2026 Resolutions
Well, we made it to 2026. Doing less, and in some ways more. We didn’t send holiday cards. We did host a New Year’s Eve Tea. The kids received too many gifts, but it pushed us to finally address the bookshelf situation in the living room.
We spent winter break ‘23 installing floor to ceiling shelves to finally house all of our children’s toys and books. The townhome was mostly open concept, and we were tired of seeing endless bins of magnatiles, growing stacks of stuffed animals, books, and so, so many trucks. We bought shelves from IKEA, bolted them in, and had my contractor father in law visit from Minnesota to finish them with trim and paint for a gorgeous built-in look. They complemented our mid-century home perfectly, and it seemed like the first time in parenting we had a handle on the clutter that children bring (also, we were finally able to graduate from having a changing table in the living room - major win).
I swore I’d never move again, but life happens, sometimes repeating itself as our new living room was filled with ever-accumulating plastic bins amidst IKEA couches that looked downright depressing in this older, more classic home. There was nowhere to tuck in shelves as we’d had at the old place, and we were loathe to disturb some of the thoughtful touches from the previous artist owners, including wooden paneling surrounding the (non-functioning) fireplace.
But my dresser didn’t quite fit right in our new bedroom, not for aesthetic reasons as it was a beautiful American piece acquired in the Southampton museum barn which hosted Sunday sales pre-Covid. It fit perfectly in the living room corner, and could hold our entire collection of magna tiles and Brio train sets. Our focus largely shifted to painting, replacing the gas fireplace, and upgrading our seating situation from warped love seats to comfortable yet attractive pieces. A bookshelf my dad had re-finished for us sat in the front room, increasingly overburdened with anything the dresser couldn’t hold - puzzles, books, balls, and of course, more trucks. It was surrounded by more toy bins at best, straight up mess at worst. But it wasn’t a large space, and needed the right piece.
Enter our new hutch. Part of a bedroom set, we happily left the matching dressers behind and, with only a slight shoulder tear, carried it into our home to replace the bookshelf. The hutch fits puzzles, barbie houses, hot wheels tracks, painting kits, makeup sets, a lite bright, and counting. There are less accessible drawers up top where I can tuck the paint pens our daughter once blacked out her body with, as well as the game our son always wants to play at the worst possible time. It’s not a toy chest, it’s not built in, but it works for the space and we are clutter-free, at least until the kids’ birthdays in the spring.
Less is more, but in 2026 we’re resolving to work with what we have, and to appreciate how a small change can make a huge difference. The bookshelf looks great in the dining room, loaded with books. Funny how that works.
