2026 Home Project List

Well, I wrote my 2025 home project list post in July, so we’re doing better this year. 🙃 HOWEVER, I will say that we didn’t accomplish most of what I had envisioned last year. Honestly, I was feeling very unmotivated and uninspired to do anything last year, which I’m okay with. I’m glad I didn’t rush into anything and burn myself out more than I already felt. That being said, a lot of those projects will be carried over to this year. Here’s a look at some of the inspiration for these spaces!

One thing we did do (although it spilled into the beginning of this year) is finish our laundry room space. It’s been a two year project 🙃 that we did in phases. The bulk of the work we did from Jan-Mar 2024, which included removing old cabinets, painting the walls, adding a peel and stick tile to cover the old ugly tile and grout, installing new larger cabinets, painting and sealing our old utility sink, and replacing our washer and dryer. Later in the year we added IKEA Sektion pantry cabinets for additional closed storage instead of the wire open shelves we had. I wallpapered this wall and then this past year we added beadboard and built a surround for our laundry out of plywood (blog post on that to come). I still would like to add a new light in there and a shade on our window for privacy. Initially I was thinking I wanted to do a bamboo shade to add some warmth, but with the wood countertop and shelf that we now have I feel like I want to add a cafe curtain instead. A way to give some charm and privacy, but still let in a lot of natural light! That will round out that space and it’s nothing that needs to happen now. I want to make sure it’s something I love!

In the fall last year we ended up replacing our basement windows and window wells. It wasn’t something we had on the docket to do, but when I noticed that one of our glass block windows had broken and had a hole going straight to the outside well (boy mom problems), it quickly became a top priority. Well, I’m not sure if you realize or not, but windows are pretty expensive. And add on the wells and bringing them up to code and let’s just say that project cost a pretty penny. Due to the construction around the windows that were replaced, we currently have missing framing and drywall that needs to be replaced. We knew we wanted to do some other projects in the basement including removing the chair rail that we currently have. While I do love the look of a chair rail, because we’ve had to remove it several times for different fixes, it causes more problems than not. It feels like the basement is just not the right spot for it. We also have been wanting some additional closet storage where we have a recessed wall. So we decided to get some quotes for a larger project. Although some of what we want done we could probably DIY, sometimes the cost of your time and having a project completed in a reasonable amount of time is worth the cost. This project will include finishing the framing around the windows, painting the space, adding sliding door closets, adding an entertainment center, and adding a dry bar for entertaining, and rewrapping a support post to give a more modern feel. We have a few small items we will plan to DIY to save on cost, which will be removing the chair rail, replacing some of the lighting, adding shelving in the closets, and making a new cover for our electrical panel. This will be a more expensive project during the first quarter of the year.

In terms of smaller DIY projects, I would love to FINALLY add picture frame moulding on our accent wall in our primary bedroom. I’ve been talking about this for the last 3 years. It should honestly be an easy project that could be done in a weekend. I just need to get it DONE.

Additionally, I would love to finish up our dining space. A little over a year ago we replaced our dining table and chairs. We added a sideboard for storage. Our dining room is open to our formal living room and there is one long wall without any windows that connects them.

I want the space to feel cohesive, so I have been trying to figure out ways that I think will do that. Two falls ago we also added an arched cabinet between the two spaces. It works well to “separate” the dining room from the living room while still keeping with the flow. I am thinking of somehow making the larger wall feel like three separate spaces by using some kind of wainscoting. Potentially picture frame moulding for each space vs. something like pictured here:

I would love to hear your thoughts on this on what you like better! I also would love to add some curtains to all the windows throughout the space to help it feel cohesive, but also add warmth and dimension. It’s AMAZING what curtains can do to make a space feel complete. Lastly, we used to have a picture frame above the sideboard, but it was an old print from our condo in the city about 10 years ago and it doesn’t serve me the same anymore. I would love to add some more function to this space and am imagining two floating shelves with some sconces above it (likely battery operated and not hardwired). This way I could display some of our favorite barware, recipe books, and glasses within easy reach (imagining something as pictured below).

Our final item on our list is our primary bathroom. Whether or not we will be able to complete it this year will depend on the total cost of the basement project and what we’re able to save between now and the latter half of the year. It DESPERATELY needs to be updated. We have a pedestal sink (this literally confuses me every day as to why someone would put this in a primary bathroom) and very little storage. The small linen/storage closet we do have has a very small door and it’s hard to access things. We have a doorway that separates the main bathroom and a small vanity space. Ideally, I would love to replace the closet with a floor to ceiling cabinet and matching vanity with a sink, and then pull this same vanity into our main bathroom as well. Our bathroom space isn’t small, per se, but it is narrow. Additionally, our closet is attached to our bathroom and I’d like to see if there is a way we could rearrange or make better use of the space. While it’s technically walk in, it’s a tight space! I’m not sure if there would be a way to do a total overhaul to make the closet and bathroom space more functional without moving a lot of plumbing. I plan on working with a designer for this space to get their input! If it doesn’t happen this year, this will definitely be something we prioritize for next!

Speak soon, friends!