There’s something about opening a new calendar that makes us want to feel our best. So this January, POPSUGAR is giving you everything you need to hit the reset button on your health, your habits, your beauty routine, and more. To find more articles about resetting your home, click here.
Have you ever noticed that when your home feels cluttered, your brain can feel a bit scattered, too? And vice versa: when you’re surrounded by a beautiful, pleasing environment, it can put your mind at ease. That’s because our external world has a bigger impact on our internal state than we may acknowledge.
“Changing up your environment impacts not just the way your day-to-day functions, but it greatly affects your mood and can be a catalyst for change in other areas of your life,” says Amanda Holstein, an interior designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. “I am a huge proponent of refreshing your space, especially when you’re feeling a bit stuck in life and need a total reset or mental shift.” And what better time to reset your home than the start of a new year?
Jasmine Roth – an interior designer and host of HGTV’s “Help! I Wrecked My House” – even believes that making the space around you match how you want to feel moving into the new year can “really help you accomplish your goals” across the board.
That said, knowing where to start can be daunting, to say the least. “I find a lot of people are scared to start over or change even the smallest things, but there really is something to be said about changing things up every now and then . . . or every week, for me,” says Francesca Grace, a Los Angeles-based interior designer.
To help spark some inspiration, POPSUGAR chatted with a slew of interior designers about the best simple yet high-impact ways to refresh your home.
1. Swap out your home accessories.
“Investing in new decorative accents or even shopping your own home for ‘new’ decor is a great way to make your space feel fresh for the new year,” says Heather Goerzen, lead interior designer and design director at Havenly. That might mean rearranging your bookshelves, displaying a new vase, adorning your coffee table with some new books, getting new plants, and more. “These small changes can give a home a fresh slate, so to speak, and even make a space feel cleaner and more fresh.”
2. Rearrange your furniture.
This costs absolutely nothing but can give any room an entirely new look and feel. “This is particularly impactful if your new layout is more functional or practical than the old – keep this in mind when moving things around,” Goerzen suggests. “How can you improve the flow of your living room? How can you rearrange the seating to promote conversation and gathering when people come over?”
3. Declutter your surroundings.
Yes, this one can be a doozy – but removing the clutter from your surroundings can help free up space in your brain for more important things (starting a new business, going for that big health goal, and so on). As Roth puts it: “Usually the problem isn’t what you see, it’s what you don’t see.” In other words, if all of your drawers and closets are filled with items you literally never use, but your desk and counters are littered with miscellaneous daily essentials, maybe it’s time to reevaluate things. Important documents and keepsakes aside, Roth’s rule is: if you haven’t looked at something in three months, you can probably throw it away. Then, you can use your storage areas to hold what you do need in a functional, organized way. Roth also recommends investing in an aesthetically pleasing basket that can help corral items in your home and minimize clutter.
4. Organize, organize, organize.
Speaking of tidying up: “On the organization front, January is a great time to reorganize pantries, storage closets, bathroom drawers, kitchen cabinets, and the like for an impactful upgrade that’s less aesthetic, but highly functional (not to mention satisfying),” Goerzen explains. “Going this route can make your day-to-day life easier and more streamlined overall, especially when it comes to cooking, cleaning, getting ready, and beyond.” She loves using clear bins to help keep everything in place, along with these drawer dividers for dressers.
5. Go for a fresh coat of paint.
Paint is probably going to give you the biggest home-refresh ROI. “The right shade of paint can change the entire mood of and interpretation of a space,” according to Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson, hosts of HGTV’s “Married to Real Estate.” Plus, they note, “It’s really easy to take on yourself and can give a completely different feeling to a [room].”
As for what paint color to choose? Well, that’s always the hardest part, and it’s highly personal. However, Grace says, “If you want a cozy aesthetic, I lean toward earthier tones for a deeper contrast. If you want something more airy and bright, going for lighter colors will achieve that.” Alternatively, wallpaper – peel-and-stick or traditional – can have a similar effect.
6. Swap out your textiles.
Another simple update that can really transform the decor is changing out your pillowcases, rugs, curtains, and other textiles. “For example, swapping out your neutral rug for one with color creates a totally new vibe,” Goerzen says. “And thanks to color psychology, we know that different colors can evoke different moods.” Throw-pillow covers are an easy fix, too – you can even keep a few different options on hand, and swap them seasonally.
According to Roth, window treatments, in particular, are something many people forget about – however, they can make a huge difference in the vibe of a room.
7. Invest in fresh bedding.
Speaking of swapping textiles, opting for some new bedding can essentially make your bedroom seem brand new. Not to mention, it can have an impact on your sleep quality – which trickles down to so many other areas of your life. “Crisp, clean sheets go a long way when making a bedroom feel clean, fresh, and calming,” Goerzen says. Check out our list of the best bedsheet sets here.
8. Brighten things up with new lighting.
Lighting can also have a significant impact on the overall feel of your home. “Something as small as changing the type or color of light bulbs you use can warm up or brighten the space. Soft or warm white LED bulbs are best for bedrooms and living spaces, while bright white is often perfect for kitchens, baths, and offices,” Sherrod and Jackson say. “Even swapping out dated lighting fixtures for new, modern ones can be a quick and dramatic way to update your home.”
9. Change out your hardware.
If your space is feeling dated and needs some modern touches, installing new knobs or pulls on your cabinets can be a simple yet impactful fix. As Sherrod and Jackson explain, “They might be the smallest details, but updating hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, or even adding them where none previously existed, can give personality and style while being a simple and cost-effective way to refresh your home.”
10. Show your personality through decor.
This applies to all of the tips above: allow your home decor to reflect who you really are. Perhaps that means tossing some vibrant throw pillows on your bed, placing that cool vintage chair you found at the flea market, hanging a piece of funky art, or going for a super-clean, modern aesthetic – lean into whatever makes you feel most at home. And while it can be easy to just go along with whatever is “trendy” at the moment, “Trust your instincts and see what catches your eye,” Roth says, “because at the end of the day, it’s your space.”
Disclaimer: Roth cautions against tackling your own plumbing, electrical, or gas work. Save yourself from the headache (not to mention, danger), and leave those projects to the professionals.
