Favorite Posts from 2017
Before this year passes, I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite blog posts from 2017. It's funny because last year, I tried to narrow it down to 5 or 10 but came up with 11 and this year I counted the posts I wanted to highlight and it was exactly 11 too! I'm organizing them by the categories of Interior Design, Our Home, DIY Projects and My Life.
INTERIOR DESIGN
7 Tips for Decorating a Small Space - One question I get a lot is how to make the most of a room when square footage is limited. Whether it's an apartment, small home or just a room that isn't quite as big as you wish it was, there are a lot of ways to squeeze more function and style into a space while still keeping that perfect balance of elegant and collected.
The Three E's | My Design Philosophy - As a designer, I spend a lot of time thinking about what makes my point of view different. Why are my designs unique and what makes them worth sharing? Over the years, I've realized there are three overarching themes that tie all of the spaces I create together and describe the mindset of how I approach interior design as a whole. Those words are Elegant, Eclectic and Essential and in this post, I explain what those words mean to me.
24 Hour Apartment Makeover Project - Back in May, I was hired for quite an interesting project! My client wanted to restyle her downtown apartment to make it a stand out listing on Airbnb. The only catch was, her first guests were coming in just a couple of days so I had one full day to complete this project from start to finish and was limited to just the stores we have locally here in York. These before and after photos really show what a difference styling and accessories can make!
Bridgeton Project Master Bedroom Design Process - I feel terrible that I still haven't shared the reveal photos for this space but trust me, it's beautiful! These clients live in a lovely ranch home in the country, surrounded by woods and cornfields. For their master bedroom, we went with a cozy, neutral and rustic design that I just L-O-V-E! They are the sweetest couple and the husband is a very talented carpenter! He made all of the dressers and nightstands by hand, plus he made real tongue and groove shiplap for the accent wall and completely brought my vision to life!
Idylwyld Project Guest Bedroom Introduction & Guest Bedroom Reveal - This project was another dream come true to complete! I designed this moody, industrial guest bedroom for a cool young couple here in York. They had a smaller, northwest facing bedroom that got limited natural light so we really amped up the cozy factor with a deep blue-gray wall color and eclectic, antique and vintage-inspired accents. I wish I could copy and paste this guest bedroom into our house!
OUR HOME
Living Room Progress | Modern English Country Style - We've continued to chip away at many home improvement projects this year, but by far the room that feels the most complete is our living room. Earlier this year, I made some tweaks that I am really loving like adding this new leather arm chair, switching out the art and getting a few new pillow covers. The room feels really cozy and peaceful now, which is exactly what I wanted!
Dining Room Progress | Antique Meets Midcentury - I also shared an update on our dining room, which is now being renovated to become my new home office! I'll be mostly recreating this look in the smaller room next door but I have a few new pieces I'm really excited about like this gorgeous print set from Laurie Anne Art & Design and a vintage hutch I'll be repainting. It makes me a little sad to see these photos now, because I really loved this room as our dining room but I'm excited to have a bigger office as the headquarters for Stevie Storck Design Co.!
DIY PROJECTS
DIY Monogram Embroidery Hoop + Free Pattern! - Right after Christmas last year I picked up a new hobby of embroidery! I made these little monogram hoops as "Galentine's Day" gifts for my best friends. They are so simple and fun to make! A great project if you are just trying embroidery for the first time!
MY LIFE
5 Little Habits for a Brighter, Happier Day - One of my big goals for 2017 was to slow down and take better care of myself. In March, I shared 5 things I added to my daily routine to help me feel my best. Many times throughout the year, when I was having a day where I felt off or just down for no reason many times I realized that it was because I had skipped doing all or some of these things. I shared my 5 little happiness boosters in hopes that it will inspire you to find your own ways to add more self-care into your days!
26 - Every year on my birthday, I interview myself here on the blog. It's fun to see how my answers change from year to year! I'll be honest, the first few months of 2017 were particularly rough for me. Hence why my birthday post was written two months late and why I put such a big emphasis on self-care! One thing I'm learning about life is that the challenging times are just as important and worth remembering as the good times. It's a personal goal of mine to always find the beauty in the struggles. Sometimes the silver lining comes right away and other times it takes patience and healing to see the upside. Optimism is undervalued in our society, but I think optimists are the strongest, bravest, most resilient people out there.
Four Years + Some Big News! - Just last month, I shared our annual anniversary/family portraits and Baby Storck made their official blog debut! Now that I'm past the worst of it, I'm working on a first trimester update to share in the new year. If you're into that kind of stuff and have any pregnancy related questions for me, send them my way! It's hard to believe I'm already almost 18 weeks along. We'll be finding out if it's a boy or girl in early January and we are so excited to really start getting things ready for him or her.
It's been quite the year here at Stevie Storck Design Co.! Now, I have a question for you?
What would you like to see more of in 2018?
More interior design tips? More before & afters? More personal posts? I'm writing a list of blog post ideas for the new year and I would love to have your input! Thank you for following along!
Exciting news: I was interviewed for a podcast! And not just any podcast, but Becca Piastrelli’s podcast, Belonging. Becca’s work has been an inspiration to me for many years, and it would mean so much if you’d give our conversation on the Sharing Table a listen!