Now that it’s back-to-school time and the kids are out of the house for a good portion of the day, it’s also time to look around and spruce up a room or two in your Stepping Stone home.
From minimizing your clutter to updating your style, we have suggestions to motivate you to shake things up and help freshen up your surroundings.
Simplify, simplify, simplify!
Do you dream of decluttering your home office, your pantry, or even your whole house? Make it happen by scheduling a decluttering day or a decluttering weekend. Designate one box or trash bag as “donations” and another container as “trash,” and start going through all the piles of clutter. For each item, determine if it goes in one of those two containers or gets moved to an appropriate place in the house.
If scheduling a whole day or weekend is not feasible, spend five minutes a day picking up five items and find places for them, whether it’s the trash, the donation box, or a closet shelf.
Give your room a new perspective
If your budget is minimal, start with simply rearranging furniture. Try facing the couch a different direction, or switch couches between rooms. Move your desk in front of the window, away from the wall. Start with larger pieces and then position the smaller accent furniture to balance out the new arrangement.
It also helps to see each room in a new light. Take down all of the wall art. Remove curtains, open the blinds, and look at everything in natural sunlight. Roll up rugs and see how everything looks with hardwood floors underneath. Basically, strip the room down and then build up from there.
Go for a complete transformation
If you’ve had the same furniture for a decade and you’re ready for something completely different, peruse catalogs and websites and get a feel for what’s in style in the world of home décor. Find a “look” you think would work well in your house and start honing in on colors and furniture pieces that fit that style. (FYI, it’s okay to mix colors and textures – not everything has to match perfectly!) Make a Pinterest board, or cut photos out of catalogs and create your own “vision” board. Then, set up online shopping alerts for items you want to buy.
Speaking of Pinterest, we’ve created boards for bedroom decorating as well as home office ideas. Feel free to peruse these for your own inspiration – you may find the perfect piece of furniture or color combination that will fully transform your space.
Turn old into new again
Once you’ve figured out your direction, start figuring out what needs to go and what can be refurbished. If your couch is in good shape, have it recovered instead of buying a new one. Maybe an old outdoor patio table could be sanded and restained for a breakfast nook. Instead of new wall art, a new paint color can really freshen up a room – just decide on furniture and fabrics before you pick the color.
Add life to your rooms
Breathe a little easier in your space with a few strategically placed houseplants. Succulent plants are an excellent choice for your BackCountry home – they are easy to care for and they like the warm, dry conditions found in Colorado homes.
One popular houseplant is the Jade Plant – it’s so easy to grow! This plant grows thick stems with plump, glossy green leaves tinged with red. The Snake Plant (it gets its name from the pattern on the leaves) can tolerate long periods without watering, so it’s ideal for the absent-minded gardener. If you need a taller plant for a room with a high ceiling, the Ponytail Palm grows up to 20 feet and also doesn’t require a lot of water.
Change is good for you
Whether you add a few houseplants and throw pillows or completely overhaul your entire house, changing your environment gives you control and creativity in your life and can positively affect your mood, attitude, and energy. “Out with the old, in with the new” can help you feel energized and motivated, especially if you’ve been stuck in a rut at work or in a relationship. So don’t think of it as rearranging furniture – think of it as rearranging and redirecting your energy.
Good luck with your new surroundings, and send us your before and after pics for our Instagram feed!
