How to Make Your Home Feel New Again
Coming home to a fresh, inviting atmosphere is one of the most relaxing aspects of each day. It can bring immediate calm, especially if your home feels fresh and new. Give your house a simple facelift with immediate results with these easy projects.
A New Front Door
A whole outdoor renovation may be out of the question, but you will be pleasantly surprised by how much of a difference a new front door will make. A relatively affordable project, it creates an inviting look right from the driveway.
You can modernize the aesthetic of your house with a colorful door or go for a classic look with a wooden door. Be sure to consider the trim that outlines the door, and go for a look that matches the siding and windows. Investing in the exterior of your home will pay off later on–if you ever choose to sell it. Curb appeal can raise your sales price by up to 17 percent.
Relevant: Clever | Sell My House
Fresh flowers
Look no further than a meadow for a simple way to freshen up your interior or exterior. Take your kids outside and pick some wildflowers, display them in mason jars on your coffee table, kitchen counter, or bathroom and voila! A new look.
For an outdoor upgrade, consider adding window boxes to your exterior and rotate seasonal favorites: marigolds in the spring, Black-Eyed Susans in the fall. Pansies do well pretty much all year. This low maintenance and cost effective tip is sure to please.
Deep Cleaning
No one likes to do it, but performing a deep clean can certainly enhance your home. Think about the tops of the cabinets, crevices behind the appliances, and corners of your shower. Does the thought of this make you shudder? Time to get out those rubber gloves and tackle dirty and leaky showers. Make it a family activity and spring clean (no matter the time of year). Even the oldest houses look good after a cleaning and a fresh coat of wax.
If you can afford it, call a service to deep clean your house, and you will not regret it. While you are at it, when is the last time you cleaned your carpets? Carpet cleaning companies will even scrub your furniture and upholstery, which can do wonders.
Relevant: Sealrite Solutions | Leaking Shower
Bring More Light in
Cleaning your windows, adding lamps, changing light bulbs, or any way you can bring more light into your house is a surefire way to brighten the atmosphere. Dark spaces tend to hide dust, so lightening up your space will also encourage you to keep the room tidy. You could also examine if the color of your walls is making the room feel darker than it really is. Why not experiment and try funky table lamps or grand chandeliers for a cool space enhancing technique.
In addition to making changes to the interior, you can assess the exterior of your home for light-blocking trees. While trees provide shade, they can also cause roof damage and block the sun from streaming through your windows. In this case, you may want to consider removing light-blocking trees. You may be surprised by the difference it makes in lightening up your home.
Relevant: Treequote.com | Tree Removal
Change the Fixtures
Everyone seems to have at least one brass doorknob or faucet in their home holding out from the 80s. Consider replacing these with a more modern brushed nickel, stainless steel, or gunmetal look.
Even your kitchen will benefit from the relatively easy replacement of cabinet hardware. Look for modern trends at your local hardware store, and you can change them out in under an hour, freshening up your kitchen in no time.
Throw Pillows
Many of us have fallen victim to a new sofa trend only to regret it a couple of years later. Still more of us keep our sofa for its comfort, not its looks. An easy way to add style to your living space is with bright throw pillows. Aim to pick up an accent color in a nearby chair or piece of artwork, and your pillows will tie the colors in the room together nicely.
Relevant: Ballard Designs | Choosing Throw Pillows
Flooring
Your flooring gets a lot of use and little recognition. If you have carpet you could either try giving it a deep clean or you could decide to replace it altogether. A deep clean will allow you to disinfect and clean the fibers, making your home smell and look new. It is cheaper than getting new carpet or hardwood floors, though the option to replace your flooring is a good one if the carpet falling apart. Hardwood, laminate, and engineered wood floors will all freshen up your space and help you keep your house clean.
Relevant: Michael’s Professional Carpet Cleaning | Carpet Cleaning Services
Embrace the Character of Your Home
Perhaps the best thing you can do to make your home look new is work with its character, not against it. Older homes carry a charm that is impossible to mimic. Sure, new homes are shiny and tempting, but your older home can be too. Enjoy your built-in shelves, arched doorways, and authentic brick exteriors. Don’t be afraid to spruce up the paint, so long as you’re not covering up things that could add to the value of your home. Remember to make it feel fresh with small accents while celebrating its unique soul.
Relevant: Etsy | Embrace Your Imperfect Home
Make Your Home Feel New Again
Your home should bring a sense of peace and calm to your life. You don’t need to buy a new home to feel a sense of freshness. Instead, invest your time, energy, and dollars into some simple ideas to see significant results.
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