During the quarantine, people began looking at their homes in a whole new way. Small update projects are always good to minimize boredom and maximize sanity. Questions like “How can I make this space work better?” and “How can this space feel more special?” have been on our minds. Before this started, I was already in the beginning stages of working on my own renovation project. Not wanting to get behind or waste the extra time I had been given, I decided to give my home a quick refresh. If you are extra handy and can work with power tools, you can do about anything!
Here are a few favorite ways to freshen up a space:
1. Clean and edit. The first thing I do when I come into a space to style, is clean everything out of the room. A blank state is so much easier to work with. We make piles of things we want to use elsewhere, a pile we want to use in the room we are working on, a donation/sell pile and trash pile. Editing a space is key. If you feel guilty, acknowledge the item has been loved well and feel good that the item can be donated or sold for someone else to enjoy.
2. Make a collection. This is one of my personal favorites. It’s really easy to do collections and it’s always fun to be on the hunt for new things to add. Make a wall collage of favorite photos and family art. Round up mementos from a trip and use them on a bookshelf. One of my favorite collections is a vintage glass jewelry box filled with art museum stubs from my trip to Paris and it sits on my dresser. It’s styled, organized and some of my favorite memories. My friend Kim collects ironstone and has created a gorgeous cabinet filled with them.
3. Paint something. The number one project I have assisted on over quarantine has been paint projects with kitchen cabinets being the top project on everyone’s list. Next are furniture and floors. Paint can change an entire room. I love using Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan because it’s so easy to use and it creates rustic and modern looks from one can of paint.
4. Refresh your pillows and throws. A few new pillows can make the world of difference in a living room, instantly making it fresh and inviting. Since we couldn’t start our project right away, I refreshed our pillows to the new colors we will be using in the family room and it made it hundred times better! Plus, the dogs seemed extra thankful for a new headrest.
5. Understand your use of space. Function and design go hand in hand. We have a formal dining room, which we never use for that purpose. We now use it as a multi-use space for studying and my office. I paired a gorgeous antique dinner table from my childhood with new chairs for everyone to study and work together. It’s made all the difference for better study routines and less dumping of papers on the kitchen table.
