Open Concept Living: Is It Right for Your Renovation?Must-Know Renovation Trends Every Homeowner Should Know in 2025 29
It was supposed to be a shelf project. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the impulse of one. My husband said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of doing the obvious, I decided I'd go big. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Elegant. Or whatever people call it when they're about to drill blindly.
I marked the spot beside the door, took one step back and thought, “Simple enough” Ten minutes later I was looking through the guts of the wall, confused why it looked like someone had shoved insulation next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the situation escalated.
That's the thing about projects like this — it doesn't stick to the script. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, your hallway looks like a crime scene. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had new plasterboard.
There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just unfolds. You go to the store for anchors and come back with a tin of “soft almond” paint. That's how I ended up repainting a perfectly fine wall because the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”
Supplies multiply. You buy the same sanding block because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the ironing board.
It's messy. Not just physically. One night I slept in the lounge because the bedroom smelled like plaster. I also cried over a crooked towel hook. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.
But you get through it. With forums full of questionable advice. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the bathroom window frame isn't attached to anything.
Eventually, though, things settle into place. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still look suspicious. But now, I step into that space and don't website duck. That's progress.
The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a slightly sticky sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.
And that's renovation, isn't it? Not Pinterest-perfect. But it's something real. With all its cracks and odd colors.