The warm weather is finally here in our neck of the woods and we can just feel everyone itching to refresh their homes – organize, declutter, and give everything a good clean after a long winter. We’re ready to pack away those winter parkas and boots, then open our garages and start working on everything from garden beds to refreshing an outdated piece of furniture. Today we are sharing our 3 tips for an easy home makeover.
Because Spring is a great time for a new refreshing start, what better way to get ready for the new season than focusing on 3 Simple Things that you can do to feel refreshed and energized!
1) Declutter for an Easy Home Makeover
It’s kind of amazing how fast clutter builds up in our homes. From things like receipts to kids’ toys, you look at your front entryway after winter and the giant pile of boots, mittens, and hats and think “How did this happen?”
While this should apply year-round, Spring is a great time to get started on decluttering your home. Marie Kondo who wrote the now very popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has the philosophy that if the item doesn’t give you joy, then it has no purpose in your life.
Some of Marie’s simple tips on decluttering are:
- Start with one space per day. Think categories, not rooms. Don’t try and declutter your entire house all at once. Pick clothing one day, then the next day receipts or books and so on.
- Make sure you have space to store what you have and use it versus the other way around. That is don’t make space to store items you no longer need. If you think “I’ll keep this, just in case”, you’ll soon find a basement full of just-in-case items.
- Do you respect the items that you have? It sounds strange but imagine your objects and clothing had feelings. Would they like the way you treat them and store them? When you start thinking about that and how much money you spend on items that you don’t treat with respect, it will be easier to see what holds its value to you.
- Always ask “Does this item spark joy?” with every item you look at. If it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, thank it for being in your life and let it go.
2) Work with what you have for an Easy Home Makeover
We have a tendency of looking at a space when we’re bored with the way it is and instantly think “I need to get new pillows” or “Maybe I should get a new side table?”
Sometimes, however, it’s actually and Easy Home Makeover to change the feeling of a space by moving stuff around and re-purposing items you already have. You can give an item a whole new life by simply changing its location. Switch the placement of a side table or move your office desk to a different wall. Bring that big plant in your front room to your living room. Use the pillows in your basement and mix and match them with the ones you have upstairs in your living room.
If you still find that you’re unhappy with the look of certain items, realize that you may have outgrown the item and consider donating it. Like the Kondo method says, thank it for being in your life and let it go.
3) Paint!
It sounds so simple but paint can change the entire feel of your space in no time at all. It’s an inexpensive and super-easy way to achieve a whole new look & create that Easy Home Makeover! That pine dresser you have that’s seen better days, imagine it in a fresh colour that you love, maybe a pastel-like Fusion English Rose (discontinued) or a vibrant blue like Azure.
That plain office that feels too cold, what if you painted just one wall in a different accent colour? Or even stenciled it? You will be amazed how quickly that cold office feels alive again.
A great place to find inspiration and see furniture in different colours is our Pinterest boards. We’re always updating our account and there you will find a ton of different looks that you can incorporate into your own space. Our Paint it Beautiful board even breaks down and showcases projects painted in every colour Fusion has available.
As always, we love it when you share your work with us, so please don’t hesitate to join us in our Paint it Beautiful Facebook group and share your projects Before and After’s there.
Happy Decorating!