple baseboards.

Bonus project: dining table

I’ve never been happy with our formal dining table, or really our dining room for that matter. To be honest, we don’t use the space for what it was intended, but the way the layout of our home is, it’s hard for the space to be anything else. If we can afford it, and I can find something perfect, I’d like a new dining table. Maybe round or oval? Maybe something cool in white oak, or reclaimed wood, or some other material to contrast with the black/white in the space? I’m not sure. I haven’t really figured it out yet, but it’s on the list as something to think through and figure out.

That’s the scoop so far! Stay tuned as we update our home, and hopefully some of these changes will help inspire your own makeovers! 🙂