Taking a look back at our Top 10 Posts of 2018.
It’s that time of the year again. A time to reflect and look back on our achievements, accomplishments and even those ideas or moments that didn’t go quite as planned. It’s all a learning experience, in my opinion. With the start of a new year, I always take some time to look back on the year that has passed. I find it fun and motivating to see how far we’ve come, soak in our successes and take notes on how to improve the next time around. I apply this idea both professionally and personally and always walk away with a few great life lessons. And that’s why every January we join our friends and take a look back at our most popular posts from the previous year, take a peek at 2017 | 2016 | 2015.
I mean, I always have my favorite posts and memories from the past year, but they don’t always necessarily align with what YOU love. So I really enjoy taking the time to see just exactly what type of content resonates with our readers so that I can make sure I am on track with the ideas and projects we plan to share this year. So, let’s get started…
Ten | Built-In Office Nook-Part One
This was a really fun project for us because it meant the start of a complete basement makeover in our home. It also meant I finally had an office space to call my own, something I have wanted for a very long time. If you’re interested in building a similar workspace you can find the free plans here. 
Nine | Kitchen Nook + Spring Decorating Ideas
Here we shared how we gave our kitchen built-ins a fresh look for spring, these little nooks are always a favorite of mine to style. We were also joined by 25+ friends sharing their own spring decorating inspiration. You can see it all here. 
Eight | Watercolor Fall Leaf Printable
I am surprised this post made it to our top 10, although I shouldn’t be., free printables always seem to be popular. I made this simple watercolor leaf printable as a subtle way to add a little touch of autumn to your home. You can download it here. 
Seven | Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread Cookies
Ah, our only Christmas post last year. As I mentioned, I had so many great ideas for the holidays but this is the only one that made it to the blog (you can read more about that here). These shortbread cookies are a Greek tradition in my husband’s family, and they are seriously addictive. You’ll want to pin this recipe for next Christmas, you can find it here. 
Six | Storage Solutions to Maximize Space
We shared this post last January as a means to help you think about maximizing storage space in your home. I find no matter how much clutter we get rid of we never seem to have enough space to store all of our things. We’ve had to get creative in our home, especially as our family grows. You can find all of our ideas for making the most of your home’s space here, the best part is these are all concepts you can apply to your own space. 
Five | Cheerful White and Yellow Summer Tablescape
This is one of my favorite posts. I love creating tablescapes, especially flower arrangements, and sharing simple ways to make entertaining easier. I went a little out of my comfort zone and added a pop of yellow, which is maybe why it was such a hit! You can see all of the details of this pretty table here, and if you love entertaining as much as I do you can see all of the tables I’ve set here. 
Four | Best White Paint Colors
Favorite paint color posts always do well, that’s no surprise. I think it’s because choosing the perfect color can be so tricky, it’s always nice to have a few recommendations. If you’re looking for an easy way to brighten your home, you can see our favorite tried and true white paint colors here. We’ve also shared our favorite pale pink paint colors and modern farmhouse paint colors. 
Three | Summer Decorating Ideas + Our Simple Summer Home Tour
Even though home tours are a ton of work to put together (our house doesn’t always look like this, it takes a lot of planning and styling before it’s ready to photograph), I always love taking part. This home tour feels so bright and refreshing and it’s always fun to look back over the seasons to see how our home has changed. You can take the full tour here. 
Two | Spring Home Tour
Another home tour, this time with a few of my Canadian friends. You can take the full tour here. 
And finally, our #1 post of 2018…
One | Modern and Sophisticated Family Room and Playroom
This is definitely my favorite post too! After we found out our family was growing +1, we finally decided to transform our outdated and unused basement into this multifunctional space. We spend so much time here as a family I truly don’t know why we waited so long to do give this area a much-needed makeover. You can see the before and after here. 
Now, I thought it would be fun to take a little peek at our top 9 Instagram posts too. Announcing sweet Ella’s birth was #1, I love that! 
Do you have a favorite post from last year, we’d love to hear about it!
Now please take a minute to check out my DIY and Home blogger friends top posts in 2018! This is the very best the web has to offer!
TIDBITS | Miss Mustard Seed | Farmhouse on Boone | Maison De Pax | A Burst of Beautiful
Simply Designing | Bless’er House | Taryn Whiteaker Designs | Designthusiasm | Unskinny Boppy
Live Laugh Rowe | Kendra John Designs | House by Hoff | So Much Better With Age | Life On Virginia Street
ZDesign At Home | Town and Country Living | Shabbyfufu | Happy Happy Nester | Stacy Risenmay
Cherished bliss | Clean and Scentsible | anderson + grant | The Happy Housie | Summer Adams
April N Hoff says
All your posts are so beatuiful, Alicia! I’ve pinned so many! xo
Alicia says
Thank you, April. Happy New Year, friend! xo
Pam Stonehouse says
Hi Alicia and Nick
Good for you to take some time for your growing family, we will always wait to hear that you have come back.
I am planning a project, that is a fire place and two Oak bookcases on either side in a dark color.
I really do not know if I should paint them or not??? The fireplace has a brown brick wall behind it and I was thinking of
just painting the mortar and leaving the brick, but then do I paint the built-in shelves also.
I also like the idea of painting them grey.??? I know you have just been through your basement makeover, and it turned out
beautiful, I would love your opinion, and Ideas.
Alicia says
Hi Pam, thank you for encouraging us to enjoy our family, it’s always so nice to hear our friends are willing to wait for us when we need to take a break. 🙂 Your project sounds exciting! I think you probably know my love of white, so my advice would be to paint, paint, paint! 🙂 If you’re keeping the brick of the fireplace I would paint the bookshelves white, but if you paint the brick white, I think painting the bookshelves in grey would look beautiful too. I’d love to hear what you decide to do, we always love seeing photos too!