Does anyone else feel the need to refresh their home at the beginning of every year? Once I put away all the Christmas decorations, not only does my apartment need a deep clean, but it needs a little bit of “new life” breathed into it! Taking down Holiday decorations can be a little sad because sometimes my space feels a little bare without them up, so knowing a new look is on the horizon makes it easier!
Revamping your decor can give your home a fresh vibe. Even the simplest of tweaks and adjustments can go a long way in giving your home a new look when done right!
In this post you’ll find 20 easy ways to refresh your home including photo inspiration and what material and tools you need! Some are bigger projects that may take a weekend, some are small things that will take you an hour, but all easy things you can do yourself!
And don’t think that a home refresh can only happen at the beginning of the year, feel free to refresh your home at any time of year no matter what the season!
20 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Home
Repaint a Room (or Three)
Repainting a room is the easiest and most affordable way to make a huge impact in your home! Whether you go with something bold or more neutral repainting a room can completely transform your space. Even repainting your room a similar paint color or the exact same paint color is was before can refresh your home.
Paint or Wallpaper an Accent Wall
Don’t want to redo an entire room? Try painting or wallpapering an accent wall! If you’re going with paint I suggest going bold so that the color really pops for maximum effect. But if you’re going wallpaper I think you can go subtle or more interesting! You can also do a mural wallpaper which is less of a repetitive pattern than wallpaper and looks beautiful as a focal point in a room!
Also I feel like bold and darker colored paint and wallpaper gets a bad rap for “closing in” a space or making a room feel smaller while I absolutely disagree with, but if you do feel that way then an accent wall is definitely the way to go because they make rooms feel bigger and hallways feel longer!!
Fix Broken Appliances
This may seem like the weirdest idea ever, but I’m sure there are plenty of you reading this that have a broken appliance or two in their homes! Dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, washer, dryer, oven, etc. whether the entire appliance be broken or if you’re missing a knob on something, stop procrastinating and get it fixed.
Deep Clean Your Windows
When was the last time you cleaned all the windows in your home (inside and outside)? I bet it’s been a while. And once you do it I guarantee you’ll be amazed how much more light streams in! More natural light instantly makes your home feel fresh.
Rearrange Furniture
Another easy way to refresh your home is to rearrange the furniture you already have! It costs nothing and you’ll get a workout in at the same time. In your bedroom you can try moving your bed to a different wall, in your living room try floating your couch, maybe even try moving furniture from one room to another and giving it new life! Your nightstands can become living room end tables, a bedroom chest can become a coffee table, etc.!
Switch Out a Light Fixture
Looking to make a larger upgrade in your home? Why not switch out a light fixture! Add a chandelier over your dining room table, finally get those pendant lights for your kitchen, get a brighter, more functional light for the vanity in your bathroom. Even just updating the flush mount ceiling lights that came standard in your home to something a little more unique and personal can make an enormous difference!
I think light fixtures are a great way to add personality to a space at an affordable price point. And you don’t have to own your home to take advantage of this interior design tip. Changing out light fixtures is a renter friendly option, just make sure to keep the original fixture so you can reinstall it when you move out!
Repaint Your Front Door
I’m a SUCKER for a brightly painted front door! Its such an easy refresh and truly provides a face lift to the entire outside of your house. For the best results make sure you paint swatches first to find the perfect shade because depending on the amount of sunlight the front of your house gets and what direction it faces the color you choose can look drastically different.
Change Out Your Window Treatments
If windows are the eyes of any room, does that make window treatments the eye makeup? I think so! Window treatments dress up your space and can really change the feel of the room. There are dozens of different types of window treatments you can add to your space including roman shades, shutters, wood blinds, curtains, and more.
Depending on the type of window treatment you get they can get pretty pricey. Custom blinds and shades are fairly expensive so if you go that route I highly suggest going with a style that is classic, but something like gauzy curtains are affordable and can be slightly more trendy.
Declutter
Decluttering your home costs you nothing but your time, but can be one of the best ways to refresh your home every season and especially at the beginning of every year! Go through your closets and see what can be tossed or donated, especially clothing items that you or your family may have outgrown. Rotate seasonal items so they’re more accessible, and just get rid of things that you truly don’t need or use.
Clean Up Your Shelves and Surfaces
Clutter on shelves and surfaces tend to build up face in my apartment because honestly I’m always in a rush and just leave things on the counter instead of putting the item back in their home and before I know it 2 weeks have passed and there’s a giant pile of things just sitting there. Take the time and put everything you have sitting around away, and if it’s new and doesn’t have a home yet give it one!
If you have “the chair” in your bedroom room, this bullet applies to that too! Take all the clothes off that chair and put them away in your closet, drawers or throw them in the laundry.
Organize Your Cabinets
I reorganized my kitchen cabinets not only to make them more functional for me, but also to get rid of pots, pans and containers that I don’t need or use anymore recently and I swear it was the best type of refresh I could ask for. While this one might not be a visible refresh to the naked eye it’s just the type of refresh you need in your home to make your life easier!
I put all the dishes, cups, containers, travel mugs I use on a daily basis on the bottom shelves of my top cabinets and being able to easily grab them and put them back has allowed me to keep my cabinets more organized! I also changed the heights of the shelves in some of my kitchen cabinets to make them more functional for my daily life.
Rearrange Your Coffee Table Decor
I like to change up my coffee table decor every few months with seasonal items, flowers, different books, candles, etc. so now seems like as good a time as ever switch things up! If you don’t have a budget for new table decor why not swap the items from your coffee table with items you may have in your bedroom or home office or bedroom! It’s a completely free way to refresh your space and give decor a second life.
Get New Throw Pillows
Looking to add a few pops of color to your space? The easiest way to do that is by adding new throw pillows! I just got a few new ones for my living room couch not only does it add visual interest when you first walk in, but it adds to the coziness of the room!
Throw pillows are also a great way to introduce a specific color into a space before making a long term commitment to the shade with paint or a larger, more expensive piece of furniture.
Add a Gallery Wall
For me gallery walls are a way to bring all the things and places that I love into my home and incorporate them into my decor. There are so many different type of gallery walls and so many different ways to create them so the decor ideas are truly endless.
You can make it a very symmetrical wall with frames of the same size in a perfect grid, you can make it more of a cluster, you can make one piece of the gallery the focal point, you can used mixed media for a more organic feel, the opportunities are truly endless!
I have a grid gallery wall in the hallway just off my kitchen filled with photos from my travels and now I’m in the process of doing a focal point gallery wall in my bedroom with my Samsung Frame TV as the focus.
Change Out an Area Rug
Area rugs are what truly makes a space “homey”. And without an area rug my home feels empty! Area rugs can be used to change the style of a room, brighten or darken a room and even can help set visual boundaries to your space especially when you have an open lay out. When I changed my living room rug from a bright pink on to a more muted blue and white rug it made the entire space feel different. If you haven’t seen the original rug and couch from my living room check it out here.
Add Wall Art to a Room
Gallery walls aren’t your thing? Then add one piece of art work! Whether it be a painting from a local artist, a large scale black and white photo, a canvas or even something antique you get at a flea market decorating your walls is a great was to add personality to a space and it’s a great conversation starter when you have guests over.
Refinish an Existing Piece of Furniture
Do you love piece of furniture you own, but the color just isn’t your style anymore? Why not refinish it! My mom and I have this large antique armoire that we’ve passed back and forth from each of our homes for YEARS and the way we make it work in our current spaces with our personal style is my painting it! While it’s definitely a larger scale project, they just don’t make furniture like they used to and this piece has lived many lives and transforms into whatever we need it to be!
And if refinishing or staining a piece of furniture seems a little bit too daunting why not try to swap out the hardware! I love changing up the knobs or handles on furniture to make it more unique and my style.
Add a Mirror to a Room
Adding a wall or full length standing mirror to any room will instantly make it look bigger. I swear I attribute this to why my tiny 750 sf apartment appears much larger than it actually is!
Some of my favorite places to get unique mirrors are antique stores, flea markets and estate sales, but HomeGoods also has so many create ones! If you don’t want to go “hunting” for the perfect mirror I will always love mirrors from Anthropologie, Arhaus & Urban Outfitters.
Change Up Your Bedding
Changing your bedding can give a bedroom a much needed refresh! I’m partial to lighter colored sheets and a light weight comforter during the warmer months and something cozier and heavier during the colder ones. Also don’t be afraid of patterns, color and layering! Bedding is an inexpensive way to transform and space that doesn’t require a commitment.
Swap Out Your Lightbulbs
Do you have any bulbs in your home that give off a yellow tint? Swap them out for bright white, dimmable bulbs! And if you get LED bulbs do it, not only do they last much longer, but they also give off a “cleaner” light that your space may be needing.
What are you favorite decorating and design tips for refreshing your home? Drop them in the comments and let me know!
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