2023 in review: a year of firsts
2023 was a HUGE year for us. It stretched us creatively, physically and challenged how much we could take on in one go. We accomplished goals that we dreamt of when we finished the front section of our renovation. We also travelled to Europe and Brad recovered from surgery - just to name a few things!
This year we started to find clarity about how important creativity is to us and the project we take on, and I can promise that we will be leaning to that revelation in 2024.
January
In January we were building custom cabinetry from scratch, Samantha learnt how to build cabinet doors by building 18 doors in a row - practice makes perfect! We also started making test patches for a GFRC cement benchtops & fireplace. This was a really exciting process because we had never worked with GFRC before.
February
After testing GFRC patches to test the colour and consistency we finally cast the benchtops for our front living room. This was SO exciting. Revealing the final concrete and sanding it down until it was as smooth as glass was such a great process.
After the concrete benchtops were installed, it was time to move our attention onto our office cabinetry. We finished the base cabinets and doors in February and really started to get a sense of how much storage we would have - it was amazing to imagine having more than the one cabinet we were living with! We decided to divide and conquer with Brad building the base cabinets and Samantha building all the doors to save on time.
March
The design for the living room really started to take shape in March when we installed our arched bookshelves. My goodness, my imagination went wild thinking about how I could style these shelves. Decorating the shelves for Christmas was an absolute highlight of the season.
We also installed our bedroom wardrobe cabinetry, which featured custom mirrors. It was amazing to design a wardrobe to fit our needs which meant we could include a hidden jewellery drawer and ensure we built the right kind of storage for our clothes, shoes etc.
April
April is perhaps my favourite month of the year. Sunny days but crisp nights, you can feel the turn of the seasons. We weren’t yet ready to light our first fire in our new fireplace but the promise that one day we would snuggle in front of the fire was enough motivation to keep going.
We had absolute momentum in April, pushing hard because we had a hard deadline - we were going to Europe in May and we wanted most things completed before we left. We worked tirelessly into the nights and were able to finish the feature wall and paint the cabinetry in the office, install our bedroom wall panelling, and complete our hand cast fireplace that is our absolute pride and joy.
May
Before we snuck away for a much-needed break, we worked hard to finish as many things on the endless to-do list as possible. We finished the wall moulding, were painting and painting and oh, more painting. With great excitement we lay our timber oak herringbone floor which turned our renovation site into a home.
June/ July
We spent 6 weeks soaking up every element of our holiday - eating, walking & adventuring. We were so excited to take a step back from our project and get inspired by the cities, mountains and lakes that took our breathe away!
August
Through the end of July and August we got settled back into life, took our vintage caravan to Daylesford and I went away with my girls for a weekend. We took the time to finish off bits and bobs, hang art and hunt for decor in oppshops & vintage nooks. At the end of August things took a turn when Brad needed to have surgery (he’s all healed now) and at the same time my mum was dealing with a scary and all-consuming diagnosis. Life just needed to take a pause for a while.
September
In September with Brad slowly healing, I fitout the inside of our hidden jewellery drawers which has been an organisational dream! They still aren’t fully complete yet, but we’ll get there. We also installed a gallery wall and DIY glass wall sconces in the bedroom. This was such a fun and creative project to take on.
October
With the weather warming up, it was time to think about our outdoor spaces. Starting with our front veranda which desperately needed some love. We transformed an old, worn-down concrete slab into a new front deck which gave the whole house a facelift. We also installed two HUGE terracotta pots that we got off Facebook marketplace on either side of the door. I had been dreaming of installing these pots ever since I saw them on Marketplace and they did not disappoint.
November
November is festive season, filled with weddings, engagement parties and of course, the start of Christmas festivities. Brad’s birthday ended with everyone crammed into our front room watching The Grinch - what could be more perfect than that? We also bought our very first Balsam Hill Christmas tree which was VERY exciting!
December
Then December, filled with endless memory making. Lights, dinners, friends, food, family and fun. We decorated the home we built by hand, and the pride at seeing the front living room twinkling with lights and so filled with love was overwhelming. What a huge year, how lucky we are to be here with you all.
