Happy new year! I know I’m a bit late in starting back up with my posting this year… between Sean quarantining with COVID and then lots of snow and power outages, I needed to take a bit more time off to get life sorted before jumping back into posting to the blog. But I am back and I’m excited to share even more PNW cabin renovations with you this year. I love making a list of our goals for each year because it helps to keep me on track, but also so you know what sorts of projects to expect. Let’s dig in!
2021 Cabin Renovation Recap
I always find it helpful to look at what we’ve accomplished before setting goals, so here’s a quick recap of what we tackled in 2021:
Our living room, dining room, and open living space
The first project we tackled was pretty much 50% of the house because it is so open! We spent a few weeks (with a few debacles along the way…) giving the walls and ceiling a fresh coat of paint, including the gorgeous green trim that I am still very much in love with.
Read more about our living room makeover
Our guest bedroom
Another favorite project of mine is our guest bedroom. My biggest goal in this project was to totally transform it into a comfortable space where Sean’s dad, Andy, felt comfortable. Plus another excuse to make an epic gallery wall!
Read more about our guest bedroom makeover
Our guest bathroom
It’s so hard to choose an actual favorite of our cabin renovations… but if I HAD to choose, I think my fave is our bathroom. I’ve always wanted to paint a bathroom black and I just really love how this entire space came together. Plus, it’s a huge improvement in the overall livability of the cabin since it smells way better now, too!
Read more about our guest bathroom makeover
Our laundry closet
While not exactly the sexiest project, updating our laundry closet has made a big impact on day-to-day life. Not only does it smell better, it functions so much better for our household. These photos are somewhat old and don’t reflect that we ended up replacing the machines, but you get the general idea!
Read more about our laundry closet makeover
The pantry
Another functional, but necessary makeover project was our pantry. I turned a dark and difficult to use space into something much brighter and way more organized. I still love it and the organization has been awesome since I cook so much out here!
Read more about our pantry makeover
The gear room + den
And finally, we also transformed ‘the purple room’ into an epic gear room and den! This room truly makes my heart so happy and it feels like an amazing addition to any cabin. We still have a few things to finish in the space, but I’d say it’s 80% there! Here’s a list of what else I’d like to do:
- Hang art on the den side of the room
- Create a sleeping area for additional guests on the loft above the sectional sofa
- Organize the TV and tech on the opposite wall
- Add more functional listing to the den side
Read more about our gear room makeover
Our 2022 Cabin Renovation Goals
Ok, now that we’ve reviewed the many, MANY renovations we tackled here in our cabin… it’s time to talk about 2022. In general, I want to keep our project list short this year so that we can enjoy our second summer a bit more than last year. I committed to way too many projects, especially over the summer, and it just wasn’t the best move. While I loved being able to get more rooms into a livable status, this year I want to slow down a bit more and enjoy living in the North Cascades instead.
That being said, I have two main areas of focus that I’d like to tackle this year:
Gardening and Landscaping
I am dyingggg to get a vegetable garden going here! We have just shy of 2 acres and I’ve already identified where I want to put my garden… I just need to do it. I got started a little bit last year and then discovered I had to dig up hundreds of bricks. I made a lot of project and then just got distracted by all the indoor projects we ended up doing instead.
So in 2022, I want to spend a ton more time working on the exterior of the cabin, including a veggie garden, some flower beds around the front porch and back patio, and maybe even a cut flower garden. It’s been years since anyone has done any sort of gardening here, so I have my work cut out for me!
I also want to redo our outdoor dining and and lounge areas. Basically, I want to change where we eat outdoors because we spent the entire summer carrying food through our bedroom to the back patio… and I hated it. It felt so weird having guests come into our bedroom! So instead, I want that space to be more of a chill zone, especially since it’s the home of our hot tub.
That means I need to find a different spot for our outdoor dining table. I have dreams of creating a patio area in the middle of a cut flower garden where we can set up the table and a ton of cafe lights. So we’ll see how that pans out!
Here’s my list of gardening and landscaping goals:
- Prepare the ground for my vegetable garden plot and map out garden bed placement
- Build raised beds and fence to keep out animals
- Set up a greenhouse
- Set up secure compost area
- Succession plant vegetables
- Prepare ground for cut flower garden
- Plant bulbs
- Establish garden beds around the front porch and back patio
- Create outdoor dining area in a different part of the property
- Turn back patio into outdoor lounge area instead
Our Main Bedroom Suite
And lastly, 2022 is the year we finally finish our main bedroom suite. We did a ton of work on it last year and have shared a few updates along the way. But again, this is a project that was pushed to the back burner when I decided to focus on other rooms.
As you can see, we still have sub-flooring… and our bathroom area is still a nightmare. I don’t even want to show you. Let me just say this: I bought a bathroom vanity in April 2020 and it has sat in a dark, unpainted corner of our bedroom since then. Not plumbed, just covered in boxes of bathroom fixtures. I can see it every day from bed and it drives me nuts. And as much as I adore my husband, he has not taken the time to plumb it… which means that there is a cardboard flap separating our bedroom from the crawlspace below. It is… a situation.
Here’s a recap of the process we’ve made so far:
- Our Cabin Bedroom Suite Renovation: Before + Design Plan (Part 1)
- Our Cabin Bedroom Suite Renovation: Progress Check In (Part 2)
- Our Cabin Bedroom Suite Renovation: Flooring & Bathroom Plans (Part 3)
- Our Cabin Bedroom Suite Renovation (Part 4)
And here is a list of what remains to be done:
- Install flooring — I actually have a brand partnership already lined up for this and cannot wait to get started! It’s going to be so good and the product we’re using is literally the best one for this space.
- Finish the paint in the vanity area
- Install vanity, lighting, fixtures, etc
- Repaint our bathroom — I have plans to tackle this in January as well, just waiting on the new color to show up!
- Finish putting the outlet covers and switch plates back
- DIY a headboard for our bed
That list really doesn’t seem like that much, but you know me… I always find ways to explode our punch list and make it even longer! What do you think of these goals for our cabin in 2022? I’d love to know what you think and if you’re excited to follow along on these journeys.
I love these goals and think they will go a long way in continuing to make you feel settled in at home!
Thank you!! That’s my hope :)