Happy New Year! With a new calendar, full of 366 (this is a Leap Year) days of possibilities, we may look around our homes and wish for a fresh start. Without spending any money, you can make your home, whether new or old, just purchased or on the market, look fresh and exciting as the 2016 calendar! Here are a few tips to make things fresh:
- Rearrange the Furniture. Pulling sofas, chairs, and other pieces away from the walls can inspire you. Try angling a sofa or have club chairs face each other for a conversational setting. You’d be amazed what a bit of rearranging can do for a room and your perspective on it.
- Style your bookshelves, and mix up objects on tables and shelves. If you are lucky enough to have bookshelves in a room, try reorganizing the books by color or size — intersperse objects of art, bowls, and other items between and in front of books. Try a traditional spin on bookshelves and hang a piece of art in front of the shelves.
- Change out throw pillows. Trade up throw pillows from bedrooms and other rooms to mix up the appearance of rooms. If you are willing to spend a little money, new pillow covers can make the whole room look fresh. Try animal prints or bright solids for a change of pace.
- Change up art on the walls. You can change the position of existing art, or trade pieces from different rooms. You will gain a whole new appreciation for pieces you may not see as often, say, from the dining room, by putting them in the family room.
- Edit! “Tidying Up” is all the rage now, thanks to Marie Kondo and her book about decluttering. If you place books, accessories, pillows, and art on your coffee table, and choose to keep only the pieces that give you joy, you will feel lighter and have a new perspective on how to decorate with those (fewer) beloved items. Enjoy!