The New Year brings a fresh start or as we say at our house, “a fresh page”. For me, a fresh page for my home means going through closets, drawers, cupboards and even book shelves to sort through for those things I really want to keep out, what I want to put away for a while, what I can give away, and what is beyond “giving” and needs to be tossed. I was fortunate to find time to do this over the long holidays. Now that I’ve “cleaned out” I can look at my home, how it’s arranged and accessories with a fresh eye. Here are some budget-friendly steps to help you transform your home:
1 - Re-access your home one room at a time:
Look at each room/each space in your home with a fresh eye, as if you had never seen it before, much as a new friend or guest would see it for the very first time. First impressions speak loudly, so start with your entry way and move on from there.
2 - Re-Organize (A place for everything and everything in its place):
De-cluttering is the easiest and most affordable way to transform any room. Sort through papers and belongings into four categories: Keep, Store, Give away and Toss. Try not to tackle more than you have time to complete, then the process won’t seem over-whelming. As you clean out drawers and closets you reclaim new space that gives you room to re-arrange what you “really need” into more easily retrievable locations. It’s fun to use decor-friendly storage options such as ottomans, suitcases or caddies. The process of losing the clutter brings serenity to your space and makes your rooms feel larger.
3 - Re-arrange your furniture and accessories:
Re-arrange the furniture - the most budget friendly way I know to give a room a fresh look is to take what you already have a move it around. A simple rule in buying furniture and accessories is to “Buy what you love!” Then when you decide to move things around they will mix and match from one room to another more easily because they were all selected from your point of view.
4 - Re-fresh with color:
You can easily and affordably give your space a fresh look with color. Pillows and throws are the easiest and most affordable way to layer color into your rooms. If you have carpeting, an area rug placed on top of the carpeting in the conversation area of your family room will bring texture and color to your space. The wonderful variety of patterns and colors available in ready-made drapes gives you lots of choices in window treatments. Fabric curtains bring a layer of texture and warmth to any room. Giving your walls a fresh coat of paint is another way to give a room new life. Whether you call the painter or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself, new color on the walls will transform your space. Don’t be afraid to be bold with your color choices. I choose a Benjamin Moore Dill Pickle green for our kitchen walls recently and when I first walked into the room the paint was still wet and I thought, “Oh no!” But once it dried it was just fine. It’s pretty perky but we have very little wall actually exposed in our small kitchen, so I’m really glad I dared to go bold!
While these four budget-friendly steps are intended to help you give your home a fresh look, at the end of the day just be sure you are decorating your home with things you love and are special to you. Decorating is really just setting the stage for memory making. Making memories with those we love and care about is the most important thing that will ever happen in our homes. So happy memory making at your house!
Valerie