The Top 10 Posts of 2017 on the Grit and Polish

Before I get started on today's post, I have to say that I wasn't planning to do any kind of yearly wrap-up here on the blog. But I couldn't quite get 2017 out of my mind.  What were the most popular posts?  Did you guys like the same topics as me?  Were room reveals, renovation updates, or personal posts the most viewed? Yesterday I looked up the statistics on Google Analytics, and was shocked (SHOCKED!) with what I found.  The majority of the most popular posts viewed in 2017 were not actually from 2017.  Rather they're old, like from before-I-had-a-handle-on-photography-photoshop-or-formatting old.  It was so surprising, that I had to share the results today.  This may not be the an interesting post for every reader, but it seems significant, especially to other bloggers, content developers, and generally curious folk.  So without further ado, here are the 10 most viewed posts on the Grit and Polish between 1/1/2017 and 12/31/2017, counting backwards from number ten...

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Ten // No Pain(t), no gain

This post on painting the Ravenna House from four years ago made the list. Honestly, I have zero idea why it's so popular.  The photos are dark and the whole post lacks formatting.  It does, at least, remind me that my photography skills have come a long way (although I'm still using the same camera and lens as I did back then).

Nine // Farmhouse Living Room Our Sofa Is here - a giveaway

This was the first post of 2017, all about our new Interior Define sofa at the Farmhouse.  There was a giveaway attached, which I think helped the popularity quite a bit.  The kids still play on this sofa, every. Single. Day!  The sofa is huge (102" long) and the perfect spot for our family of 5 to curl up for movie night.

Eight // We're filming a pilot for HGTV

This was also from 2017 and all about the details of our HGTV pilot.  Pretty self explanatory.

Seven // A cement tile backsplash in the kitchen

Honestly I haven't thought about this Dexter House post since I wrote it back in 2015.  It's a pretty gritty post with over-saturated construction photos.  But cement tiles are pretty popular so there's that.

Six // Building A New Fireplace - Patterned Cement Tile Surround

This is another construction post from 2015, but this series - about building a new fireplace in the 1905 Dexter House - is unique for old homeowners, so I'm glad it's been of interest.  For the record, I don't always think that cement tiles are a good fit for old homes, but they really fit with the architecture of the Spanish-style Dexter House.

Five // Farmhouse Master Bedroom One Room Challenge Reveal

The Farmhouse master bedroom is still one of my very favorite rooms that Garrett and I have ever tackled and apparently it's one of our reader's favorites too.  Watch for a winter update on this space later this week!

Four // Vintage Find: A Jenny Lind Spool Bed

I loved seeing that a "resource" post made the list!  Writing about a style of antique furniture took a fair bit of research so I'm glad to see it was well received.  I'd like to do a lot more posts like this in 2018, both about antique furniture styles and about other topics that are valuable and relevant to home owners.

Three // 6 Day Kitchen Reno Reveal

No surprise here.  This 2016 project was such a FUN renovation that we did for our friends, Julia and Garrett, and it turned out beautifully.  I'm glad to see readers are still looking at it!

Two // If at first you don't succeed, a shower floor tale

This post is all about failing at renovating and trying again.  After grouting all of the shower floor tiles at the Ravenna House, we had to tear up and replace a large section because of drainage issues.  Mistakes in renovating are less than glamorous to say the least, but it's also important to learn from our mistakes.  So I'm glad this post made the list, even if it makes me cringe.

One // DIY how to make old wood drawers slide easier 

I still get comments on this post every once in a while, so I'm not totally surprised to see it on the list, although I would never have guessed it would be #1.  This post, about making old wood drawers slide easier, is one of the first posts I ever wrote (ha!) and that was long before I got a handle on my camera or toyed with photoshop.  But even though the pictures are rough, I'm glad to see a DIY post took the number one spot, especially since it fits in our blog goals for 2018.

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Well now that we reviewed 2017, I'm officially ready to embrace 2018.  Here's to a great year ahead!

xoxo

-Cathy