A heartfelt before-and-after home tour looking back on six years in our house, budget-friendly updates, room makeovers, and the slow, meaningful process of creating a home our family loves.
First of all, I can't believe we've been in this house for six years! It feels like we lived in our old house forever and that my kids grew up there, but this will truly be the house my kids remember when they're grown. They've spent their formative years here, and it has been really special, in the house we moved into back in 2019. We had no idea what was coming just 4 months after we moved in, but the decision to move when we did turned out to be the best decision ever!
It's also been 4 years since I did a before-and-after home tour. I moved away from doing them, but I really want to get back to being more conversational and personal in my posts. I miss the days when I just wrote an update about whatever I was doing that week. So this is my attempt this year to be more personal on the blog. (I've considered starting a Substack for personal updates, and I may move these there someday, but for now they'll stay here.)
We did a lot of updating when we first moved in to get rid of the worst decor offenders (like lime green and deep gold paint colors). We even did an exterior makeover that freshened up the home in a major way. But the past few years have slowed down a bit. Our kids are older and need more funds for extracurricular activities. Still, I'm committed to making this home ours, even if it takes decades.
You can see our first two years of projects in the home here:
Since sharing our last full home update in 2021, I've mostly focused on makeovers for the laundry room, dining room, and butler's pantry. These three rooms needed some major purchases and DIY projects. I've given them honorable mentions at the end of this post, so be sure to scroll down if you've missed them!
Once the main spaces on the first floor were the way I wanted them, it was time to focus on the bedrooms. I've still only tackled one bathroom in this home (the powder room), and there are 3 others patiently waiting for their much-needed makeover.
One thing to note is the budget, and how much extra money it takes to update a home. We live in an Instagram world of quick fixes and week-long makeovers, but the reality is that money is tighter now than when we first moved in. We move at the speed of cash in this home, so updates haven't turned over as quickly as they used to.
Last year, I finished my daughter's cosmetic updates in her room to make it feel more cohesive and more "her."
I also started the primary bedroom makeover (part 2). I paused in the middle to get through the holidays, and I'm ready to get back to the DIY project that has been sitting in my garage. The sub-freezing temperatures this week haven't exactly been inspiring, but I think I can make myself head out there next week.
So I thought it would be fun to look at the rooms I worked on this year, and also remember where this house started and how far it has come in six years.
2025 House Projects | Before and Afters
I mainly focused on my younger daughter's room and the primary bedroom this year. I finished the first one, but I'm still working on the primary bedroom, with some new items arriving next week! I look forward to finishing that room this year and then moving on to something else!
The Tween Daughter's Room
My oldest daughter got her room finished (for the most part) in 2024, so this past year it was time to polish off my younger daughter's room. It was originally a playroom for our girls when we moved into the house, which is the picture on the left below.
About a year after we moved in, the girls decided they wanted separate rooms, so this became my younger daughter's room. I didn't touch it for the next three years. It was finally time to update it, and since she's a tween now, that meant a more mature look than a messy playroom. She still has toys, just more organized, and we've added things like a revamped dresser with a jewelry station.
I mainly painted the walls a color she loves, added art, refinished a dresser, and updated some of the organization. We settled on a beachy theme and did a major decluttering effort before organizing everything she wanted to keep and setting it up to work for her needs.
It feels good knowing both of my girls have their rooms in a good spot to enjoy for the next few years while I focus on other rooms in the house.
You can see the full bedroom makeover reveal in the Beachy Tween Girl Bedroom Ideas post.
The Primary Bedroom
Then I turned my attention to our primary bedroom. It's a huge room with a sitting area. I had already painted it and bought a bed frame and nightstands for it, but it needed a theme and some cohesive decor. I put together a part two makeover plan for the room and have been slowly working through it.
And this is how far we've come, to date:
The peacock art above the bed was a DIY thrifted find, and I still love it every time I walk into the room.
We've since hung the Frame TV across from the bed, and I'm in the middle of building a frame for it. I've recently ordered more items for the room, including a large mirror and new lampshades for new lamps I haven't even had time to share yet, so I'll be sharing those soon!
I can't wait to finish this room in 2026. To be continued...
More Primary Bedroom Posts:
- Traditional Bedroom Design Plan {Take 2}
- Christmas Bedroom Decor Ideas & Inspiration
- Bedside Cord Organization Ideas
- Our Primary Bedroom Window Treatments
Honorable Mentions from 2022, 2023 and 2024
Since my last recap of projects, I've finished my dining room, laundry room, and butler's pantry. So I'll share those briefly here to get caught up.
The Dining Room
I painted and wallpapered the dining room back in 2022. It was the first part of a three-part project tied in with the laundry room and the butler's pantry next to it. I've loved how it turned out since the day we finished it!
You see this room as soon as you walk into my house, so I love that it's a beautiful, interesting room right when people come in!
More Dining Room Posts:
- How to Hang Plates on a Wall
- How to Decorate the Dining Room for Christmas
- How to Reupholster Dining Chair Covers
- How to Paint Outlet Covers
- How to Add Curtain Trim Tape for a Custom Look
The Laundry Room
Since I can see both the laundry room and the dining room from my kitchen, I wanted them to coordinate. I pulled the blue from the dining room and painted it on the laundry room walls, and it's one of my favorite rooms in the house!
More Laundry Room Posts:
- How to Paint Countertops to Look Like Marble
- How to Upgrade Your Home with Beadboard
- DIY Window Cornice Board with Fabric
- How to Install Peel & Stick Floor Tile
The Butler's Pantry
And finally, the butler's pantry, which connects the laundry room, dining room, and kitchen, got its own glow-up. I needed it to look cute, since you can see it as soon as you walk through the front door.
There's still more to come, like the guest bedroom, 3 full-size bathrooms, the loft area, and a pantry upgrade. So stay tuned for the next five to ten years as we tackle some of our biggest projects yet!
Final Thoughts
Looking back over six years in this home reminds me that houses aren't made all at once. They're shaped slowly, season by season, with real life happening in between. Some rooms come together quickly, others take years, and a few are still patiently waiting their turn. And honestly? That's okay.
This home has grown alongside our family, our budget, and our rhythms, and every layer tells part of that story. As I head into another year of projects (and plenty of pauses), I'm grateful for the progress we've made and excited for what's still to come. I'll share more about the art of slow decorating soon as I make one thoughtful, doable update at a time.
