Top Five Blog Posts for 2018

While I didn’t blog nearly as much as I would have liked to this year, I did work on some projects that I really enjoyed. To cap off 2018 I thought I’d share my five most popular blog posts as chosen by you! 

Dining room hutch makeover in Coal Black – One of my favourite painted updates this year by far. Finding and updating such a perfect piece for our dining room makes me want to buy big pieces of furniture for every room and repaint them.

How to repair cat scratched leather using just two household items!

How to repair cat scratched leather – An old blog post of mine from three years ago that’s becoming more and more popular thanks to Pinterest! Turns out a lot of people have cats that also enjoy destroying things. You are very welcome here.

One Room Challenge Spring 2018 – Much like some time after having a baby, you forget the physical pain it caused you and you consider doing it again. My One Room Challenge this spring was pretty intense mentally and physically, but I’m already thinking about the next room I want to tackle.

Painting a leather chair using Fusion Mineral Paint – My next most favourite paint update this year was my secondhand leather armchair I painted black. I’m sitting in it right now and I will honestly say it is still in perfect condition.

Click through to four top tips for sourcing secondhand pieces online! #Secondhand #Thrifted

My top tips for buying secondhand items online – I’m glad this made it into my top five blogposts for 2018 as this is one of my favourite pastimes; searching for my next secondhand piece online.

And thank you if you checked out my blog some time in 2018. It means a lot that in the fleeting age of Instagram, people are still vising blogs. Even if it was just to have a snoop.

2019 Interior Design Trends (they’re whatever the fuck you want them to be)

Maybe it’s because as I get older, I care less about what others think. Maybe it’s because I’m tired of mind-game algorithms. Or maybe it’s the universal push against social media I’ve been feeling in recent months, but having another set of ‘rules’ to follow creep into my timeline at this time of year is feeling like the last straw. Or maybe it’s because so much outside is overwhelming and all I want to do is create somewhere wonderful at home.

I know they’re not rules at all but guidelines and opinions set out for the year ahead, but imagine if the 2019 Interior Design Trend predictions were Whatever You Like instead of mass consumerism, and Pantone’s colour of the year was Whatever The Fuck You Want It To Be?

Since starting my blog in 2008, the more involved I got with blogging, connecting with others and diving into what was trendy, the more I wanted to add those popular trends to our home. It took a while, but I realized I don’t like a lot of what is popular, and I began phasing them out. I’ve been spending less time mindlessly online recently and more time focusing on what I actually like. And surprisingly, a lot of what I like [design-wise] is a mix of dark Victorian style [Dark Romatic Luxe] and as odd as it sounds, 90’s comfort that brings me back to my childhood. I’m talking Mr. and Mrs. Wilson’s house circa Dennis the Menace and the McCallister’s house in Home Alone; over the top curtains, patterns on patterns, overstuffed sofas, walls littered with frames, warmth and a more carefree feel to being at home.

I’m hoping 2019 is the year when for the most part we’re less rigid about what is and isn’t stylish. If you want to wallpaper your doors, wallpaper your damn doors. If you want to sponge paint your walls, sponge paint them. I’ll be right there cheering you on. Do whatever the hell you want! Fill your home with whatever makes you happy, regardless of whether or not it will look good Instagram or to other people.

Sponge paint those walls.

[For the record, I find sponge painted walls nostalgic.]

The Interior DIYer now has shopable posts!

I’ve added a fun feature to my site from pipdig called Shopr!

I’ve been using pipdig’s Venture theme since I updated my blog at the beginning of this year. They occasionally send updates with interesting information to their users and recently they introduced their new Shopr plugin. I’ve been interested in adding a widget like this to my site for a long time now [because they look so fancy], but it was never really possible through Blogger and I was half always waiting until I had a more proper looking website. When pipdig emailed about their new plugin I couldn’t wait to try it out and LOOK AT HOW MUCH MORE I LOOK LIKE I HAVE MY SHIT TOGETHER …

Shop this look!

CIL Classic Burgundy
CIL Classic Burgundy
What We Do In The Shadows
What We Do In The Shadows
$10.99
IKEA Jubla Unscented Candles
IKEA Jubla Unscented Candles
$8.99
IKEA Begavning Glass Dome
IKEA Begavning Glass Dome
$14.99
Anthropologie Mimira Candle
Anthropologie Mimira Candle
$24
April & The Bear Letter Board
April & The Bear Letter Board
€60
CIL Classic Burgundy
CIL Classic Burgundy
What We Do In The Shadows
What We Do In The Shadows
$10.99
IKEA Jubla Unscented Candles
IKEA Jubla Unscented Candles
$8.99
IKEA Begavning Glass Dome
IKEA Begavning Glass Dome
$14.99
Anthropologie Mimira Candle
Anthropologie Mimira Candle
$24
April & The Bear Letter Board
April & The Bear Letter Board
€60
CIL Classic Burgundy
CIL Classic Burgundy
What We Do In The Shadows
What We Do In The Shadows
$10.99
IKEA Jubla Unscented Candles
IKEA Jubla Unscented Candles
$8.99
IKEA Begavning Glass Dome
IKEA Begavning Glass Dome
$14.99
Anthropologie Mimira Candle
Anthropologie Mimira Candle
$24
April & The Bear Letter Board
April & The Bear Letter Board
€60

Going forward, anything shopable can be found at the bottom of each blog post in a cute little carousel! As anyone who has jumped from Blogger to WordPress will know there are picture width issues, so I’m slowly making my way through my old blog posts anyways to resizing my photos, and in turn I’ll be adding some Shopr’s as I go.