A new year, a new project in our house! We’re still working away on our bedroom (I shared a little sneak peek recently and I’ll have more to share soon). But I’m also excited to start turning my attention to other areas upstairs this year, after focusing mostly on the main floor for the past few years.

Our upstairs is the Snug, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, but I’ll talk about those other rooms separately.

The Snug

The Snug…this is the room that stole my heart the most when we first saw this house and then bought it four years ago.

It’s been a cozy, multipurpose space where my husband and I relax at the end of every day—we watch shows, my husband does puzzles, it’s a place where we can work or write, and it also doubles as a guest room. It holds some of my office things, a few craft supplies…it’s really a room that has always been a little bit of everything.

What I plan to do upstairs this year will be the easier, more affordable projects—no major renovation right now—but I’m still very excited. Honestly, smaller, simpler projects are my favorite.

One big improvement we did make upstairs during the renovation: we removed the carpet from the whole second floor and added new hardwoods throughout. That really made everything feel so much better.

Over the years, I’ve considered all kinds of possibilities for this room—how to use it, how to furnish it, and how to make it work better. And I’ve decided the most practical plan is to keep the layout similar to what we have now and make a few simple changes that refresh both the feel and the function.

A note about the mood board:

Consider the initial mood board below the “where we’re starting” point—with what we already have—not the finished design of the room! We begin making decisions on what to keep or anything we want to change out starting from what we have right now.

The plan for this year (and the two new daybeds!)

I’m currently awaiting delivery of these two adorable trundle daybeds, which we’ll use instead of the one single rattan twin daybed we have now (plus the double bed in this room). I think this will make the Snug so much more functional since the daybeds double as seating—and with trundles this gives us three more mattresses available for a total of four, plus the double bed nook! It’s not a huge room but this arrangement means the room can comfortably work for a whole family, and still be flexible for kids or friend groups.

I’ve seen great reviews from people who bought the same beds. They are so affordable and come in other colors, too. The color we ordered is called brown, but there are other colors I loved too.

By the way, if you’re curious about how I make decorating decisions (or struggle with making them!) I’m sharing the exact process I use to bring every room together in my Room Recipe Workshop. I have so much to say about the value of this intentional approach—especially how to use what you already have and feel confident in your decisions when you do buy something—that I turned it into a 5-week video workshop so I can help you do it, too. Learn more here.

What I’ve done already (or decided so far):

• We started the year by rearranging furniture between rooms so we could make sure we had everything in the right places.
• I also brought in one of our white rattan chairs (longtime followers might remember these from previous homes!). I’ve wanted to use these in this house somewhere ever since we moved in.
• The rattan chairs definitely need fresh paint, and they’ll need new cushions and covers (we don’t have the seat cushions anymore). If we keep them here, I think a little refresh could make them really fun—maybe one, maybe both. They’ve always been comfortable, and I love that they’re easy to move around and not as bulky as other chairs.
• We got a new slipcover for our couch awhile back—it’s the mineral blue in organic cotton.
• And we ordered the two daybeds which will arrive this weekend — we love the cute scalloped design! I love the classic gingham, the beds feel timeless and add a little whimsy, which is fun at a beach house! I’m sure our grandkids (current and future!) will enjoy this room and the daybeds, too.

Plus…I have a great idea for where to put our existing rattan daybed, so stay tuned for that!

Next Up:

• I’ll be clearing everything off the bookshelves and starting fresh.
• We’ll be painting the room.
• I’m still undecided on the rug (or rugs), so stay tuned for that too!

Lots more decisions ahead for this room (and our other guest room), but I’m excited to share as the upstairs evolves this year.