Realtor’s Perspective: Falling in Love With Your Home Again
I’m willing to bet you’ve never spent as much time at home as you have these past 700-plus days. So maybe it’s time to undertake that long overdue home makeover, replace the furniture you’ve secretly loathed or tackle that garage reorganization.
The silver lining in the work that awaits is that you’ve been gifted the opportunity of time at home to knock out projects that have been nagging you for ages.
An appetite for decorating has replaced date nights, weekends away, and trips to the mall. Money that may have been saved on commuting, happy hours, and dining out is being poured back into at-home projects and updates. Instead of investing in a new seasonal wardrobe, people are spending on their living spaces.
New Life Into Old Spaces
Following are easy, practical tips to help breathe new life into old living spaces.
Clear the clutter. Set a timer for 15 minutes and turn your attention to the one room in your home that is creating the most stress. If you don’t use it, need it, or love it, it’s clutter. Let it go. That unopened stack of mail on the kitchen counter, those books you’ve pulled off the shelf to read, or that pile of laundry hanging over the Peloton – take 15 minutes and tackle each one of the clutters. Enjoy the lightness that comes from having those items off your to-do list.
Edit. Once you’ve decluttered, start the editing process. If you don’t love something, remove it. My challenge to you: Find 10 things in your spaces and donate them, give them away or repurpose them. This can include anything from wall hangings to furniture, light fixtures, and pillows.
Shop your home. Make the most of what you have and have some fun rearranging and switching things up. Look at your home as a challenge to solve rather than a problem. Think of creative solutions to the things that bother you. Rearrange the living room sofas, flip around two chairs, and move a side table to a different setting. Add an area rug, or layer several area rugs. Add a throw blanket to the foot of the bed or that accent chair. Rotating the smaller pieces and accessories can change the look and feel of the entire space.
Check functionality. Assess how your home is supporting the way you live in it. Maybe there’s something you use every day but you are constantly walking up or down the stairs to retrieve it, your coffee maker is in a spot that’s hard to reach or your desk is shoved in a dark corner and your office chair is uncomfortable. These small daily nuisances are likely making you resentful of your space. If something in your space isn’t functioning well, fix it.
Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Make your bedroom more inviting and comfortable by adding accents. Upgrade your linens, clean off and restyle your nightstands. Replace your pillows, and add a cozy new throw blanket to give your bed or corner chair a new look. Invest in a diffuser and candle so the room smells like your favorite space or hotel suite.
Highlight what makes you happy. Find the things that bring you the most joy and put them front and center in your home. Don’t save your favorites and best for special occasions. Whether you bring out the fine china, invest in artwork or knit a new throw, purposely add something beautiful to a frequently used part of your home.
What’s on your walls? Brightening up your walls with artwork is an easy solution. Try moving paintings to different walls, test out different arrangements if you have a gallery wall, and update photo galleries with family shots. Try pairing family photos with paintings, or even framed works of art by your children.
Add flowers and plants. Add a bit of mint or rosemary plant in the kitchen or some succulents out on the porch. Place a bright bouquet of flowers in a favorite vase on the kitchen island or coffee table to liven up a space. Pick flowers such as roses, gardenias or lilies that smell heavenly.
Restyle your front porch. Clean up and restyle your front porch or doorstep. Add a wreath on the entrance door, invest in colorful pots and plants, or change out your seasonal decor.
Light things up. Rooms feel bigger and have a better ambiance when you use at least three light sources in a room. Adding lighting to a space makes a world of a difference. A table lamp or floor lamp are great options.
Paint a wall. Painting a single wall can create a focal point for a room or add an unexpected pop of color, especially if you have any oddly shaped rooms that you want to help define better. It doesn’t have to be a big wall. It doesn’t even have to be an entire wall. Experiment with wall colors to liven up your space. If you don’t like it, you can change it back.
Add a scent. Create an inviting ambiance by adding a scent with candles, wax melters, or diffusers. Our sense of smell is vital to our feelings of well-being and quality of life. It influences our mood, how long we stay in a room, who we talk to, and who we want to see again.
Nicole Colclough was previously a small business owner in downtown Los Altos and now works in real estate.
Read the full article as featured in Los Altos Town Crier here.