It started small — a shelf. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the impulse of one. My husband said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of buying a bowl, I decided I'd create a solution. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Functional. Or whatever people call it when they're about to drill blindly.

I marked the spot next to the entry light, took one step back and thought, “Easy” Ten minutes later I was staring into the soul of the wall, confused why it looked like someone had left a mystery next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the drywall crumbled more than expected.

That's the thing about projects like this — it doesn't stay put. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, you're repainting. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had a dust mask permanently stuck in my jacket pocket.

There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just spins. You go to the store for anchors and come back with a bag of stuff you didn't know you needed. That's how I ended up repainting a perfectly fine wall because the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”

Supplies multiply. You buy the same sanding block because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the ironing board.

It's messy. Not just physically. One night I stayed at a friend's place because the bedroom smelled like plaster. I also cried over a crooked towel hook. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.

But you get through it. more info With forums full of questionable advice. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the hallway paint was hiding mold.

Eventually, though, things feel right again. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still look suspicious. But now, I step into that space and don't trip. That's progress.

The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a crooked sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.

And that's renovation, isn't it? Not what you expected. But it's yours. With all its weird corners and odd colors.