I’m almost done painting this room,
I really need to do a dining room progress post!
Paint is Behr All in One: Studio Taupe (a warm gray)
Living Authentically
As many of you might know, one of the underlying themes of The Inspired Room is living authentically at home. And in order to live authentically, you have to be deliberate with your choices — it is important to consider your purpose and intention for your home and life.
One of the ways I live intentionally is I have specific but realistic goals I want to focus on. And I have a whole list of things that are just NOT going to happen this year. What is NOT on my list is almost as important as what IS on the list. I have to say no to a lot of things I would love to do, they just aren’t right for me now.
So, here is the short list of things I do want to work on around my house this year!
Goal #1
Say good-bye to swine.
Same goal as last year. I have a real aversion to my mauve, flesh toned walls. They just make me feel unsettled. And if something actually makes me feel miserable in my own home, I have to deal with it. It might take me longer than a year to paint every wall in my house, but I’ll give it my best shot in 2011 and whatever I manage to do will be better than nothing, right?
I have a few areas of my home that I’d like to transform in more ways than just paint, but I’m not going to put unnecessary pressure on myself right now by calling them “my goals”! But don’t be surprised if there is are quite a few mini home projects in my future. For now, my goal is painting.
Goal #2
Make changes to how we use the space we have, so we can function more efficiently.
We’ve had an incredibly busy life and schedule since we moved here. Our house has not been our top priority. But it is becoming more clear to me how we could use our space more efficiently and how that efficiency would contribute to our well-being. So I definitely have some plans in the works to create a home that really works for us, and it might involve a few fun projects along the way.
Goal #3
Love living in our home.
I don’t want to focus so much on how to improve our home or make it more beautiful that I don’t leave time to just enjoy being in it! That means we have to pace ourselves. I’m not the kind of girl who gets a project done around the house every day, or even every week. Sometimes a month goes by without doing a project. And that is all for good reason (yes, it’s intentional!), living has to come first.
What are your goals for your home in 2011? Let’s discuss!!
Thanks to Jess with Frugal with a Flourish for letting me know that she “gets tons of hits” just by leaving comments on The Inspired Room! Smart girl! So come on, leave some comments and then VISIT each other, will ya? Even if you don’t have a blog, you can find great people by clicking on the links in the comments!
You all are awesome — and I bet you’ll like each other!
My biggest goal is to organize. The process will be painful but the reward sweet. At least I hope!
Love this post- got me thinking. xo
Thanks for this post…I think I too will be setting some goals for my home in 2011! What I’d like to know is what color is that paint in your photo? I have about 20 different paint chips on the wall in our entry, and I can’t decided which one, but that one looks like it could be THE one!
Yes, it is Behr All in One Studio taupe. It is a gorgeous WARM gray, I need warm undertones to love how my home feels!
Thanks so much! I’ll look into that one! It’s just what I’ve been looking for!
I really like the concept of living intentionally in your home. Too often I use the excuse that I am renting to not do anything with my home. I put off big purchases because I know I’ll be moving soon and never decorate. The result is like staying in a hotel, familiar but not yours.
Blue Skies
Charlotte xo
p.s. I have mauve coloured walls in my living room too, and mushroom in the kitchen – reminds me of flesh and mildew!
I understand! I hope you will find ways to love living in your home, no matter where you live, whether it is a rental or not. You deserve that!
We are in a rental as well. I decided last week that I wasn’t going to let that hold me back anymore. I can’t live my life waiting! I’m much happier since that revelation.
One thing for me is making do with what we have. I like rearranging our current possessions, always looking for just the right look (which always changes, too).
Another goal is long-term planning for this house. It’s small and our family is growing. We don’t want to move so how can we make the space work for us in 10 years?
One thing we definitely plan on is removing the purple from Chelsea’s room and going to chocolate and cream. She then plans to bring in color through accessories. She already received some of these items for Christmas. It will be fun.
It is a joy to see my daughter love decorating.
I try to tackle ONE BIG GOAL, so this year it is reorganizing the basement. It was organized once upon a time, but has become the catch all lately.
I love the idea of one big goal, it helps simplify and focus our goals, doesn’t it?
I plan to paint this year, too! Enough with the beige around here. Everything is beige! I’m also planning a few upgrades, its the year of quality over quantity.
I love the idea of having goals for your home! I need to think about this one. One area that I want to make more “home” oriented is our downstairs family room. So many times I have the mentality of “out of sight, out of mind”. Since it is a low priority, we don’t spend time down there. Time to use our space wisely!
Thanks for putting your goals out there…I always enjoy hearing about goals other gals have for their home! I like your goal about make use of the space you have. This is also a goal I have as there are 4 of us living is not even 1200 square feet of space which feels small at times, but is great comparitively to others! I always say that I have more ideas than my house can hold! I suppose it is about making use of what you have and being creative with this. This is something I aspire to as well. Thank you for your blog – I greatly enjoy it!
Stacey :o)
Thanks Stacey! I’m a small house lover but I also know how hard it is to narrow down your options when you don’t have much space to work with. It takes a little more time and creativity, but it is a fun challenge!!
I hope to paint my bedroom this yr. This is the beginning of the third year in our townhome and I am slowly but surely stripping it of its ‘apartment” feel by getting rid of Builders Beige. I also painted a 16 by 20 canvas this week that I hung in my kitchen. It is no great work of art but it makes me happy and by purchasing supplies on sale at Hobby Lobby it was not very expensive either!
I like to try to complete one room from head to toe before I start another one… that doesn’t always happen.
We’re moving to the other side of the country in the spring, so I’m excited to see what a new house has to offer :)
Nice to everyone else having some goals. I know new year resolutions are so cliche, but I can’t think of a better time of year!
I have two big goals… one is the infamous organizing. I used to be extremely organized. Then we moved cross country with a 2 yr old and 4 month old and since then we’ve just been grasping at the remains of organization. I refuse to waste anymore of my time looking for things!!
The other is that nothing new will be bought into our home. The kids really are furniture & decors worst nightmare. Plus it’s better for the budget & it’s green! So I’m hoping it’ll be a year of thrifting & yard saleing and repurposing!!
Between those two, there’s enough projects to keep me busy all year and then some I bet!
Happy New Year! Love those white plates in your first pic!!
We are renting a small (very small) home for the next couple of years, and there are days that I feel like it’s starting to close in on me. My first goal is to get rid of anything we don’t need, and then I want to find creative ways to organize this small space…you know, so it doesn’t drive me insane! :)
Yes, I have been getting rid of stuff too! I was feeling the same way!
I love the color on the walls in the picture…what is it?
This year my main goal is to declutter ALL my Christmas decorations and organize what I’m keeping so everything will be easy when it’s time to get it all out next year…I still have “stuff” from 25 years ago that has not been used for decorations in at least 20 years….ugh!
Behr all in one studio taupe, it is a lovely warm brownish gray tone that I really love!
I love how your goals aren’t too project related, more about being happy in your current home. A great inspiration for the new year.
I’ve already started my projects list for 2011. My husband and I sat down the other night and just started listing projects that we’d like to do, without the pressure of saying that they had to be done this year. We came up with quite a list and I might add a few more later. Once we had the list, we prioritized the projects. We are starting on our first project this weekend. Organization is at the top of our list!
Painting is on my list this year too! My poor house really needs it. And I love the “love living in your space” goal ~ that is such a beautiful goal! Love it!
I love this, and I totally identify with you on #3 – I definately don’t get projects done quickly or often because we’re just living and trying to enjoy our home. When it came to painting our house, it took 2 years. Start to finish my master bedroom project took 10 months :) but they eventually got done :)
Way to go, that inspires me! I know it will eventually get done!
Melissa,
Great, thought provoking post. I too have a lot of “to do” or “wishes” for my home that I know won’t happen this year. Of your ideas, my favorite is “pace yourself so you have time to enjoy your home”. How true! I need to slow down and delight in what I DO have rather than constantly racing to achieve the next “thing” for my home.
Karen
I am definitely trying to simplify all areas of my life, and that affects decorating, too. One of the things I want to do is spend the necessary time and effort to make things work the first time. I want to adjust til I find just the right way to arrange furniture, decorations, etc. Then leave them alone! That will save me tons of time and I’ll always like the way things look.
Wow, this just hit home! I have been making goals for my home all week. Thank you for the confirmation of those goals….Love the blog by the way. I found you this week. blessings!
Specificity and intention are two excellent words for getting a decorating dilemma figured out. (I’m still concerned about the “swine” paint issue. Perhaps I, too, have swine paint around. Ha! I guess it’s not a problem if I’m not feeling unsettled. Course there are so many household concerns to deal with.)
That’s right Vee. If something doesn’t make you unsettled then you can leave it alone! Swine walls might not bother someone else like they bother me :-)
The largest room in our house, our living room, is the most under utilized. I have know this for years and didn’t know how to fix it. My goal this year is to fix this room and make it work for us!
I actually wrote out a list of “home goals” for 2011! I’m a recently singled mother who is trying to create a space more evocotive of who I am and what I want for my children.
1) Paint guest bath, child #3 bedroom and hallway – all same color: Silent Fog.
2) Get new “big girl bed” for child #2 as she transitions out of toddler bed and gets ready to begin school in the fall (yes, my almost five year old is STILL in a toddler bed!)
3) Remove laurel bushes which somehow died this fall and establish new hedges in front landscape.
4) Select, purchase and install coordinating drapes for living, dining, kitchen great area space.
5) Refine master bedroom to establish “momcave” sense of personality and space.
I, too, have several other projects to work towards, but these are specific goals for which I have planned and budget in 2011! Yay!
Like so many who have commented, my biggest goal is that of organization. My foot has been broken for 8 wk and I’m beginning to recover. This weekend, I say hello to my back basement and goodbye to Xmas ornaments. Next weekend …. well the sky’s the limit, until I have purged and organized every room. Hello Easter?
for goal for 2011 is to invite more guests into our home. to create more memories while living in Minneapolis ♥
Melissa,
I love your goals. You crack me up when you talk about your swine walls. I understand so well, what it is like to have something in your home that makes you physically feel bad just by its presence. Even a certain paint color!
But your goal #3 resonates with me the most. I too feel I need to sit back and enjoy the gifts that God has given me. My family and home. More than ever I see the days flying by, and I want to enjoy living them.
God Bless,
Denise
My goal is to finish what we started in 2010. Painting walls. And to find the prefect table for my dining room. Hopefully at thrift or antique stores. I do have to ask….do you still have the tobacco leaf on your walls too? Or are you changing them all to the behr color in photo? Do youaint all first level one color or mix and match? I’m thinking I like the seamless flow on first floor living area when it’s all one color.
I still have Tobacco leaf (I’ll have to do a post on my paint colors soon) in my kitchen, hall and family room. The Studio Taupe is going in my dining room and part of my living room and entry. The colors are very similar in how they feel when you see them together from one room to the next, so it feels seamless, almost like a darker shade of the same color. But the lighting in my living room is so much brighter than my family room, so using a darker color helps warm it up. I’ll talk about this soon! Thanks for asking!
Melissa,
It has been so interesting to read everyone’s “home goals” posts! They are as different as we are as individuals! I like what you shared about not putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves by calling everything a GOAL. It’s like a gift when those EXTRA things get done, isn’t it?
Okay – gotta go CLICK A NAME. You are right. I have found great people this way! Thanks for reminding us Melissa. Have a great day!
Yes, clicking around on people’s comments is a great way to find like minded people!
I love the thought of having goals for my home this year, what a great idea!
I have several goals, but my biggest one is to help my husband love our home. He’s frustrated by our small 945 sqft cottage but with economic times the way they are, there’s no chance we’re moving any time soon.
This means I need to work with him to make the necessary adjustments to make storage/organization easier – for him, and keep the house looking beautiful – for me.
That is such a great goal…it can be frustrating to know you are stuck if you don’t want to be where you live. But I bet you can help him fall in love with your home by making it YOURS in every possible way!
I love your goals! Particularly #2:
Make changes to how we use the space we have, so we can function more efficiently.
that’s my #1 way to organize any space w/o spending any money. Use what you have, but move it aorund.
Thanks for the plug for link clicking. I’ve found lots of great people and have lots of good stuff to share :)
http://www.cleansmarsimple.blogspot.com
um yeah http://www.cleansmartsimple.blogspot.com would help if I spelled my own link correctly.
I actually have a goal sheet that I fill out every 6 months that helps keep me on track. Then I print it and put in my house journal notebook that sits on my desk. So when I’m doing my schedule it’s my reminder to look at my goals and then take steps to accomplish those goals. It has different catagories, and then Immediate, short term, and long term goals. I have been using it for 22 years. I’ll be posting it to my blog soon!!
Hugs and God bless!
Our home is at the age it needs a lot of work, some days I find myself overwhelmed with what to do and the cost involved. It is also way too big for us as we are recently empty nesters. So when planning, I think what we need now, plus how it can expand to accomodate married children with possible grandkids in the next few years.
My first goal is to repaint and redo the master bedroom and bathroom. I am wanting a warm yellow or gold paint to go with cream or white mouldings. Any suggestions?
Thank you for all the inspiration and peace I find here!
Yes, I do have a favorite warm yellow. There is a card at Sherwin Williams, I think it is SW 6129, that has a few shades of yellow that are wonderfully warm/gold and yummy. A darker one is called restrained gold, but there are lighter shades I think called butter maybe…all on the same card. I really miss those shades (had them in previous houses) and might bring them back to the second floor of my house. I just love warm yellows!
There’s wisdom in your words!!
Me? Choosing contentment.
This is new territory for me. It’s a GOOD THING!!
(I think I’m hearing this from you, too!)
I like to think of my home as a gift from God and want to live here in a way that pleases him. Making home a welcome place for my husband and family, finding joy in the details, and making it beautiful without extravagance are my intentions for my home.
We’ve been renovating for 8 months and it’s not done yet. But a large part of it is complete and I’m so very pleased. I posted before and after photos on my blog today.
My home goal this year is to PURGE and simplify! I have so many things that I keep around, that I neither love nor need…but that are not trash (many of them are gifts). I don’t know why I hold on to these things. But I need to break the codependency!
I am going to work on just enjoying being in my home. Since it is a temporary place for us and there is not much else we can do to improve it, just enjoying what we do have is key to my sanity!!
I love your blog! You are too cute. :) I know how you feel about the swine walls … my walls were supposed to be a beautiful golden yellowy-tan and instead they just look yellow. I hate them … but my whole house is painted yellow and I can’t muster up the courage to repaint every single wall in my home. Ha ha :) Maybe someday!
i have two huge goals for my house, and one not so huge. first off, we are going to buy a new couch and coffee table for the family room to open up the space in there so that my baby boy has room to crawl and eventually run. secondly, i am going to elfa my laundry room and my master bedroom closet. i cannot WAIT to get it installed. third….have a countertop installed over the washer and dryer for folding space in our laundry room (closet). will post as we complete.
Man do I need to join you in Goal #3. I’ve lived in my shoebox for EIGHT years now. I thought my “starter” condo would last me about two or three years and here I am still. Over the holidays, my parents gifted me with the greatest gift…a DIY project. Together, my dad (a plumber) and I will redo my shower and tub – something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. Then just two days later I found the PERFECT house for me. Well, as it turns out, it was the perfect house for someone else to and they beat me to the punch. For about a week, I’d been mourning the loss of that house, but now need to focus on the blessing of what I’ve already got! Thanks for the reminder, friend!
Boy, do I know what you mean about the swine color driving you nuts! For me, it’s the yellow with the greenish tint in the kitchen – or at least it WAS. We painted over it last weekend.
Woo! Hoo! Now, the cream is just a bit too peachy, but I have some cottage white that will go on top of it and it will be perfect.
I walk into the kitchen and I feel…
like I can breathe.
:)
I love the gray walls, I think I might use this idea when I have my own home!
This is a big year for us, as my parents are selling their home and will be putting an addition on our home. It is a glorified inlaw quarters that will be quite roomy! When their home sells they will move in with us and the construction will begin! So in the meantime I have sorting and purging to do, some painting, some major organization to accomplish!
Pray for us, will you?
I tend to be one of those people that have more goals and plans than I have time and money :)
If I were to narrow my list down it would be:
Make curtains in my dinning/kitchen
Finish dining table
Paint entertainment center and end tables in living room
Recover livingroom chair
Make curtains for livingroom and throw pillows
I could go on but I will just stick with the first level of my house for now.
Jeannie
Great and inspiring goals! love how you call it swine, girl! haha!
These are good goals and good reminders. I am working on reaching goals about an hour at a time. Yesterday after work, I sewed two different curtain panels together one on top of the other, and DH applied the hardware. The curtains are a filmy, shabby white which let in plenty of light during the day and give privacy at night. I’m pleased with our little after work project!
I actually need to take some time to make some home goals. As of this week, looks like we’re moving into a new home and hopefully our last. That would make #10 not counting four apartments. So, my goal is to make this new house a home. We are hoping to have extended family come for next Christmas so we can all be comfortably together in our new place. I also need to get this done on a budget. I’ve done it before, I can do it again. I posted photos of this house a couple of days ago. I think it has tons of potential!
I completely agree with all of these goals, in particular, #3. I think sometimes our lives get so busy and hectic, and our list of projects and “to-do”s gets so long, we do forget to just “live” in our homes. Maybe another “goal” of mine in 2011 should be to more often stop, take a deep breath, put my feet up and enjoy HOME just as it is in the moment. The “to-do” list can wait, it’s not going anywhere! Thanks, Melissa, for this post. :)
I am in LOVE with that paint color!!! I think our big goal this year is to make the space we have work for us! (Oh and thanks for the shoutout! And thanks to everyone who clicks on my “latest post”! I always find good things to read from the people who comment!)
i have desperately tried to make our home a place we LOVE. not to JUST be pretty…but comforting. it’s hard to do with 4 kids, 2 dogs, homschooling and my studio is in my home!
my goal is paint some of those rooms that just make me sigh and don’t excite me or comfort me. i need colors i WANT to live in!
My plan is to finish painting my whole house, too! Every single wall needed repainting when I moved in June of 2010. I’ve done less than half. Lot’s to do!
“swine”, lol! That cracked me up!
Love your blog. I just posted something on my blog about cleaning/organizing for the new year. Seems everyone is on a kick to do that. I’ve already started making a new giveaway pile. We just gave a bunch of stuff away about 1 month ago!
I got carried away at Nester’s, cuz I could finally see what I wanted everything to look like *done*, thanks to Emily’s post &analogy to canvas & a place to create. So, having read up on your authenticity, and *having* to be realistic, here goes. I broke mine down by rooms, to literally finish each one top to bottom-incl painting walls, ceilings, and selecting that which will be “done in the sun”-a la driveway. GOAL ROOMS/AREAS 1)DiningRoom current drag&drop, future home of promises to dear momma (89yo Sat/tmrw!)-aubergine,oak,&turquoise/aqua; 2)Kitchen-incl ripping out all cab’s,making the sink wall *all* backsplash-sheet metal! Turquoise&bicycle yellow! 3) CenterHall,stairs Up,Up hall; 4) Enclosed porch cum office, AC&heated, OfficialDisasterArea–back to Office on smaller scale, Sewing/Knitting, with antique twin 4poster as daybed for naps and/or sleeping porch. Real guest room up, waits til 2012. I have some furniture concoctions&colors up my sleeve for the downstrs, not tellin’ what pcs am gonna bolt together yet, heh heh. If there should be a miracle and I can do the LivRm&back entry/bsmt stairwell too? Gravy on top o the smooshed tatoes. :) -s-
Instead of a year goal, I have a six month goal, since my husband deploys this weekend for half the year. I would like to repaint my bedroom. Carrington Beige by Ben Moore, which is a greenish gray, and touch up my kitchen cabinets with Ivory Tusk by Ben Moore too. Maybe touch up my flower planters too for the front door. I hope I can get it done before he returns, it would be one less thing on his list.
I appreciate your comment that living has to come first. It is real easy to me to get caught up in what I love doing rather than feeling it’s okay just to love and be loved without doing anything. Great perspective!
I have so many home goals, i don’t even know where to begin…thanks for the inspiration Melissa!
xo
M
I have a goal to finally get all the painting done….
another goal…make my home “My Home” ….I tend to get lost in all the wonderful ideas out there in blog land and love so many ideas I want to do them all.
I need to learn to be me and just me…with a little help from blog land. {not sure if that made since =}
Thanks for your wonderful blog
Happy Day
Your swine comment had me laughing. I pictured little pig tchatchkes scattered all over your home. I actually looked up to make sure I was reading the right blog! I can relate to the walls and I too want mine painted this year along with the sage green (yuck) trim the previous owner left me.
Paint party anyone?
Your Friend,
Deborah
You know what, I agree I get lots of people who find me from your blog. I think it is because you have the cool feature that mentions what the last blog post was – very clever. It often gets my attention as well.
I had to be very realistic about what I can accomplish around the house this year too, as it is going to be a busy year – what with my son getting married, my daughter off to university, and me going on a volunteer trip to Bangladesh in the summer to teach in the Speech-Language department. All exciting things, but they all take time, money, and energy away from house projects.
I love the shade of Gray that you chose for your walls. I can’t get enough gray right now. We finished our basement a couple months ago and we painted the walls “Slate” from Restoration Hardware. I thought it might be too dark for the basement, but its really not. It has made the room look so dramtic with the white trim. Love it!
I love your intentionally and I love your intentional goals.
Fondly,
Glenda
I easily get overwhelmed by all things that I feel need to be done in my home. I’ve been here 10 years, and its time to replace the carpets. Since this is a big expense, since I might be going with hardwood, it might be the only thing that gets done this year. But I am okay with that, as it could drastically change the look of the house!
ORGANIZATION! I do not have a house, I have a teeny tiny apartment, a husband, and two adorable kittens. We do not have space and I am constantly pulling my hair out, and am tempted to just throw everything away and start from scratch. We are also recent graduates with astronomical debt and all furniture and home items were free, a.k.a. not my style. So I want to spruce up what we have and make it my own. And if I could do that and not spend any money that would be fabulous. ;)
This time of year I have the constant itch to REdecorate! It is amazing that just 1 new home accessory can justify painting the entire room. I’m inspired!!!
My goal is to not be afraid of change. We’ve been in our home for 8 1/2 years and things have stayed pretty much the same since we moved in. I see so many wonderful ideas and get so much inspiration from blogs, but I don’t have the courage to take the leap of faith and make a change. It’s really silly, I know. It’s not like changing the wall color is that scary, it’s just intimidating. This year my goal is to change one thing at a time. At least that’s a start.
I have big plans for my house this year. I live in a old home that my husband and I renovated about eight years ago. Since then, kids have arrived on the scene, slowing things down considerably and we’ve just been busy living life.
There are some small things that never got finished on our reno, other things like peeling paint on the exterior that is just routine maintenance. I’ve never really hung a lot of pictures on the walls or felt like I’ve completed any rooms.
So, my plan is to deep clean and decorate room by room. Wish me luck! I enjoy reading your blog, it truly is an inspiration!
I have wanted to paint in my house for years now, but have been too scared of picking out the wrong colors. One of my goals is to just do it. We also really need to totally redo our walls in order to paint, so the first goal would be to get rid of the gross grasscloth (I know grasscloth is in, but not this early ’90’s mess!). Once I figure out how to do that (it’s plastered somehow to paneling), it’s all about elbow grease. : )
My main goal is to make it livable without it feeling cramps. It’s not a big house and have a lot of stuff, so I either have to find places to fit everything or some stuff is just gonna have to go.
Great post and really great and achievable goals. Thanks.
Oh, I forgot to add that I love your paint color. It really is a warm gray.
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button!
I’d certainly donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i’ll
settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to new updates and will share this website with my
Facebook group. Talk soon!