Five Makeover Projects That Immediately Boost Your Home's First ImpressionWhy Light Design Should Be a Priority in Any Renovation 25

Five Makeover Projects That Immediately Boost Your Home's First ImpressionWhy Light Design Should Be a Priority in Any Renovation 25

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It started with a shelf. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the feeling of one. My partner said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of adding a tray, I decided I'd go big. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Stylish. Or whatever people call it when they're about to poke holes into a wall.

I marked the spot above the radiator, took one step back and thought, “Simple enough” Ten minutes later I was eyeballing the suspicious darkness of the wall, wondering it looked like someone had stuffed an old sock next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the situation escalated.

That's the thing about home improvement — it doesn't stay put. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, you're repainting. 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 happens. You go to the store for a screwdriver and come back with a tin of “soft almond” paint. That's how I ended up repainting a perfectly fine wall because click here the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”

Tools pile up. 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 box labeled “misc”.

It's messy. Not just physically. One night I stayed at a friend's place because the walls were drying. I also cried over a wonky cabinet hinge. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.

But you get through it. With YouTube tutorials. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the bathroom window frame isn't attached to anything.

Eventually, though, things start to look better. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still wobble. But now, I walk into the kitchen and don't sigh. 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 yours. With all its weird corners and leftover screws.