Life can sure change quickly, am I right? In a matter of weeks, COVID-19 has forced us from a carefree, busy, social lifestyle to spending all day long at home. We’ve had to do a lot of adjusting over the past week or so here in our house, and it definitely wasn’t easy in the beginning (with two angsty teens), but I think we’re starting to accept and settle into this new lifestyle a little more gracefully now. I don’t know about you, but with all of this extra time at home, I’ve suddenly been noticing a lot of things I’d like to change in my house! I guess we need our homes to be a sanctuary now like never before, right? But, with stores closed, shelter-in-place rules, and social distancing, we’re all a little limited on what kind of improvements we can make. So, I decided to dedicate this week’s post to 6 easy things you can do to spruce up your home. With so much extra time on our hands these days, why not spend it on a little home decorating?

1. Declutter

I’ve walked into a lot of clients homes, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself how much nicer their room would look if they just spent a little time decluttering.  Let’s face it, we could all stand to tidy up and get rid of a few things, right? You know it, I know it…and now we have no more excuses about not enough time

But, you might be surprised to learn that scientific studies show that clutter can adversely affect your brain. It’s true! Clutter creates anxiety and stress, affects your ability to focus, can mess with your sleep, and can make you more likely to binge on junk food and alcohol.  Yikes! That basically means that if you’re living in a cluttered home right now, and spending a lot of time in it (which you are), your home environment could be taking a toll on your mental well-being and your overall health.

messy cluttered room

That picture gives me anxiety just looking at it! So, my advice to you, as a designer, is to spend a few minutes every day decluttering. Not only will your home look better, but you might even improve your brain health.

And, if you haven’t read THE book on decluttering yet, give it a go. It might change your life.

2. Space Planning

If you’ve ever thought to yourself , “something just doesn’t feel right” when you’re talking about a room in your home, more often than not it’s because you have a space planning issue. What is space planning? Space planning is a process that involves determining the best possible furniture layout for your room to achieve great traffic flow, a comfortable environment, and a visually pleasing design.

Having a great space plan is the key to creating a beautiful and functional space! This is a great time to re-evaluate the furniture layout in every room of your house and see if there are changes you can make to the layout to create a better overall design. A good space plan really does make a big difference in how your home functions, and how you feel in your home.

Not sure where to start? Well, you’re in luck because I’ve just created a fantastic Space Planning Workbook that you can download today! It has worksheets and examples that will walk you through exactly what you need to do to achieve the best possible furniture layout for your space. Plus, it has furniture cutouts, so you can involve the kids! And the best part, it’s on sale right now!

space planning workbook

You can also check out my post on Common Living Room Space Planning Mistakes & How to Fix Them. It has a ton of examples of what NOT to do. If you need a way to pass the time, why not spend a little time rearranging your furniture?

3. Style Your Bookshelves

Most of us have bookcases in our homes, and chances are they could use a little styling, or maybe just a refresh. No time like the present! 

Step 1 – clear everything off of your bookshelves. It’s a great time to dust them, while you’re at it.

Step 2 – Start with larger family pictures or artwork in the back.

Step 3 – Layer in smaller items to create vignettes. Groupings of 3 items work particularly well (see our post on The Rule of Three

Step 4 – Use books to fill in blank spaces, or add height to decorative items. Remember, books can be placed on their sides for additional interest. Have unattractive books? See our post about Ugly Books for some tips.

Step 5 – Add in small plants or faux flowers for texture and “life.”

Step 6 – Take a step back and make adjustments to create better spatial or color balance. You might find that one shelf looks “heavy” and another “too light.” Just keep playing with it until things look fairly evenly distributed.

Tip: “Designer” bookcases that you see in magazines and on Pinterest have lots of white space. Remember what I said earlier about decluttering? Maybe some of those extra books could be donated or stored away.

4. Swap out Accessories

Those candlesticks in the living room might look fantastic on your bedroom dresser! It’s easy to become creatures of habit, and once we have a room decorated the way we like, we tend to just leave it that way and forget about it for a while. But, now that we’re spending a lot more time at home, let’s shake things up a bit, shall we? All it takes is some rearranging of the pieces you already own to give your home a fresh look and feel.

rearranging decorative items in house

I’m going to give you a challenge…I want you to move 5 things around in your home from one room to another. Here’s a list of items to consider moving:

  • lamps
  • curtains
  • artwork
  • rugs
  • florals or greenery
  • candles and candleholders
  • throw blankets
  • throw pillows
  • decorative accessories
  • vases
  • bedding/blankets
  • baskets
  • nightstands or end tables
  • accent chairs
  • mirrors

What do you have to lose? You might make a change you love, and you can always move it back if you decide you like it better the original way.

5. Add Plants & Flowers

Plants not only help to liven up your home, but they can elevate your mood, too. Now that it’s officially Spring, there are a ton of flowers blooming right outside your door. Why not bring some of that natural beauty into your home? Add fresh florals to create a centerpiece for your dining or coffee table, decorate your bathroom countertops with a few tulips, or add some bright blooms to your bedside table. Another option is to cut a few green stems from your trees. Eucalyptus looks beautiful in a clear glass vase, or add some cherry blossom branches. The natural beauty of plants and flowers will be a great pick-me-up,  Check out our post on the Power of Plants in Interior Design for more about how plants can enhance your home decor.

6. Create Your Own Artwork or Gallery Wall

Of course, you know I love printables. It’s an easy, and inexpensive way to create your own artwork, and the options are unlimited. You can get FREE printables from our Printables Library, or create your own using an easy-to-learn (but not free) program called Canva. All you need to create fabulous DIY artwork is a printer, some cardstock paper, and picture frames that hold an 8×10 size picture. Easy!

diy botanical artwork printable

Botanical printables over our guest room bed.

 

free printables library and diy artwork

You can even use printables to create your own gallery wall, like in this fun example!

So there you have it! I’ve given you six easy ways to spruce up your home during this time of self-quarantine and social-distancing. If you have to be at home all day, every day, why not make a few small changes to liven things up, re-energize your home, and improve your mood? Have fun with it, and stay healthy everyone!