It’s that time of year! Spring is making its way around, and you know what that means. It’s time for a home refresh. Say goodbye to the dark days of winter and get ready for warm and bright sunny days ahead. Each year our homes quickly begin to collect dust and unwanted clutter and or just need a little bit of change to make the space enjoyable again. Now is the time to give your home an instant refresh this spring.

Declutter

Decluttering your space may seem like a tall task, but when the job is complete, you may not even recognize the appearance of your home. Make a shortlist of areas in your home that need the most attention, and start working your way down the list. Start with the smaller, less time-consuming tasks first, like decluttering your tubberware cabinet before you take on big jobs like cleaning out the garage. 

Rearrange Your Furniture

Rearranging the furniture in your home costs absolutely nothing and just takes a little elbow grease. You can add or remove furniture from room to room. Maybe move your bed toward the window for more sunlight in the morning. Switch the position of your living room furniture and remove pieces that may overcrowd a room. You can grab a lamp and a small table from one room and an accent chair from another to create a cute reading nook or even rearrange the pictures on the walls. The possibilities are endless when you get creative with what you have.

Switch Out Your Decor

One of the easiest ways to give your home a quick makeover is to switch out your decor. You can get a couple of new throw pillows and a throw blanket in your living room. You can swap your duvet covers in the bedrooms and the shower curtains and bath rugs in your bathrooms. Switch to a new set of kitchen towels, throw rugs, and curtains to give a fresh look to your home. 

Change out your lighting

Replacing your lightbulbs can give your home an instant makeover by brightening up the place within minutes. If you want to add some light to your living space, try opting for LED lightbulbs. 

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

Add a pop of color in a room that needs a little more spice. Whether you decide to paint one wall or all four, it’s up to you.

Refreshing your home this spring doesn’t have to be a difficult task at all. Some of the smallest changes can make the biggest impact. 

The New Year more than likely brings about the desire for change in many areas of your life including your home. Trying to keep your décor up to date with what’s trending each year can be pretty stressful at times. Things change with the blink of an eye from furniture styles, paint colors, and even fabric choices. You may be tempted to make a few adjustments to your interior design as you journey through this year and we’d like to help give you an idea of what direction the popular design trends are going in 2020 and beyond. 

Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Have fun with color this year in one of your favorite rooms in the home, the kitchen. Choose an element of your kitchen such as the island or cabinets and go to town with a pop of color like dark red, navy blue, bright yellow, and even green.

Textured Wall Tiles

Adding textured tiles on the walls is a great way to add a little pizazz to your interior design. It adds character and personality to every room without overpowering it. Try adding an embossed title for a luxury look in your bathroom or some subtle texture as a kitchen backsplash.

Curved Furniture

Curved furniture such as headboards, love seats, and chairs are making a comeback this year with some of the throwback styles from the ’60s and ’70s of course with a modern touch. We are moving away from the more structured and rectangular shapes and moving toward gentle curves that will help to create a soft environment.

Dark Painted Doors

Say goodbye to those drab white or brown front doors that initially came with your home and say hello to a fresh paint job in 2020. The color black in either a satin or gloss finish gives your front entrance an elegant and classic look. Or try a nice deep blue hue to give your home a more vintage jazzy appearance that is sure to wow your guests. What a great way to make an entrance to the New Year.

Thrift Store Crafting

Although this is nothing new, repurposing thrift store finds is definitely a popular interior design trend that won’t hurt your bank account and adds a touch of personality to any room. Pick up a wicker chair and apply a few coats of spray paint or repurpose a preloved vase for a special touch to any room in your home.

Plant life

Beautifying your new home through the addition of plant life is continuing to be common in this year’s interior design trends. Adding live plants and flowers assists in providing personality and another layer of space in the home. It can also add a simple dash of color in drab spaces.

Mixed Metal finishes

Simple traces of mixed metal finishes throughout the home on things like doorknobs and sink features create a very simplistic accent to your home’s interior design.

Wallpaper

Painting the walls is not always everyone’s favorite option so adding wallpaper is a great go-to way to add color to the rooms in your home. In 2020 you can expect to see more pops of color through the use of wallpaper. You can expect to see the wallpaper in the form of botanical designs, metallic, and geometric patterns this year. Choose from a wide selection of designs and place your wallpaper on your bathroom walls, ceilings, walkways, and even use it for accent walls in bedrooms and living spaces.

Kitchen Islands

Kitchen islands have become very popular over the years and allow for more space for both dining and meal preparation as well as allow for ease with the entertaining of guests while still being the life of the party. This has become a common focal point in the kitchen space and a must-have feature in almost any home. 

However you choose to decorate your home this year, be sure to do it with love and don’t hold back on your creativity. Your home’s interior design is an expression of your personality.

The Christmas holiday is finally over and you’ve probably got plenty of excess wrapping paper leftover that will most likely collect dust for another year. But it doesn’t have to! You can easily use again, just not in the most conventional ways. Rather than letting rolls of wrapping paper take up space in your garage or storage closet, there are many alternative ways to make use of it. if you're looking to revamp your home, a great and affordable way to decorate is to do it with wrapping paper! We’re sharing four ways to decorate with leftover wrapping paper.

Line bookshelves 

Turn a drab bookshelf into eye candy by lining them with fun gift wrap. This may even encourage you to pull a few more books off of the shelf this year!

Line your kitchen and bathroom drawers

You can save a few dollars by lining the drawers in your home with your leftover wrapping paper that you already have. If you’re not too fond of the traditional green and red designs, you can always grab different colors and designs at your local Walmart or Target. This adds a fun little pop to your kitchen, bathroom, and dresser drawers.

Fill empty photo frames

Decorate the blank walls in your home with a few picture frames from the dollar store with your wrapping paper. This is a very affordable and unique way to create an eye capturing piece in any room in your home.

Cover your lamp shades

Add a little pizazz to your lampshades with fun colors and designs that will add to the room’s flow.

Whatever you decide to do with your leftover gift wrapping paper, make sure you’re having fun while doing it. Get creative and think outside the box. The possibilities are endless!

The type of lighting you have in your home is essential to your day to day life. It can deeply affect your mood and productivity. Dim lighting can contribute to depression and even affect your appetite. Bright lights can heighten emotions and make you feel more energetic. Having ample natural lighting in the rooms in your home is very beneficial, but what if certain rooms don’t offer enough natural lighting in the first place? Here are 7 tips to brighten up a dark room.

Paint Your Walls 

This is probably the most common way to brighten up a room that doesn’t get much natural lighting. Get rid of any walls that may have a darker paint color to liven things up. Grab a can of white or light-colored paint and watch your room transform.

Make sure to purchase a matte paint rather than one that is glossy. Matt surfaces reflect light in every direction rather than glossy paint that actually creates a glare. The goal is to reflect natural light equally in order to illuminate the room properly.

Add More Light Fixtures

Just one lamp may not provide ample lighting in a darker room. Consider adding a few more light fixtures to enhance the lighting in your home. 

Replace Lightbulbs

If you find that a room or rooms in your home give off a somewhat yellow light, you may want to consider replacing your lightbulbs. This is a great way to upgrade your home on a budget. Switching to daylights is an easy and affordable way to brighten up a dim room. You can find them at Walmart or order a few on Amazon.

Add Lots of Mirrors

Adding multiple mirrors in a room will not only brighten it up but it will give the illusion of more space as well. You can create a gallery of mirrors on one wall, add one large mirror, or one on each wall. Have fun with the frames to give your space a little more personality. 

Hang Sheer Curtains

If you want to brighten up your space, you’ll have to get rid of those drab heavy curtains and replace them with something a little more sheer. Sheer curtains will allow for more natural light to pull through into the room whereas a thicker fabric will take the lighting away. 

Clean the Windows

This may seem extremely simple, but cleaning your windows can make a huge difference. If you can safely clean both the inside and outside of your windows, they’ll be free from any dirt, dust, and grime that can trap more natural light from coming in. 

Trim Your Trees

Trees bring lots of shade, but they also block natural light from coming into your home. If you have any trees that are directly in front of your windows, trim them a little. 

You should see a big difference in how your dark room has transformed just by using a few or all of these great tips to brighten things up. Most importantly, you'll also see a change in your productivity and the way you feel walking into your newly illuminated space.

There are many benefits to having indoor plants.  Plants can boost your mood, productivity, concentration, and creativity. They also can reduce stress, fatigue, and the common cold. Plants can clean indoor air by absorbing toxins increasing humidity and producing oxygen. Your indoor plants are also great for bringing in color and life to your living space. The best part of adding greenery to your home is that it’s an affordable way to decorate. If you’re looking to liven up your humble abode, we’ve created the perfect list of simple ways to decorate with the use of plants.

Place your plants on display with shelving

Place your prized leafy babies on display with simple shelving that is sure to catch the eye. Use a simple bookcase that you already have or install a few floating shelves on the walls.

Take advantage of your window seal

One of the most common places to put a plant in your home is the ledge of a window. There’s typically an ample amount of sunlight and a great way to view your new addition. 

Consider using potted paper plants

For those who don’t quite have that green thumb, paper plants are the perfect alternatives! No water needed. You can either purchase your paper plants online or make it a DIY project! Your guests will never know the difference.

Spice it up with some fun pots and planters

Make decorating with your plants less drab with fun pots that match your décor! Choose a few cool pots and planters with funky designs that will accentuate your gorgeous greenery. Another option is to pick up a few terracotta pots, grab some paint and have at it to give your pots a personal touch. Or get creative and try placing a few plans in a couple of soup cans. Of course, you might want to eat the soup first. 

Hang your plants in style!

For an extra touch of flair, consider using a macramé hanging plant holder. These can be purchased or made by hand. This is a great option to include greenery in a small space. Install a few hooks in your ceiling and hang away! You can also place your hanging plants in your entryways, patio and balcony areas. 

Fill in those empty spaces

Adding a simple plant or two or three is a great solution for those empty spaces in your home that you just can’t seem to fill. Throw in a nice Yucca plant or a Fiddle leaf fig or scale down a few sizes and place a few Ferns, Succulents, or Air Plants in your space.

Use a rolling cart

If you don’t already have one, grab a bar cart from your local thrift store or Target or Walmart and fill it with all of your favorite small house plants. The awesome part about this is that it’s on wheels. You can easily move your plants from room to room if you ever change your mind about their position in the home.

No matter how you decide to decorate your home, make sure to put your special touch on it and be creative. Choose plants and pottery that reflect your personality and style.

As you begin to set your goals for the New Year to refresh your way of living, don’t forget to include your living space on that list as well.  It’s common to make changes with your physical activity, eating habits, and finances, but leave your living space in the exact same state it has always been. Giving your home a slight makeover can provide you with a better outlook on life and assist you with accomplishing those goals even more so.  Think of it like buying new workout clothes to motivate you to exercise more.  Switching up the Feng shui in your home can give you that same energy.  So, here are a few home décor trends to implement as you step into the New Year.

Change out that headboard with a Canopy 

Enhance the room you spend the most time in by adding a four-post canopy to your bed.  Begin and end your day in a picturesque oasis with only the slightest of change in décor.

Add a backsplash that pops

A bold backsplash speaks volumes in a kitchen that may lack a little flair. Add personality to a minimalist kitchen with touches of color and texture that peek through behind the cabinetry. 

Keep the white space and add a touch of color

All white spaces are still in, but the new addition to this trend in 2019 is including hints of color throughout the space using the 90/10 rule.  Take a blank canvas of a once 90% white room and add in 10% of color in the form of décor, pieces of furniture, or even an accent wall creating vibrant vocal points. 

Put down the paintbrush and add wallpaper

Pull in both color and texture to the walls in your home with the addition of agate wallpaper.  Agate wallpaper consists of an organic textural pattern that is sure to add depth to any room design.

Bring concrete inside the home

This year, concrete will make appearances beyond the driveway and inside of the home in a major way.  You can create a more industrial modern look with large forms of concrete in the form of flooring, walls, bathtubs, and sinks.  If you’re looking to add smaller touches of texture, add concrete pieces in the form of planters, shelves, and even candle holders that still make a statement.

Whatever trends you decide to revamp within 2019, be sure that they reflect your own personal style.  Leave a touch of personality in your living space and allow it to inspire you to proceed through the year ready to accomplish all of your goals.  

We all look forward to enjoying the lights and Christmas décor around the holidays but if you decorate your home yourself you know exactly how long it took to properly place each and every little piece that made up that holiday magic. Now that the holidays are over, you’re probably dreading taking all that magic down not because you’ll miss it but because of the work it takes just to put it all away. What if there was a way to make the take down process easier and make sure everything is right where you left it for next year? Follow these five simple tips below for holiday décor organization and your holiday cleanup will become almost as incredible as the ornaments themselves.

Tip One: Use Clear Bins
This seems like a no brainer but you’d be surprised at how much time is saved by simply being able to see what goes in each bin.

Tip Two: Create Like Minded Bins
If you’ve been collecting ornaments for a while, it may seem like you’re drowning in decor from every color of the rainbow. Combine color schemes and specific themes. The cleanup may appear longer but you’ll thank yourself in the end and next year when it’s time to find a specific color.

Tip Three: Shop the Junk Drawer
Use little items like rubber bands in the junk drawer to secure ribbon or bundles of string lights. It’s a nightmare all on its own to untangle Christmas lights so avoid the hassle and separate them as you remove them using the items you already have. No need to shop for fancy storage reels.

Tip Four: Splurge Where Necessary
In the era of DIY it’s easy to find solutions that we can make ourselves at a fraction of the retail price but splurge where you need to.  For those ornaments that are sentimental or extra fragile, spend a little extra to properly store them in divided storage containers and save yourself the heartache of a shattered angel wing.

Tip Five: Label all the Contents
This might be another no brainer but labeling even if you’re using clear storage bins will make things almost effortless. Also be specific on the labels if you have more than one type of item in one bin.
Still seem like a lot of work? If so, think of it this way. Investing the time to properly organize this year is a small time investment to set you up for success for future holiday set ups and break downs. You’ll thank yourself next year when you realize searching through every bin for your favorite tree topper is a thing of the past.

Happy New Year!