Look around your home. Walk slowly from room to room, whether in your mind’s eye or in person and tap into your feelings about each space. Is your living room shabby and furnished with oddly mismatched pieces? Are the bathrooms cluttered? Is your kitchen outdated without being quite vintage? Then today’s article is for you!
If your home is bringing your mood down, it may seem like renovation and moving are your two best options. Both are costly, time-consuming, and anything but convenient. The good news is that we can suggest ten steps to help you love your home again!
Whether you follow two or ten, we hope you find this upcoming summer season the most enjoyable time you’ve spent at home in recent years.
1.) Declutter
As homeowners, we can gradually become used to the clutter that gathers thanks to our busy lives. The result that often follows is that we forget how beautiful our spaces look when we manage to banish the clutter.
Choose one room, one surface, or even one drawer to tackle per day. Spend no more than thirty minutes working before you take a short break. Then, decide whether to keep going or start again the following day.
Your overarching goal should be to avoid repopulating a cleared zone with new clutter. Have a plan in place to handle the types of items you just cleaned up, and follow through without exception.
Over time, your home will be fully decluttered, and you will have gradually created new habits that can stand the test of time, provided you stick to your goals.
2.) Deep Clean
Sure, you vacuum, you sweep, you scrub, and you do laundry most days of the week. Your home is clean.
But is it deeply clean?
Once your home is decluttered, it’s time to get to work deep cleaning. We’re talking about ceiling to baseboards, floors to fixtures; nothing should escape your frenzy. If you have high windows or fixtures you cannot reach, hire a professional. The idea is to allow you to see your home in a new light, both literally and figuratively.
3.) Little DIY Fixes
In our homes, we all have hinges that have begun to work their way loose, fixtures that could use an update, and even bulbs that have burnt out. Make a list of the little fixes you can do yourself. Set a goal of completing at least one per week. Within a few months, you should have worked your way through your list. Begin a new one, invite your family to contribute, and try to stay on top of it through regularly scheduled DIY days.
4.) Change Your Interior Flow
Explore rearranging your furniture to change the overall flow within each room and between them. We recommend doing this anytime you add a piece of furniture to a room, though it’s also true that once you have lived with your arrangement for a bit of time, you may have new insights about an improved setup.
The key is to remain engaged in viewing your space analytically from time to time so as not to become complacent with suboptimal choices.
5.) Reupholster Beloved Furniture
If you have a piece of furniture that is high-quality, holds sentimental value, or falls into both categories, consider re-upholstering it if it has become worn. This can be a DIY project or, should you decide to outsource, a worthwhile investment. Once reupholstered, even once-shabby items can bring new grace and grandeur into your home!
6.) Slowly Swap Out Worn Items
Consider everything from your rugs, mailbox, and kitchen sink—even window screens—and identify items that are worn beyond repair. Save up to replace them if necessary, then slowly purchase and install replacements. Even subtle updates add up over time, and they will help you appreciate each room of your home anew.
7.) Repaint
This update is not as affordable as it once was, but there is no substitute for a fresh coat of paint when it is needed. If scrubbing your walls and touching up small defects doesn’t do the trick, it’s time to repaint. While this fix is time-consuming and fussy, the results will last for years and can make your home’s interior look nearly new.
8.) Hang New Art
Whether you need a fresh coat of interior paint or not, hanging new art can be a quick way to give any room a facelift. Your selections need not be expensive to be effective; in fact, the framing job and choice of glass can help a simple print make a huge splash. Choose pieces that make you happy, then enjoy the way they brighten your days for years to come.
9.) Install New Appliances
We do not recommend new appliances as a means of breaking out of a rut, but if you have been postponing purchasing needed upgrades and replacements, bite the bullet as soon as you can. Installing a new refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, washer, dryer, or water heater can make your daily life so much easier that your subjective experience of your home changes significantly as a result.
10.) Contact Your Real Estate Agent
Your real estate agent can offer an objective opinion of your home’s value, as well as how much you would need to invest in updates or repairs to secure this full sum upon sale. If you would benefit from following our list and reevaluating your opinion of your home, your agent will let you know!
On the other hand, if following our list and waiting it out does not help, your agent will help you through every stage of the selling process, as well as in your efforts to find your dream home elsewhere in Middle Tennessee.
