The last 10%: finishing your projects to love your space.

Heather Gunn
Sep 14, 2016
3 min read

Last weekend after over a year of much of my main floor trim missing or damaged (as a result of renovations: including removing a wall) I finally had it replaced. This represented a nominal fraction of my total renovation budget to date, was a relatively quick job and has made my main floor look so much more…. Finished. WHY DID THIS TAKE ME SO LONG?

To be honest? I still have a finished basement that after living here for almost 5 years- has no trim. Doors I had installed through my entire home over a year ago, still haven’t been painted.

What’s my point? I suffer from 90% syndrome in my home, and I don’t think it’s just me. Once a project is 90% done… it just starts to feel, normal?

It’s somewhat like when you go to the zoo and you spend so long with the animals you don’t smell them anymore.. I’ve spent so long living in renovation chaos- a mostly finished room with trim and paint missing seems pretty ok, livable even. But I imagine when people walk into my home they wonder, where are her baseboards? I wonder if she knows there is a huge replastered area that needs a coat of paint?

I was mortified that a picture printed of me in a local paper had a backdrop of my kitchen door- missing a piece of trim. How often had I thought about that trim before that day? Not often.

I have renovated in some way shape or form every single room in my home. From removing wallpaper, refinishing floors, removing a wall, refinishing cabinets, and completely gutting and renovating bathrooms…. There is not a surface that remains untouched (well, the inside of my linen closet, actually, another 90% rule example?). With this much progress it’s easy to feel impressed by all the updates and like the final touches aren’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. I’ve often joked that the day I finish the trim and painting is the day I list the house.

How often do we see that? People put off doing things that would help them enjoy their home more until it’s time to sell. Don’t we deserve to love the space we currently LIVE in?

I know people who have lived in their homes for years and haven’t painted a single room. They don’t love the colours in their home but are afraid to commit to a new one, or find the task daunting.

Painting is one of the most cost effective ways to transform your space in a big way. And while it doesn’t functionally improve your house (save for exterior paint to protect certain surfaces), I think it offers an incredibly opportunity to set the mood, love your space and have a more fresh, clean and bright home.

The best part about painting is that it’s such a low investment (relatively) that you don’t have to be sure it’s going to suit you or the space forever. Change is good. Change is healthy. You can repaint the same room every year (ask me how I know) and every time you will learn more about colour selection, what you like, and how to pull the space together.

You can get inspiration from places like Pinterest (this is my "paint" inspiration board on Pinterest):

Head into a higher end paint store (I like Benjamin Moore),

bring in the services of a designer,

or just grab some paint chips and see where they take you.

Whatever that last 10% is for you…. customizing your paint colour, finishing trim, putting pictures on the wall or new window coverings up. I challenge you to address it.

Room by room, space by space. Make a plan and watch how much more you enjoy living in a home that feels customized and finished. You don’t need to boil the ocean and get overwhelmed. Take it one task at a time.

Please feel free to join a private and supportive group we have called Love Your Space where you can post your challenges and successes and get encouragement to finally create a space you will LOVE coming home to. <3