A home refresh is more about clearing away clutter and infusing some style than heavy-duty remodeling that requires permits, hiring contractors, and huge budgets.
When your home feels dull or you’ve lost that love for your home that you had when initially moving in, then there are things you can do. Changes within the space make it more attractive and in-tune with your family’s style once again.
Your home should be a place that you can enjoy and feel comfortable. Here is some inspiration on how to brighten up your home.
Incorporate some nature
Biophilic design is a hot trend in interior design, and it’s all about including nature indoors. Nature is easy to incorporate into your space immediately and it creates a wonderful impact on your home and your health.
Not only are plants and natural materials like wood great ways to inject color and warmth into the space, but they’re also great if you’re looking to boost your mood. However, when choosing the plants or flowers to add to your space, make sure you’re aware of how easy or how difficult they are to maintain. And if the plants may be toxic to your furry friends.
Ideally, if you don’t have a lot of time available then you might want to get plants that are harder to kill, aka they don’t need much watering in order to survive. An endless summer hydrangea, for example, might take a lot more time to look after and maintain than something like a snake plant, which is the one plant our cat Rowdee won’t destroy.
Clear up the clutter
Clutter is a big dampener on your space, especially when it comes to how you feel in your home. Even if you try and clear up clutter as often as possible, all humans have a habit of collecting junk that they simply don’t need.
Ideally, you want to clear up the clutter every few months, especially if you live in a big household. Go around each room within the home and consider what is junk and what can be kept hold of. The more you remove from the ground and clear up, the better your home will feel as a result.
The more clutter takes up the floor space, the more cramped it’s going to feel. That’s what you want to try and avoid as best as possible. I have a quick guide to freshening up a space before guests arrive called CASTLE.
Go bold with color
Infusing color is often an easy way to brighten up the space, especially if your home is many kinds of grey and a collection of other neutrals. By choosing easily swappable items like new art, pillows, or throw blankets, you can try out colors without a major commitment or investment.
Many homeowners tend to forget that home interiors are spaces they’ll be living in all the time. Instead, they try to make it look like a showroom that’s magazine-ready. With that being said, consider what color options you might want to add to the space. The best way to find colors that speak to you is to look inside your clothes closet and consider those items that love the most.
Also, browsing interior trends online can help introduce new color ideas, but gravitate towards color that you actually enjoy yourself. That way, you’ll boost the mood of your home in general as a result. And, trends come and go.
Let the sunlight in
It’s important to be mindful of how much sunlight you’re letting into your home. It might be that you’re not letting in enough because certain furniture is blocking that sunlight from coming in. Whether that’s high furniture like a wardrobe, room darkening shades, or it’s a few plants that have grown a lot taller than you initially expected, it’s helpful to make space for natural light to flow.
Whatever is blocking your windows, try to remove these so that you can maximize the sunlight that shines through.
Use reflective surfaces like glass and mirrors
Reflective surfaces are a great tool for when you’re trying to brighten your home. From glass dining tables and coffee tables to mirrors placed strategically around the room, they’re all helpful for brightening the space. Plus, both dining tables and mirrors are offered in an enormous range of styles to suit most preferences.
Consider what reflective surfaces you currently have in the space and what you might want to incorporate into the space to help maximize the brightness within the room.
Rearrange your furniture
Finally, be sure to rearrange your furniture. When you initially place furniture, it can often feel like that is the ideal place to put it. However, you might find that rearranging your furniture actually makes a big difference to how it feels and how much brighter your space looks as a result. I often move furniture, probably once a year, because I’m obsessed with interior design and I’m always wondering: “What would it be like if this were over there?”
If you’re looking to give your home that transformation, then brightening up your space is a great way to go about it.
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