Nothing Makes You Notice Your House Like Finding Out Family Is Coming

 

 

My sister told me today that she and her kids are coming for Thanksgiving.

My first thought?

Do I have time to renovate my bathroom?

Reader, I do not.

And I say this as someone who plans and manages renovations for a living.

There’s something about knowing people are coming to stay that makes you look at your house with an entirely different set of eyes. Suddenly, the bathroom you’ve been meaning to update for years feels like an emergency. The dining room needs attention. The guest room could use a refresh. And why have I been living with that light fixture for so long?

It’s funny how we can overlook things in our own homes until we imagine someone else experiencing them.

The Holiday Home Inspection

The holidays are a bit of a stress test for our homes.

We cook more, entertain more, and squeeze more people around the table. We notice the awkward kitchen layout when three people are trying to prepare dinner. We realize there aren’t enough places to sit, or that the lighting in the dining room isn’t quite right.

And sometimes we realize that the bathroom really does need to be renovated.

But here’s the thing. These aren’t necessarily new problems. They’ve probably been there for years. We’ve just gotten very good at working around them.

As an interior designer, I spend a lot of time helping people recognize these little frustrations and figure out how to address them. Because a home should work for the way you actually live, not just look good in photographs.

What Can You Realistically Do Before the Holidays?

If you’re looking around your house and feeling a sudden urge to change everything before the guests arrive, I get it. Clearly.

But this is where I encourage a little restraint.

There are plenty of smaller projects that can make a big difference without turning your house into a construction zone right before Thanksgiving.

A fresh coat of paint, better lighting, rearranging furniture to improve circulation, or updating a few things in the powder room can go a long way.

And sometimes the best thing you can do is simply clean up, put out some fresh towels, light a candle, and remember that people are coming to see you, not inspect your grout.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

The Bigger Projects Can Wait. The Planning Doesn’t Have To.

If hosting makes you realize that your kitchen really doesn’t function the way you need it to, or that your bathroom has seen better days, pay attention to that.

The holidays are actually a great opportunity to see how your home performs when it’s being used to its fullest.

Notice where people gather. Where they get in each other’s way. Which rooms work beautifully and which ones don’t.

Make a list. Take some notes. Think about what you would change if you could.

Then, after the holidays, you can start making a thoughtful plan.

A successful renovation takes time. There are budgets to establish, layouts to consider, materials to select, contractors to coordinate, and a whole lot of decisions to make before anyone picks up a hammer.

Rushing that process to meet an arbitrary deadline is rarely a good idea.

Trust me. I know.

Speaking of Planning…

I’m working on a series of Renovation Planning workshops for homeowners who are thinking about making changes to their homes but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

We’ll talk about realistic budgets, timelines, assembling the right team, making design decisions, and avoiding some of the common mistakes that can make renovations more stressful and expensive than they need to be.

My goal is to give homeowners the information and confidence they need to make good decisions, whether they’re planning a kitchen renovation, updating a bathroom, or tackling a larger project.

I’ll be sharing dates and locations soon, so stay tuned!

And One Completely Unrelated Recommendation…

If you’re looking for something to read while avoiding all those projects you suddenly think you need to finish before Thanksgiving, my book club recently read Kin.

We loved it. A solid 9.2 out of 10 from the group, which is no small accomplishment considering how opinionated we can be.

Highly recommend.

Back to Thanksgiving…

I’m looking forward to having my sister and her kids here. The house won’t be perfect. The bathroom will still need renovating. And I’m sure I’ll find another dozen things I’d like to change between now and then.

But the house will be full, there will be food on the table, and we’ll have a good time.

Which is really the whole point, isn’t it?

So if you’re looking around your own house and wondering whether you can squeeze in a renovation before the holidays, my advice is probably not.

We probably shouldn’t renovate your bathroom before Thanksgiving either.

But we can definitely make a plan.

Beth
Revise Studio Interior Design