Take a look at the journey to transform a traditional Cape Cod-style home, with plenty of exterior cosmetic changes and a few interior ones for good measure!
Welcome back to another year of transformations in our home! I'm sharing all the makeovers we finished in 2021, our second year in the house. See year 1 right here!
I love writing these because they show me how far we've come over the last 12 months. Sometimes I forget what we've done, but laying it all out with before and after photos shows just how much we accomplished this year.
My other goal is to inspire you to transform your home into the one you love! It's not always easy to tackle home projects between work, school, family, and life. The key is to set small, attainable goals and stay focused! I do that by updating my home goals every 3-4 months.
You can get an idea of how to set your own home goals from my 2021 home goal posts:
I'll be sharing my new home goals for 2022 very soon, but first, let's take a look back!
2021 Before and After Home Tour
As a refresher, this house was built in 1996, and most rooms were painted yellow or green when we bought it. The previous owners were huge fans of hunter green.
There is STILL some hunter green and yellow in this house, but hopefully it'll all be gone this coming year. I have to say, the color green is making a huge comeback, so we're adding it back in, just not in the hunter green variety.
But the bones of this Cape Cod-style house are wonderful. The previous owners had the wood floors refinished before we bought it, and the upstairs carpet was new, too! The layout is perfect, so thankfully no major changes are needed.
I mostly need cosmetic changes to bring the house in line with my style and taste, like lighting, paint, and wall treatments. The fun stuff! Sometime in the next few years we'll gut the primary bathroom, but other than that, we're just giving it a fresh coat of lipstick for now!
In 2020, my goal was to paint as many walls as I possibly could, and I did. (See it all in the One Year Home Tour.) I wanted to tackle the "biggest offenders," and I think I got them.
In 2021, my goal was to make the outside of our home match the inside! I'm so pleased with how far we've come. Most of our budget, time, and energy went into making the outside look the way we wanted.
Now I pull up to my home and it makes me smile. The yellow trim and green shutters are gone, and we have beautiful grass! It's all my favorite. Let's dive in! (Click any of the numbered room titles in hot pink to see the full reveal posts.)
1. The Exterior Refresh
Ahhhh, yes!!! The outside of our red brick Cape Cod-style home has beautiful symmetry and structure. But I wasn't a fan of the yellow trim and green shutters. They totally matched the inside of the home when we bought it, but my goal was to switch to a classic black and white.
The outside got a fresh coat of paint, some pressure washing on the steps, and a whole lot of new zoysia sod.
We needed new sod after a lawn care company ruined the grass. It was a costly and time-consuming project, too. It has filled in beautifully, even since the "after" photo above, and we love it.
Some days I still pinch myself that I get to live in this gorgeous home.
In the future, I'll probably need to replace the boxwoods on either side of the steps, but for now we're enjoying the landscaping and the changes we made this year!
Psst… just for fun, we got our first real snow since we moved in this week, and I couldn't resist a glamour shot!
2. The Front Porch Refresh
I couldn't very well leave the front stoop and porch alone while I was updating the outside of the house. The original light fixture was beyond cleaning. It still worked, but I loved the idea of replacing it with a New Orleans-style lantern.
I also got some classic planters and the easiest plants to fill them. Faux front porch plants are my favorite!
I also added a new doormat and a gorgeous brass knocker, but you'll have to head over to the original “How to Add Curb Appeal to Your Home” post to see all the details!
3. The Kitchen Refresh
My kitchen makeover spanned from mid-2020 to mid-2021 because of various delays and missteps along the way. The original bar stools I ordered (which took months to arrive) weren't what I had hoped, so I had to return them, order more, and wait all those extra months for the new ones.
I also went back and forth about the stair runner, which I'll share in its own section below. But overall I'm so happy with how the kitchen turned out! Even though it was all just paint and decor, I really love this room!
Down the road I may swap the faucet and sink and get a counter-depth fridge, but for now what I have works just fine.
I have a TON more before and after shots of the kitchen in the full reveal post, so head over there to check them out! I also have a full post dedicated to the eat-in kitchen area makeover.
4. Powder Room Transformation
My favorite makeover ever is wrapped up in this tiny room in my house! It was so fun to step out of my comfort zone with painted trim and wallpaper. It was also the first time I tried DIY picture frame moulding, and it's the only space I painted this year. Crazy, huh??
It was also my test run for the vision I have for the dining room makeover, coming soon!
5. Stair Runner Install
I mentioned before that I went back and forth on the stair runner that leads into my kitchen. Other bloggers have some beautiful DIY runners, and I even ordered a couple to see if I could DIY it.
But in the end I hired a design company to install the original carpet runner I fell in love with. Months later, I'm still so happy with my choice!
6. Haint Blue Porch Ceiling
I guess I did paint one more space this year besides the exterior and the powder room: the porch ceiling on our back porch! It's a subtle blue, so it's hard to see in pictures. But I promise the ceiling looks blue in person.
And of course, all the yellow paint in the before photo was covered with white paint during the exterior makeover. We love the final result, and my husband has asked me many times to paint the front porch ceiling blue, too. Maybe in 2022!
7. Dining Room Pieces
And finally, this past year, we said goodbye to the DIY farmhouse furniture I made for our old house. It was too large and not the right style for our new home. I had already sold the table and media cabinet before I knew what furniture would go back in this room.
But I knew I needed smaller furniture in a style that matched the traditional look of my home.
So, when my mom offered me my great-grandmother's dining room furniture (passed down through my grandmother), I jumped at it!
I realize the "before" photo above may look more appealing to you. That's because I chose the paint color to go with the farmhouse furniture. I promise that once I'm finished with the dining room makeover, the new furniture will look perfect!
I've already ordered most of the items for the makeover and I'm ready to get started ASAP!
More Dining Room Posts:
- A Traditional Spring Table Setting (& the End of an Era)
- Gold & Greenery Holiday Dining Room
- 17 Stunning Dining Room Chandeliers
Two years ago I did a lot more painting and swapping out light fixtures. I wanted to bring each space up to a good phase 1 level, and I did that.
Last year was all about the exterior, with just a handful of interior projects. Now that the outside is at a good stopping point, I'm excited to get back to the interiors this year and make more rooms stand-outs, like the powder room. I'm so excited about the upcoming year and the makeovers we have in store. I can't wait to share more soon!
Thanks so much for looking back through 2021 with me. Stay tuned for more!
