Ways to Refresh Your Home For The New Year

The new year is the perfect time to make some changes to your home. As you take down your Christmas decorations and put the previous year behind you, it’s a great time to start thinking of ways to update your home for the upcoming year. Plus, once your decorations have been put away, your home may look quite bare, opening up the opportunity for inspiring new home ideas.

Interior designer Ryan McDonough at MyJobQuote.co.uk has teamed up with a range of other interior design and home experts to create this ultimate list of fun and innovative ways that you can refresh your home for the new year. Why not try something new and see what it does for your living space?

Rearrange or Add Furniture

One thing that can make a major difference in the way your home looks is moving your furniture around. Even just some small changes can make a huge difference in the way a room looks. Moving a piece of furniture could make a room look more spacious and airy, or it could make it look more cosy.

Tim Connon, founder of ParamountQuote Insurance Advisors, also agrees that you should "rearrange or add furniture into your rooms to refresh your home for the new year." He explains, “This will give your home a new look for the rest of the year.”

If you’re looking for some inspiration, Connon has some ideas for you. “If your entertainment stand is on one side of the room, move it to the other side along with the couch. Consider adding a new piece of furniture like a new table or side table so guests or your family can set their drinks down and bring more of a full, fresh look to any walls or naked corners of the room.”

Declutter and Organise Your Home

The new year is the perfect time for decluttering and organising your home. Take a walk around your home and have a look in each room for things that you no longer use or need. If you haven't used it in the previous year, you don't need it. Sell, donate, or discard any items that you find that you no longer need.

Go through your storage spaces, including your drawers, cabinets, and wardrobe. Get rid of anything that you no longer wear or use so that you can create more space and accessibility. This will also give you the opportunity to bring new items into your home in the new year without further cluttering your space.

Also, the new year is a great type for creating a few systems. Implement some organisation systems such as shelves, baskets, and labels to help store away clutter and maintain a tidy home.

Create a Floral Arrangement

Floral arrangements are beautiful to look at and can help to add some fragrance and life to your home. They go perfectly in the entrance hall or on a small table in the living room. Flowers come in all shapes, sizes, and colours and can suit any décor.

“A well-placed floral arrangement can make a huge difference. Go for seasonal flowers and arrange them in a beautiful vase for your dining table, coffee table, or entrance hall," suggests Juan Palacio, CEO at BloomsyBox.

Invest in Aromatherapy

Even small changes can make a big difference in the way your home looks and feels. One small change you can make is adding some aromatherapy elements to your home. Things like candles, wax melt burners, and essential oil diffusers can add a beautiful scent to your home, as well as make it feel much cosier and more inviting.

Wendy Wang, owner of F&J Outdoor, agrees, "Essential oil diffusers are an excellent way to introduce a calming and refreshing aroma to your living space, creating an inviting environment.”

Give Your Home a Lick of Paint

A lick of paint can make a huge difference in the way a room looks and feels. Painting a room in a different colour can completely alter the atmosphere in the room. Take a walk around your home and see which rooms could do with a makeover. Do you have any rooms with shabby walls? Perhaps there's a room in your home that could be used for an update in the décor scheme. A fresh coat of paint could completely transform these rooms for the better.

Schlomo Cherniak, owner of Cherniak Handyman Services, agrees, "One of the easiest ways to make a significant difference in any space is by painting. Consider giving your walls a fresh coat of paint to instantly transform the look and feel of a room. 

Deep Clean Your Home

After all of the fun and festivities during Christmas and New Year, your home is probably in need of a good cleaning. Take each room of the home one by one and thoroughly clean and vacuum the floors, dust the furniture and walls, scrub the bathrooms, and give the smaller accents some love and attention. In the kitchen, deep clean your appliances and surfaces, as well as the fridge and freezer.

Also, focus on cleaning the windows and window dressings in each room of the home. This will help to make your home look much more appealing from inside and out, and it will also allow more natural light to flow into your home.

Don’t Overlook The Power of Greenery

“Plants can breathe life into any space, improving air quality and adding a touch of nature," says Charlotte Wood, chief information officer at REIInsiders. With this in mind, consider bringing some new plants into your home.

Plants look great, they can improve your mood, and they give you something to take care of, which can be very nurturing. Plants work well in most rooms as long as there is adequate light for the type of plant that you're purchasing. Consider adding a few around the home and see just what a difference they can make in the way your home looks and feels.

Update Your Accessories

The new year is a great time for swapping out some old items with new ones. This will help to give your home a fresh new look. Even just the smallest of changes can make a huge difference and won’t cost as much as some larger changes might.

Shlomo Cherniak, owner of Cherniak Handyman Services, suggests that you "Consider changing throw pillows, curtains, rugs, and artwork to update the colour scheme and style of your space. This can be an affordable way to refresh your home's decor.”

Consider Smudging

“Smudging can help refresh a home by bringing in plant essence support", says Tara L. Skubella, founder and guide of Earth Tantra at earthtantra.com. “Different herbs support different intentions. For example, mints, sages, lavender and junipers clear out old energy while re-grounding the space to pave the way for newness.” This is great for the new year.

“If you are a spiritual person, you can pray, call upon the 4 or 7 directions, be guided by a saint or other spirit guide, ask for blessings or say a meaningful mantra as you smudge. Otherwise, a simple, slow smudging of each room without words works as well. Try your best to make or purchase your smudge stick through an ethically sourced company," Skubella continues.

Update The Lighting

New lighting can bring a whole new feel to the home. Different hues help to set different moods, so you can alter the way a room feels by simply adding new lights. Consider replacing the bulbs in your old lights with energy-efficient bulbs or bulbs that can change in brightness or colour. This will allow you to alter the ambience, depending on what you’re doing.

You may also want to consider updating your light fixtures to help enhance the overall look of each room. Choose light fixtures that fit in well with the room’s décor and colour scheme for a more coherent look.

Do Some Upcycling

Upcycling involves transforming an existing item into something completely new or upgrading an item. You can upcycle many things that you may already own, or you could consider purchasing something second-hand and upcycling it as a project.

Chris McGuire, the owner of realestateexamninja.com, has a few ideas, "Transform an old ladder into a bookshelf, a vintage suitcase into a side table with hidden storage, or a discarded tyre into a whimsical hanging planter. Let your imagination run wild and turn trash into treasures.” This is a great way to add some new decorative elements to the home for very little to no cost.

Create a Relaxing Space

Your home should be a place where you can really unwind and relax, so why not create a space dedicated to just that? It's quite simple to achieve, and it can make a big difference in the way you relax at home.

“Make a cosy corner in your home. Add comfy chairs or cushions, soft blankets, and gentle lighting. It's like having your own little spot to chill and unwind – a retreat within your home," suggests Karina Newman, a home expert at iBuyers. Try to limit distractions in the space so that it is dedicated purely to relaxing and unwinding.

Focus on The Small Details

As previously mentioned, even the smallest of changes can make a huge difference in the way your home looks and feels. This includes paying attention to the smaller details. These small details allow you to upgrade your home with little effort and at a low cost.

Alan Houghton, owner of nextlevelufhs.co.uk, suggests that you "Pay attention to details such as door handles, cabinet knobs, and faucets. Upgrading these tiny details may have a major impact on the overall appearance of your property.”

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many things you can do to refresh your home for the new year. From moving furniture to adding plants to simply cleaning and decluttering, all of these things can completely affect the way your home looks and feels. So, why not go into the new year with an upgraded home? Complete some of these simple steps, and your home will feel like a truly different place.

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