I’ve vowed not to do any DIY in the last few weeks before Christmas. I’m going to be sipping prosecco with my nearest and dearest not painting the kitchen like I was last year. However there are a couple of areas around the house that could do with a tarting up a little. Not major renovations just a few hours to spruce up and tick off the to-do list. Enter the #FinishInFall project.
The Concept
Becky and I were discussing this concept a couple of weeks ago and wondered if any of you fancied joining in too? The idea is just to take one small corner of your home and carve out a couple of hours over the next month to give it a makeover, finishing before the winter begins in December. You are obviously more than welcome to do a full room remodel (like our Rock My Room project) but I’m sure most of us are in hibernation state and/or Christmas shopping mode so we don’t have the time or inclination to take on a big project.
My Challenge
On my to-do list is sorting out the spare room which we both use as a dressing room too. I’ve mentioned this space several times on these pages; it’s the one I lost my decorating mojo to and I have no affection for the room whatsoever. The first header image is the one side of the area that’s completed but as you can see from the second image in the slider gallery the rest of it is very unloved. Generally I close the door and hope some pixies will transform it into some glam meets boho chic kind of pad. However the fairies seem to be held up somewhere so it looks like I’m going to have to put my own wings on and pull my finger out particularly when it comes to the two chests of drawers in here.
It’s obviously not a big job but since we put together the Ikea furniture 18 months ago I’ve really struggled with what to put on top and so they’ve just become home to left over toiletries, washing and discarded photographs. There’s a teeny gap above the tallest chest before the roof begins to slope so it makes it awkward to work out what to nestle on the surface. Should I put any pictures on the wall here or just prop a few trinkets and be done with it?
After Lisa’s recent post I bought the gold M&S Mirror to hang above the smaller chest of drawers and plan to get some custom mounts made to fill a few gold frames. I need a lamp and maybe a couple of trays to corral together a few bits and pieces. I’m also desperately in need of a new chic laundry basket which is harder to find than it sounds! I’m hoping it’ll look like the apartment of With Love From Kat in no time.
I’m sure I could have this nailed with an internet ordering session and half an hour of faffing but it’s just another thing I keep putting off.
What small decor or DIY project have you been delaying for weeks on end? Does anyone else have a few hours to spare to smarten up one bit of their house? Maybe you need a nudge to finally paint some furniture, order some art or put up some photo frames? Do share if you’re going to join in and hopefully we can all play along on Instagram Stories. I’m looking forward to hearing what you plan to tackle.
I think the #FinishInFall project is a great idea, hopefully it will spur me on to get a few jobs finished before my brother and his family descends at Christmas 🎄
I recently made a pilgrimage to Ikea and return laden with goodies including the infamous picture ledges that I have been admiring here on Rock My Style. The only issue for me is that being a somewhat clumsy, singleton I am not very adept at DIY. I electrocuted myself when trying to change socket covers in my first flat and have avoided anything that involved more than a hammer and some nails ever since. So I need to enlist the help of friends to #FinishInFall my bedroom, sitting room and entrance way. Fingers crossed I’ll get it done!
Ouch Leona. Electrocution definitely shouldn’t be on the list for #FinishInFall!
Good luck with the picture ledges. Once you get one up you’ll want them everywhere! x
What a fab idea! I’ve got lots of little areas in my house that have been on the to do list for ages (change out light switches, paint a second coat on the lounge, wax the lounge floor) but over the weekend I decided that I would move! So my #FinishInFall will be to buy a flat, make my house ready for renting, find a tenant and aim to move in between Christmas and New Year! No Pressure!
Wow Katie, that’s a big change! Best of luck with it all x
Love this… so my plans for #FinishinFall….
Repaint bathroom (dark grey!) and add some shelves and some fake plants, new shower curtain…
Still waiting to properly re-do bathroom at somepoint so this is just a temporary spruce.
Spare Bedroom – same as with bathroom… this room needs replastering at somepoint, carpet, new bed etc. As we’ve got friends coming to stay in December I am just going to add some pictures/hangings etc, few decorative items, a new blind and lampshade.
Sort out clothes etc and put up in the attic.
Oh and I need to source one more chair to paint… I only have 5… so need to find one that looks exactly like the ones I have already painted….
Got quite a few jobs to do as haven’t done much since June (Kitchen Makeover that is still missing a floor and table!!)
Realising that our house is a huge number of unfinished jobs.
Yay for a dark grey bathroom Abi. Keep us up to date with your progress x
Love this idea. My spare bedroom is exactly the same, I don’t want to invest too much money in it, as like you I just have no affection for it and it is hardly used but at the same time I want it to look more like a “room” which I hope will make the rest of the house feel more finished. My plans are;
– source some reasonably cheap bedside tables and lamps
– a rug to make the wooden floor more cosy
– a light fitting (at the moment its just the white cord with a bulb!)
– trinkets, art work for my also very bare chest of drawers
Great plan Sarah and practically the same as mine. The lighting is tricky isn’t it? I don’t want to spend too much but I need something quite big. Let me know how you get on x
Will do! I’m hoping purchasing those things will make the room seem more “done” at hopefully not too much expense! x
Great idea! I’m currently procrastinating… to home from the school run determined to sort out the kids room today… but ended up spilling nearly all the paint on the deck and all of a sudden it’s nearly lunch time! Oh dear…
we decorated last year in a rush so it was all ok but not perfect. This could be my motivation to get everything done 😎
The paint – Oh no! Hope we’ve given you a little nudge to sort the kids room x
I’m in! My list includes:
Finish painting tricky bits in the kitchen behind washing machine and radiators, started on March 1 (Stiffkey Blue);
Finish painting ensuite bathroom (slate grey!) started in September (or it could have been August hmmm);
Order new Roman blind for our bedroom that I’ve been promising myself for months and months and which irritates me EVERY morning and EVERY evening because it doesn’t ruddy run properly and probably wakes the neighbours with its clunking and clanking;
and the biggie – paint the living room before beautiful vintage furniture from MiLs comes over on a van before we let her old house out. Somehow I don’t think this one will get done pre-Christmas unless we rehome the two year old.
I could go on but let’s be realistic.
Good luck everyone!
The rehoming of the toddler made me laugh out loud Ali. Ticking the roman blind of your list will change your life 😉
My husband has booked 3 weeks off work – one each in Oct, Nov, Dec – so we can finish off some half-done rooms. Oct was the dining room and it’s nearly there (derailed a bit by a bout of norovirus), Nov is the kitchen (fitted last December but still not tiled…) and I reckon Dec will be either replacing the skirting in the lounge (removed in March) or painting the horrible wood panelling in our hall. Oh… did I mention we have a 14 month old?! Wish us luck!!
Hope you’re all better in your house now Cat. Great idea to do three week long stints. I’m going to suggest that to my other half! x
Hi Lauren, totally off topic but is there an article on here for when you bought and painted your fire surround in your living room? I’m sure there is but can’t find it! We’re looking to do ours and yours is lovely xx
Thanks Hannah. The surround was from ebay – all the details should be in this post – http://rockmystyle.co.uk/a-cosy-snug/ x
We have been re-doing our house for a few months and have several rooms which are SO nearly done. And for many of them we’ve bought the extra bits we need and they just need hanging/fitting etc. So mission will be to complete these rooms ASAP so we then just have a couple left to do (start to finish…). x
Get the hammer out Sophie! x
Will i be expelled from RMS if I confess that maybe just maybe I should finish off the en suite architraves and mirror in the spare room we began for Rock My Room back in the early spring 😳🙄😂
Ha ha ha ha Lucy! We’ll never expel you. Perfect project for you to finish off this month 😉
I’d love to join in but struggling but struggling to find anything that alliterates with autumn and you’ll find me jay walking downs the sidewalk eating candy before I call it fall! 😉
I do have a project I plan to start
😂
Ha ha Rachel! I actually really like the term Fall as it seems more appropriate with what’s happening to the leaves!
Americanisms aside I hope you’ll join in x
I’m very much an initiator of projects! My hubby is luckily a details obsessed completed- finisher so sees through all my mad ideas and we don’t have too many unfinished bits. I will however endeavour to make the blind for my dressing room I’ve been meaning to do for 4 years
I’m in awe of anyone who can make window treatments!
Great idea! We have the added deadline of a new baby mid December. We’re moving our toddler son to a new bedroom, and apart from another coat of paint on the walls, we’re nearly there! New carpet is coming next week so that’ll be the push we need. Once son has moved, we’ll then do a bit of faffing in the new baby’s room and there’s some furniture swapping going on between toddlers new room and spare room. So it’ll give me the motivation to actually finish the spare room. Just need to build the new double bed for the spare room and it’ll be done. The chest of drawers is coming out of there for a lick of paint for son’s new room. Also need to order him a new rug and I’d planned on finding shelves and beanbag or something to make him a wee reading nook as he loves his books. Doing all this while 7.5 months pregnant might be the tricky part 😕
M-J such an exciting time for you! I think you might need to delegate a bit though 😉
I like this idea and we’re on a push to finish things off pre-Christmas, when family and friends are descending! All the big jobs are finished in our house but we need to add the finishing touches; pictures, accessories in some rooms, odd bits of paint touch ups, stop using the spare room as a dumping ground and use it as an actual room!
Spare rooms really do become dumping grounds. I think it’s the same for most people! Good luck with the finishing touches x