After a while, you can start to convince yourself that something actually looks right the way it is.
For example, my house originally had a laundry alcove. Well, that is if you can call having the machines at one end of the kitchen an “alcove”. I decided some time ago to enclose that space, as part of my rearranging of the kitchen. So, I put up two walls with a roughed in opening that I intended to put a door on. Now, however, it’s been such a long time, I am starting to think a door isn’t necessary.
Of course, I wanted a door there and I still rationally want a door there, but I’m so accustomed to there being no door, I’m certain it would never be closed.
But lots of doors in houses are never closed. My basement door, for instance. But that may have to do with the sheets of plywood that have been in the hallway for years…

Other things just start to become such a part of your own personal environment that you no longer pay attention to them. I did a lot of work on the outside of my house a few years ago. It’s an ongoing project, actually. I am slowly working my way around the house, replacing the windows. Also, I’m taking down the aluminum siding and doing stucco. It’s time-consuming and costs quite a bit, so I haven’t done any in over a year. Well, I no longer really notice how it looks in its unfinished state. I was fairly pleased with the progress at every stage, but then I started to see there was still a lot to do, but it’s now been so long, the house looks like it was intentionally made to seem half-finished. And I find I care less and less all the time.
The best feature is the downspout that I had to remove at one point that didn’t quite fit on the newly built-out surface. I didn’t want to mess up the new finish, so I kind of propped the pipe awkwardly in position. It works, but it’s very crooked. It’s been like that for three years.

Then, to return to my kitchen, I have all the upper cabinets which I made and installed. They have no doors. I didn’t make doors for those because I still had cabinets to make (lower) and wanted to make all the doors at the same time. Space in my “workshop” is constantly dwindling, so don’t want anything finished sitting around in there for any length of time. Also, I’m not certain of the end dimensions of the lower cabinets.
That hardly seems to matter now, though, since it feels perfectly normal to have ten or so upper cabinets with no doors. It’s quite convenient, actually. If I need something, I can see it. I never hear the sound of a door slamming. My aunt had a pesky habit of constantly telling us to close the cupboard doors or we’d hurt our heads. Well, I’ve not hit my head on one of those doors in years.

I’ve recently built two rooms in my basement. One is a bedroom, the other is a store room, and they have reached a point of finish which makes them capable of use. The walls are painted, for instance, and doors are up and working. However, I did not yet install any baseboard. I have reached the point where I have said to myself, “I’ll get some of that later and install it.” Of course, it’s currently getting to be “later” and I am currently sitting here, typing this, instead of considering going anywhere to get anything like baseboard.
I think it may be necessary to force myself to do it, though. There are too many projects started here, some of them need to get finished. It weighs on you to have unfinished projects, especially ones in your house. My growing accustomed to the unfinished state is possibly a psychological defence against the stress of needing to get everything done. But denial never makes something go away.

And if I wait too long, the renovated work will itself need to be renovated. But maybe that’s actually what I’m aiming for. New projects are always easier to work on than old ones.