*pulls duvet down from face* *blinks* *yawns* *stretches* Oh hey, 2018. I didn’t even realise you were there! Nice to meet you. 

So, here we are – 2018 stretches before us like a brand new notebook, clean and unmarred and full of promise. After endless days of getting up after the sun comes up, midday snacks of mince pies and brandy butter and a cheeky glug of Bailey’s in my coffee at 4pm, the fridge has (nearly) been cleared of the festive foods and I’ve had to start setting my alarm clock again. It’s been a really nice break, if I’m honest, but I’m ready for the fresh start and excited for what the new year will bring.

2017 Swoon Worthy Year in Review

I’ve done a ‘Year in Review’ post every single year since I started my blog and honestly, I always start this post with a sinking dread that nothing actually happened. That we didn’t do anything of note, that the year has just been like every other but then, once I start digging back into the archives, I realise just how many great things happened.

Of course, 2017 globally was yet another year of confusion, heartbreak and a constant feeling of, “How is this still even a THING?!” and “Is THIS the dystopian future Black Mirror promised us?”, it’s always good to think we’re starting on a bit of a clean slate. Getting up, dusting off and just getting on with things as best as we can, because really, that’s all any of us can do. And while we can look back and consider the horrors of the last year, I try to remain positive always. I try to consider what the year has brought me, what it has taught me and how it’s set me up for this: A bright shiny NEW year, full of promise and wonder and expectation.

And so, dear reader, I was hoping you might like to join me on the journey. If you have been with me for a while, you will see a lot of familiar things that you may have forgotten about yourself or things you may have missed but if you are new here (and I had such positive growth over the last year, it humbles me) then perhaps a little peek back will save you rummaging through loads of posts – 124 of them in case you were wondering.

So let’s start off the year as we mean to go on, shall we? With a little positive reminiscing.

We’ll start with the house…

The Man Cave

Man Cave to Glam Cave Reveal - Farrow & Ball Tanners Brown with eclectic boho glam design

Wayne finally let me go to town on his cellar space and we did a total transformation using dark paint, bold (faux) botanicals and gold. I affectionately renamed it the ‘Glam Cave’ and we use it so much more these days. It’s so nice to have a little snug to escape to watch films or TV series and I’m hoping in our next home, we’ll be able to create a little snug like this again.

The Back Garden

small garden design in Edwardian semi with two separate seating areas including a pergola

We finally put a big ‘done’ stamp on our back garden as well when I teamed up with West Elm to give it a final polish. I adore how it all came out and we used it so much over the early part of the summer when we actually had some decent weather! It was so nice to finally feel that the outside of the house matched the inside in terms of style and functionality.

The Hallway

Hallway Refresh - Edwardian House

We also tackled the last space in our home that needed attention this year – our hallway. It was a very ‘nothing’ space, marked up white walls, threadbare carpet and not much else going for it and with a bit of paint, stain and new carpeting, it was refreshed for very little money. I can actually invite guests into our home without apologising for the state of it and it makes a much better first impression!

Bedroom flooring

black bedroom with gold headboard boho glam

We also decided to rip out the old manky carpeting in our bedroom and sand and stain the flooring to match the rest of the house. It was one of those projects we’d not entirely planned but it really transformed the space and we couldn’t be happier with the result.

The Bespoke Dining Table

Boho Glam Dining Room with Autumn Table Setting

I nearly forgot to mention this one but I basically designed my dream dining room table this year. I was desperate for a brass base and marble top and so using a few images for inspiration, I spoke to Refunk’d who were able to create the custom base and brass plate it and I found a wonderful source for the marble top. I love this table so much and was so happy to go bespoke for a price that wasn’t actually that much more than settling for something that was already on the market.

We sold!

And then, after everything was finally complete, we put our house up for sale in early November. We sold it within 4 days of going on the market (totally crazy) but I did manage to get a lovely video of the whole house as a sort of last hurrah to this wonderful place we’ve called home for the last 7 1/2 years. I’ll be sharing more about our plans in an upcoming post so stay tuned for that!

My MIL’s Flat

Marjorie Living Room Before and After - grey sofa contemporary romantic living room

As a little bonus, this year we also transformed my Mother-in-Law’s flat from sad and neglected to warm, comfortable and pretty. She’s so incredibly happy with the new space and I have to offer a huge warm thank you to the sponsors of the project, Oak Furniture Land who worked with me on that one. It really was such a joy to give such a special lady a lovely home makeover.

Travel

Aberdaron Wales Porth Meudwy

I’ve had years where I’ve travelled to more destinations but this year saw us making two trips to the Welsh coast to simply get away from it all…

Wanäs Hotel and Restaurant Sweden

And I was able to take two press trips to Sweden as well. You can read about my visit to the beautiful Wanås Hotel & Restaurant here and my tour around Skåne here. I’ll also be sharing a visit to the birthplace of IKEA in a blog post coming up next week!

The Blog

Kimberly Swoon Worthy in kitchen

2017 was the year I decided to expand my content to talk about more lifestyle subjects and it was probably my post about infertility that resonated with you the most, proving that sometimes it’s the topics that aren’t talked about so widely that we need to open up about more. I had so many comments, emails, messages on social media from those reaching out with their own stories of childlessness, infertility, birth, miscarriages and was in floods of tears for two days from the warmth I received when I posted that.

Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner in Trooper Swoon Worthy

I also tried my hand at fashion blogging, beauty blogging and food blogging as well as a few fun posts around pets and living in the UK as an American. I’ve genuinely been blown away by the support on these lifestyle posts (and if I’m honest, I wasn’t really sure how well they’d go over) but I’m so pleased you guys seem to like them. I’m really looking forward to doing more posts like these in the future!

Stuff I’m Pretty Damn Proud Of

BBC Radio4 Presenter Melanie Abbott and I at the studio!

I am always so humbled when my little blog gets attention from the outside media – genuinely, it never gets old, I never take it for granted and I’m always so amazed that people like what I’m doing over here. So it was my privilege to have had features in Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom magazineHello! Fashion and two features in two different issues of Reloved magazine over the last year.

I was also named one of the ‘Hottest Home Design Bloggers’ by The Daily Mail which drove so much traffic to my Instagram that I smashed my goal of hitting 10k followers on that platform.

It was also from that feature that I was contacted by BBC Radio 4 to appear on their programme You & Yours where I got to talk about how more and more people are looking to Instagram for inspiration for their homes. It was definitely an experience to remember!

Nominations and Awards

Vuelio-Blog-Awards-The-Event- Kimberly Swoon Worthy Winner Best DIY and Interior Design Blog

I was privileged as well to be asked to judge two prestigious awards – The Indian Blog Awards as well as The Amara Interior Blog Awards. Having a little insight into what goes into the judging process makes me more conscious than ever not to just sit back and relax and to constantly strive to make sure Swoon Worthy is constantly evolving and getting better and better.

I was also nominated this year for 5 different blog awards which was just CRAZY. I was nominated by Essential Kitchen Bedrooms Bathrooms in the Best Interior Design Blog category, The Bloggers’ Blog Awards for Best Lifestyle Blog, The Northern Blog Awards in the Most Prolific Pinner category, The Thirty Plus Blog Awards in the Most Addictive Blog Category and finally, in the Vuelio Blog Awards for Best DIY & Interior Design Blog.

I was so happy to actually go on to win the Vuelio Blog Award and it was such an amazing night and such a privilege to add a third trophy to my office shelf!

And finally… We’re Moving!

Shrewsbury Town Square, via Wikipedia Creative Commons License

I announced it in my Instagram Stories but I realised I’d not shared it here… we also found a gorgeous Victorian house, put in an offer and it was accepted in December! The property market is crazy in this country and the house buying and selling processes are even more convoluted with absolutely NOTHING being certain until the contracts are exchanged in the days before you are meant to move. So I can’t give away many details here just yet, unfortunately.

What I can tell you is that we are moving to the beautiful town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, about 40 miles Northwest of Birmingham and about 70 miles Southwest of Manchester. It where Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and as a long-standing Anglophile, my ‘quaint English’ dream. It really is a beautiful town and I can’t wait to start our life there.

I promise, I’ll be sharing more details of the house and everything will be revealed as soon as I’m able but needless to say – it’s gonna be a project! Whoop! Keep your fingers firmly crossed that everything goes to plan – we are hoping to be in by around mid-to-late February all going well.

So that’s my abridged roundup of 2017 and I’m so grateful for all the support and encouragement you guys provide every day, it really means the world to me and I can’t stress that enough! So I’m wondering – what was your favourite thing on Swoon Worthy this year? Is there anything you would like to see more of in 2018? The comment box awaits!


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Swoon Worthy
2017 Swoon Worthy Year in Review
Man Cave to Glam Cave Reveal - Farrow & Ball Tanners Brown with eclectic boho glam design
small garden design in Edwardian semi with two separate seating areas including a pergola
Hallway Refresh - Edwardian House
black bedroom with gold headboard boho glam
Boho Glam Dining Room with Autumn Table Setting
Marjorie Living Room Before and After - grey sofa contemporary romantic living room
Aberdaron Wales Porth Meudwy
Wanäs Hotel and Restaurant Sweden
Kimberly Swoon Worthy in kitchen
Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner in Trooper Swoon Worthy
BBC Radio4 Presenter Melanie Abbott and I at the studio!
Vuelio-Blog-Awards-The-Event- Kimberly Swoon Worthy Winner Best DIY and Interior Design Blog
Meet Kimberly
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Amara IBA19 Winner Home Styling
Vuelio Top 10 2020
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So, imagine my delight when Le Creuset got in touch to ask if I'd like to shoot their brand new colourway 🍑 Pêche 🍑 in my kitchen. I mean, there couldn't be a more perfect colour match with that juicy coral shade which if you've followed my account for any length of time, you'll know is one of my all-time favourites (not to mention that beautiful soft gold knob! 😍). The matching petite casserole dish and mugs are the perfect companions but you could easily mix and match this colourway with Le Creuset's other designs (Might I suggest the Sea Salt, a soft blue-green which would be gorgeous with Pêche). This new juicy summer shade is currently available exclusively at Le Creuset Official. I'd love to know which colourway is your favourite in the range?

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My little neglected makeup/dressing room has had a glow up 🥰

#swoonworthy #beforeandafter #dressingroom #makeupvanity #closetgoals
My new rug can't compete with that belly.

Rug is from @laredoute_uk (not an ad) not that anyone cares 😅

#kitchendesign
I've really loved making these pretty reusable Christmas crackers! I'm still in the process of finding cute bits for filling them but they'll definitely be a centrepiece for my table this year!🎄💕

Suggestions for what to fill them with coming soon!

(By the way, I'm not a skilled seamstress so I'm sure my techniques can be improved but just sharing what worked for me 🤗😅)

Let me know if this is something you'd try? ❤️

#swoonworthy #christmasdecor #christmascraft #diychristmas #diycrafts #easysewingproject
On 22 October 2022, I married my best friend! I can't believe it's been a whole year (and one day) I've been calling @2nilup my husband 🥰 We've been together for 15 years now and I simply can't and wouldn't want to imagine my life without him ❤️ 

#youandmeagainsttheworld #2222 

Photography: @violajayphotography 
Flowers: @primroseavenuefloral 
Dress: @camillawithlove
DIY REFILLABLE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS 🎄🎉

I've been thinking about making refillable crackers for so many years now - I just hate the waste the disposal ones create! So I'm so excited I've finally gotten around to starting this project!

I will be sharing more details on how to make them as well as ideas for what to fill them with too so stay tuned for more but in the meantime, what do you think? 

#swoonworthy #diychristmas #christmasdecor #christmascraft #easysewingproject #sustainableliving #ecofriendlyliving
Just wanted to introduce my latest plant baby in my dining room 🪴

It's from @botanique_shrewsbury and it's a Peparomia (I am probably pronouncing it wrong, I keep wanting to say
GUEST BEDROOM REVEAL 🌟

I decided on a whim, 2 weeks before we were expecting visiting family, that our guest bedroom was in desperate need of a refresh.

Well there's nothing like an impending deadline to light a 🔥 under my 🍑 and I managed to clear out the clutter, repaint the woodwork, ceilings and walls and hang wallpaper as well as restyle the room in one week 😅 (Meisha was zero help 😼)

I'm calling it Boho Vintage Victorian Grandma 😆

This wasn't sponsored in any way but the wallpaper and bedding is from @lauraashleyuk and the paint is @earthbornpaints Peach Baby - everything else I already had!

What do you think of the new look? ❤️

#bedroombeforeandafter #guestroom
#bedroommakeover
#beforeandafter
#bedroomdecor #cottagecore #vintagestyle #victorianhouse #ihavethisthingwithpink #bengalsofinstagram
🔥JOIN US ROUND THE FIRE PIT! 🔥

ad | One of my favorite things to do in summer is sit around the fire pit in the evenings with a cold beer 🍻 There's just something incredibly relaxing watching those flames and embers crackle, warming yourself up and taking the edge off falling temperatures as the sun sets!

Thanks to @homefireuk they've made the whole process incredibly easy and enjoyable with their Handy Firepit Bundle which include 2 bags of kindling, 2 bags of natural firestarters and 3 large bags of kiln-dried logs 🪵 for a really great price! 

No more standing around waiting for things to light properly or billowing smoke from wet wood, everything burns beautifully! ☺️ We literally sat around this for hours as the logs last so long, long after the sun set, just chatting and enjoying ourselves! 🥰🍻🔥

Do you love a good firepit in the summer?

#homefire #readytoburn #smokelessbyhomefire #heartofyourhome #logsbyhomefire #summerideas #firepit #gardenideas
San Sebastian photo dump - just a tiny selection 😄

We have had such a fabulous holiday to Basque Country - our first 4 days spent in the beautiful city of San Sebastian, land of pintxos, stunning architecture and some damn good wine.

#sansebastian #travelgram #photodump
A little kitchen reshuffle today so I thought I'd share 🥰

It's been 4 years since we created this space and it's still one of my favourites ♥️

#kitchendesign #kitchendecor #kitcheninspiration #kitchenideas #openshelvingkitchen #kitchenstyling
Ad 🩷 Before and after Deck makeover! 🩷

This little decked patio was looking worse for wear after a wet winter but @frenchicpaint came to the rescue with their beautiful Dusty Blush Alfresco Paint, perfect for all your outdoor projects!

The deck has been a few colours over the past few years but this is definitely the most fun and gives the whole space such a tropical vibe - even in Shrewsbury! 🏝️ 🦩🍹😄

The paint has incredible coverage and was so nice to use - I loved the tools they provided too, especially the oval brush which got into all the nooks and crannies easily!

Let me know what you think of the new colour! 

#frenchicpaint #beforeandafter #deckmakeover #gardeninspiration #gardeninspo #outdoorproject
So on a whim I decided to paint the bedroom pink yesterday 😅🩷

This room has been neglected for so long as I've wanted to fully redecorate for about 3 years now but there are always other bigger priorities or a lack of time/energy/money so I keep putting it off 🙃🙃🙃 (tell me I'm not the only one) but happily this didn't cost a penny as I used what I already had although it did take me the best part of a day!

I went through my paint stash and found that I had extra @coatpaints Percy from when I did the living room early last year -- well I'm not one to let something this good go to waste (honestly this paint is absolutely wonderful to work with and has amazing coverage) and my goodness it's just so pretty in here 🥰 I also moved my pink curtains from my office into here and the whole room just glows!

I might actually be able to live with the mural a little longer until the room gets the attention it deserves! Let me know if you like the change ♥️

*For those who are wondering, it used to be white walls and I had grey curtains! 😅

#swoonworthy #bedroomdecor #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #pinkpinkpink #pinkinteriors
A little photo dump from my recent living room shoot because I still love to dig into the details of a still photo 😄💕

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #photodump
ad How to De-stress at Home in 6 Simple Steps 😊

April has been #stressawarenessmonth and so I've teamed up with the wonderful @frenchbedroom to share a few simple tips in creating a cosy sanctuary at home!

One of my favourite ways to add a feeling of comfort and relaxation is with glorious touchable textures and the stunning Mulberry Silk ruffled cushion from French Bedroom not only looks spectacular but feels incredible too! Pairing this with other feel-good fabrics will add depth to your design and will beg you to sink in and unwind 😍

French Bedroom are also now stocking my own home fragrance brand @swoonworthyscents candles, adding another element of calm with scent to your home. I chose No 02 Sunday Morning for my living room with rejuvenating Jasmine and refreshing pine and lemon notes 🥰

Check out my latest blog post for more tips on creating a relaxing sanctuary in your home via the link in my bio!

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #frenchbedroom #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #calming #aesthetic #cottagecoreaesthetic
Who needs pancakes when you can have Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemoncello glaze?! 😉🍋

I've had such a craving for this cake for a while so figured I'd make it today! This is a recipe from @bbcgoodfood and it's rather gorgeous 🥰

#baking #lemondrizzle #lemoncake #bakewithlove #shrovetuesday
Are you lucky enough to be owned by a cat? 🐈🐾

#bengallove #bengalsofinstagram #bengalcat #bengal #catsofinstagram #catlife
Finally managed to get the gallery wall completed in our hallway!

I couldn't have been happier with @violajayphotography capturing our little intimate wedding in October and knew as soon as I saw the photos I had to print them for our home! I admit, I've never been one to hang photos but it's probably because all we ever had after 14 years together was selfies 😂🤷🏽‍♀️ I'm so pleased we finally have some lovely shots of us together 🥰

Do you have photos of you/your partner/your family up around your home?? 🤔

#gallerywall #autumnwedding #hallwaydesign #hallwayinspo
✨These little vintage copper pans needed some TLC! ✨

After searching for a while for vintage copper pans, I found these on eBay - they looked quite grim on the ad but I knew they could be shined up nicely! A little @barkeepersfriend later (not an ad!) and I'm loving how they look in my kitchen 🥰

Let me know if you like the new addition ❤️

#kitcheninspo #kitchendesign #vintagestyle #kitchenstyling
Oh hey living room, nice to have you back ☺️

I always feel very ready to remove the excess of Christmas decor pretty much as soon as the 26th arrives but I've been later than usual this Twixmas as we've both been unwell the last couple weeks 🤦🏽‍♀️ Nevertheless, I've managed to get things packed away and I styled this little faux arrangement today for my coffee table so ya know, small victories 😄🙌🏽

#livingroom #livingroominspo #fauxflowers #coffeetabledecor