The One Year Challenge
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday! We were lucky enough to spend the whole weekend with loved ones at our home. Due to a somewhat tumultuous childhood and some unfortunate memories surrounding Christmas, it was always my dream to host it. I enjoy the idea of second chances and do-overs, and this was no exception. Despite being immobilized this year by a seriously sprained ankle, it feels so nice to welcome everyone into our home and hunker down in front of the fireplace.
As we shift gears this week from one year to the next, it can be helpful to use this time to reflect and plan. The feeling of freshness I wake up with every year on January first is so invigorating, and I like to meet it with open arms and an idea of how I’d like the next year to go. On my list of lofty aspirations this year are many things, like meditating more, gardening, learning to make my own tea, and shifting my business into a new phase. Probably the most challenging goal of all, however, is to forego buying anything for our home until the end of 2023.
So dramatic. Nearly impossible. It might be because of my Scorpio nature, but the harder the challenge is, the more I rise to the occasion. The reasoning behind this declaration is simple: every “mistake” I’ve made in our house thus far has happened because I wasn’t looking at the full picture. When you’re assembling a whole home piece by piece, it’s so easy to lose sight of what you wanted it to be. After a year of helping my clients with their homes, I see how magical it can be when we’re able to do everything all at once.
For the next 12 months I’ll be squirreling away whatever I can manage, hopefully saving enough to complete our whole first floor and replace some of the temporary furniture we’ve been holding on to. It will definitely be difficult, but it comes with the added bonus of a full year to work out my thoughts. If you’re anything like me, when you see something you want to change you obsess over it - it can’t possibly be changed fast enough. I think sometimes this traps us in a cycle of always replacing, because we don’t fully think through each choice in the broader lens of the whole home.
If you’re feeling stuck in your home, and seem to be making the wrong decisions over and over again, join me in this challenge! If what we’re doing isn’t working, might as well try something new, right?
To keep myself motivated, I made a list of the things I’m coveting for our house. Whenever I’m feeling spendy, I’ll return to this list as a reminder of why I’m doing it!
The only thing I’m 100% sure of is that I’m dying for a SixPenny sofa.
Preferably designed by Jake Arnold or Sarah Sherman Samuel.
A comfy chaise. This one from Amber Interiors is out of our price range, but the vibe is impeccable.
This chaise from River and Bord is likely too traditional for this house, but wow is it amazing.
New coffee tables for our living room and den. We might be hand-crafting at least one of them. This guy from Amber Interiors really has my heart though…
Do you think this is something you would try? Let me know in the comments!
