Leveling Up Your House

[Super Starling!]

I read Level Up Your Life this weekend and was super-inspired to work out. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble breathing due to a (temporary!) lung infection, so I thought about Other Quests.

 

 

One of my Quests is to make my current home a place I really enjoy being in. I'm a visual artist, and it's important to me for my space to reflect/channel my sensibilities. The book talks a lot about abandoning one's possessions in order to Level Up, but my house is really important to me. I can afford it. It doesn't hold me back from the other things I want to do. 

 

 

I bought the house three years ago, and, after a pre-move-in flurry of painting (three rooms), and installing a gallery wall... I just stopped. 

 

And there's a crap-ton of work to be done on it. There is:

• a horrible yellow hallway,
• a pathetic pastel yellow bathroom,
• a pile of grit-sadness instead of a patio under the deck,
• a walkway that's falling apart,
• a garden that doesn't think boundaries are a thing,
• a huge pile of art that needs a wall,
• an unpaved driveway, and
• no carport.

 

 

 

All of which are First World Problems, I know. 

 

So I decided that the first step to a nice house would be dealing with the Lemony Hallway. It's both my biggest annoyance and the easiest fix. It's the main artery of the house, and it's Big Bird Yellow. I bought a few paint samples, slapped a few patches onto the hallway, conferred with my husband, and got started! 

 

 

I'll post shots after it's done and I've hung artwork on it. 

 

Has anyone else done any DIY level-ups on their Shires? 

[james452]

Very nice. I was going to suggest you pick the one task that annoys you the most but it looks like you did that yourself. (also please use more Gremlins pictures )

 

My partner and I are renting so we are quite limited in what we can do to our place. 

 

One thing we did recently is sell/throw out/donate a lot of crap sitting around the house. Our house look too cluttered and that creates a lot of stress for me. Having a lot of that gone and seeing empty space just brings peace to me.

 

Our current project to work on is preparing for summer here in Australia. We're scouting some cheap second hand outdoor furniture so we can sit and eat outside on sunny days. Even looking at getting a little spit roast bbq. We're even considering starting a little veggie garden (mostly to grow tomatoes because we eat a lot of tomato salad).

[Elastigirl]

Love this. After reading Level Up Your Life, I was inspired to spend more time on home remodel. For me, levelling up my life meant spending time with friends and family, which means I want a home that is comfortable. Doesn't have to be perfect, but like you, just fix some of the things. We did some stuff and then kind of lost steam. Reading about your projects will hopefully inspire me.

[EaseActivate]

NF total newbie here (joined today!) and super excited to see this post. I’ve been poking at my habits, health, and Home through a series of “experiments” over the last six months. One of my biggest goals is turn my home into something that feels like a vacation home, because I’ve always lived in a state of clutter.

I started with Marie Kondo’s method (great book!) in a few areas, and it’s been slowly changing how I see everything. Not totally sure yet how I’m going to tackle my full vision, but man am I excited to get there.


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[Super Starling!]

2 hours ago, EaseActivate said:

I started with Marie Kondo’s method (great book!) in a few areas, and it’s been slowly changing how I see everything.

 

My husband thinks that thanking my items for their service is hilarious. HE IS WRONG. EVERYTHING IN MY WARDROBE HAS FEELINGS, JUST LIKE I DO. 

 

 

Everything in my wardrobe is immaculately folded now. 

 

On 9/24/2017 at 9:46 PM, Elastigirl said:

For me, levelling up my life meant spending time with friends and family, which means I want a home that is comfortable.

 

Some people save up for travel; I honestly don't like to travel. We save up for throwing parties. And they aren't just, like, keggers. They are HAPPENINGS. They have orchestrated events, and games, and escape-the-rooms. People stay in hotels or our basement or our backyard. Food covers every surface in our kitchen. Our house is the backdrop for these to-dos. I'd like it to be clean, welcoming, and, uh, not-falling-apart. 

 

On 9/24/2017 at 8:26 PM, james452 said:

We're even considering starting a little veggie garden (mostly to grow tomatoes because we eat a lot of tomato salad).

 

FENCE IT IN. WHATEVER YOU DO, FENCE IT IN. From the sides. And the top. I had a veggie garden and the rabbits trashed it. 

 

 

Update: Here's an updated picture of my hallway with the new color (but no art up yet): 

 

 

I'd love to see everyone else's home improvements! Pics or it didn't happen!

[Elastigirl]

1 hour ago, Super Starling! said:

Some people save up for travel; I honestly don't like to travel. We save up for throwing parties. And they aren't just, like, keggers. They are HAPPENINGS. They have orchestrated events, and games, and escape-the-rooms

This sounds so fun!

[Super Starling!]

18 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

This sounds so fun!

 

We have long brainstorming and budgeting sessions beforehand. We also enlist a huge network of help in order to get supplies, or have people help us assemble things, or have people show up hours beforehand for setup. It's SO fun when it actually HAPPENS, but the lead-up is NERVE WRACKING. Kind of like a wedding, honestly. So many moving parts. 

[Nomad Jay]

I did some renovations on a place I lived at years ago. It was quite an adventure. The wonderful thing about the Internet is that you can find tutorials on how to do just about anything.

[Super Starling!]

Update: here's the hallway! 

 

 

[Elastigirl]

Wow, I never knew a hallway could look so cool!

[Super Starling!]

21 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Wow, I never knew a hallway could look so cool!

 

Thanks! We have a similar aesthetic throughout the house. Lots of mismatched pieces of art we've picked up at craft fairs. (Hitting up arts festivals is one of our hobbies. Junk food for him, art for me, long walk for dog.) I've found that the key to a good gallery wall is embracing differences. Getting 2D stuff, 3D stuff, big stuff, small stuff, round stuff, etc. Embrace the eclectic.