Best of 2021-A Year in Review

Hello friends. I hope you had a wonderful, peaceful and joyful Christmas! We are still recovering from all the amazing food and family time by taking things slow this week, but that couldn’t keep me from sharing one of my favorite posts of the year; my year in review!

In addition to taking a look back, I also rounded up a few of the most popular posts this year based on traffic. Not only is it fun to see what you liked best throughout the year, it’s also a great way for me to know what kind of content you like to see.

Before we get into the top posts, I thought I’d do a quick review of 2021.

Table of Contents

2021 Year in Review

The Downstairs Powder Bathroom

One of the earliest projects of 2021 was the complete makeover of our downstairs powder bathroom at the house. I used tile that I’d purchased the year before for another project and never used it and it proved to be the perfect addition to this small space. You can read more about this project here.

Twig and White became Bethann Renee

While not a complete switch over, Twig and White was rebranded to my own name this year. This was a big leap forward for me and the first step in some changes I wanted to make around here.

The Beach Cottage Renovations

The beach cottage went from a shell to a nearly complete home this year. From installing and painting shiplap to finishing the bathroom and most of the first floor. There are still many projects to tackle but the light is finally visible at the end of the tunnel!

Seasonal Decorating

I went all out with spring decorating this year. It felt great to have a space that welcomed the season and it was fun stretching my design skills a bit. From in depth Spring decorating to creating a seasonal feel without a lot of special décor pieces. This was a year of exploration for me as I tried to define our style more clearly.

An identity Crisis and Some Color

By summer of this past year, I knew it was time to address my identity crisis or the longing for a change in my home décor style. At the very least the realization that I was never a true farmhouse style girl. I found that while I like the relaxed vibe of farmhouse style and the ease with which it can be achieved, in many things I lean more traditional and maybe even a little more formal, but in a more classic and relaxed way. Oh, and admitting that all white or all light neutrals are simply not me.

It’s been hard to define completely and it’s hard to find inspiration that truly captures my vision. It’s an ongoing process to figure this out and my first step in a new direction was adding some bold color to our mudroom. Something that I’m still so glad I did! You can read more about the colorful mudroom makeover here and see how I made a few updates for fall here.

Fall Decorating

As fall approached I was so excited to dive deeper in my own decor style, and while I had planned to keep things simple, in the family room I went all in. Our bedroom took on a more moody, traditional feel, something that felt so much like us.

New Topics and Branching Out

By November I was ready to explore some new topics. I shared my first ever thrift store haul and let you see a glimpse of my love of thrift store shopping / treasure hunting and shared some tips. I also shared more DIY projects with you, something I plan to do more of in the future. See my thrift store lamp makeover here, my easy DIY fall leaf wreath here, and how I made my new roman shades for the beach house here.

I also saw the results of a lot of decor planning through my Thanksgiving and Christmas tablescapes and even my seasonal bedroom tours.

It’s been a year of learning…about myself, about my strengths as a designer and about where i want to take this space from a creative standpoint. I have a very specific list of things I want to work on next year and you’ll hear more about that when I share my goals for 2022.

Before I end today, I wanted to give you a roundup of five of the most popular posts from this year. It’s clear that you like details on things like paint colors and how-to’s for decorating your own spaces regardless of style.

Best of 2021-A Year in Review