14 New Year Decorating Resolutions to keep

New year, new you? Probably not.

I mean, every time I’ve vowed to diet, stop drinking and read more, I end up eating tonnes, throwing back a wine and watching reruns of The Real Housewives of New York City all summer long.

A refreshed home; now that’s something I can commit to!

In today’s post I want to share some of my own new year decorating resolutions with you, and encourage you to get on board with these style ideas and organisation hacks too. So let’s pull our fingers out and get our homes sorted for the new year.

1. Clean out the heaving bottom drawer

The bottom drawer in my kitchen is like Mary Poppins’ handbag. You could reach in there and pull out anything and everything from old keys, vertical blinds, and all of the things Winona Ryder shoplifted from Saks Fifth Avenue.

In 2018 I’m vowing to be more organised and it all starts with decluttering my drawers (bedside drawers included).

2. Organise my hot mess of a pantry

I don’t know why pantries are so poorly made. So many feature shelving that’s too far apart in height. There’s so much wasted space in mine, and I plan on giving the entire thing an overhaul this summer.

Stay tuned because I’m going to do a video on how the pantry went from gross to gorgeous (and show you how easy it can be).

3. Paint a wall (and not in white!)

Although I might not be in my dream home suburb-wise, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I have to stop longing for the forever home I may never have.

So this year I want to make some style changes to this place and enjoy it for what it is. The first logical choice is to do something amazing with the walls, so fingers crossed my partner agrees to a splash of colour!

4. Make the laundry lush

I desperately need to make my laundry more of a design destination and not a forgotten zone where old clothes go to die.

This might be the room I decide to paint, actually, and after that some shelving is needed to store all of the appliances that don’t fit into my tiny kitchen cupboards.

If you need some low-budget ways to make your laundry a stunner, this post has you covered.

5. Install wallpaper somewhere

I’ve installed wallpaper in a client’s home recently and it gave me chills. It was a black cloth wallpaper that added so much warmth to the room. It made me wish so many people weren’t so afraid of using wallpaper. And now I’m determined to make this work in my own home somewhere.

If you’re wanting to see some wallpaper designs that don’t feel too overbearing, check this out.

6. Buy some armchairs to read in

I have two areas in my home (living room and home office) that are ripe for some armchairs to read in. I actually don’t have a killer reading nook in my home right now but I really want one.

I like to have an area to read in that’s not a bed or the sofa I watch TV on. I might reach out to a few brands and see if we can cook up some stylish before and after videos for you this year!

7. Install eye-catching pendant lights

I’m longing for a sculptural pendant light above my dining table to give the space a necessary focal point. And I really want some pendants for above my bedside tables as well.

When I bought this home a year ago it came with the most revolting oyster lights, so I’m determined to go on a light replacing frenzy and get them all updated. Pendants will play a big role here.

8. Make my front yard beautiful

My front yard looks like a pet cemetery. I really need to get the lawn properly turfed and the fence completed. I got a fence built out of beautiful acacia wood a few months back but have been wondering whether I stain or paint it. The yard makes a terrible first impression and I need to rectify this stat!

9. Stop killing my indoor plants

You’ve read on the blog before about my hatred for my bastard fiddle leaf fig. This year, though, I really want to do better with indoor plants and get a few more for the pockets of my home.

Drop me a comment below if you have any hard-to-kill varieties that have worked for you. I’d love to get my hands on some low-maintenance ones.

10. Replace my window treatments

I have the ugliest window treatments known to man. A combination of dark grey roller blinds that are so heavy and hard to pull up, and an equally hideous collection of vertical blinds on some windows.

I want to replace them all this year with something lighter and softer. So watch this space as I narrow in on the right products and hopefully show you the before and after shots.

11. Totally sort out my home office

I converted my ground floor master bedroom into a home office recently, but it’s so incomplete it hurts. I need shelving, an armchair, some mood lighting, and a few indoor plants and stationery moments to really make it shine.

12. Discover emerging Aussie makers

I used to spend loads of time on this blog showcasing local makers and artists and the last year or so the focus shifted more toward interior design ideas and inspo.

I’d like to get back to hunting out amazing locals who are making things the big brands don’t, so you can put some unique pieces in your home that feel handmade and meaningful.

13. Get some attractive cat furniture

Can’t furniture for pets be truly revolting? In this post I discovered some attractive cat and dog decor that is actually totally adorable, but I want to take things a step further this year.

I really want to give the cats some dedicated (and stylish) moments to call their own around the house. I’d love to fix some things to the wall and get them adorable plates and/or feeding stations.

I’d love you to comment below if you know where to get some great stuff for pets from.

14. Sort out the lack of air con

Last but not least, I need to sort out the cooling situation in my home. I’m tossing up between ceiling fans, whirlybirds on the roof, installing air con units in bedrooms, or a combination of all three.

Again, I’d love you to drop me a comment below if you have fans or whirlybirds and let me know if they helped cool your home down.

What are your New Year decorating resolutions?

Drop me a comment below and share the things at home you want to work on this year. I’d love to know what your new year decorating resolutions are.

Oh, and also drop me a comment if you can help out with any of the questions I asked above. Thanks for reading xx

The hero image in this post is via H&G Designs.