Giving Your Home a Fresh New Look
Most of us have spent a whole lot of time in our homes this year. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has seen us go through lockdown periods, periods of isolation and almost a full year of recommendations that we keep ourselves to ourselves as much as we can. So, if your home isn’t up to scratch, chances are you’re itching to spruce it up and make it as appealing and comfortable a place to spend time in as possible. Now, giving your home a fresh new look really doesn’t have to be as difficult or time consuming as it sounds. Instead, here are a few suggestions that could get the ball rolling to a better home to spend time in going forward!
Decluttering
The first step you need to take when it comes to sprucing your home up is to completely declutter it. Now, many of us have relatively clean homes. We make sure to do the chores, dusting, wiping down surfaces, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping the floors and more. But we are still often left with homes that look messy. Why? Well, because they’re cluttered. Over the years, the majority of us find ourselves with all sorts of items and belongings that we neither want nor need. So, why not take some time to tackle them and remove them from your home? Now, decluttering can be difficult. We start to get cold feet when we get to it and end up keeping the vast majority of needless items in our homes, as we worry that we might want or need them at some point later down the line. A key to determining what can stay and what can go? Truthfully asking yourself when the last time you used this item was. If you haven’t used it for months and it’s not a seasonal item that’s used at a specific time of year, then you need to ask yourself one more question. Does this item have genuine sentimental value? Is it truly irreplaceable? Does it have a genuinely important place in your life and heart? If not, it can go. Of course, we want to be as environmentally friendly as possible while decluttering, so wherever possible, make sure to dispose of items in a responsible way. Instead, you should always try to recycle or donate. If the item has value, you could sell it. This means that the things you no longer need will go on to be useful for others in some other way!
Walls
Often, something that makes your home look in much worse shape than it may actually be is your walls. You would be absolutely shocked by the amount of dirt that builds up on your walls – whether that’s through people brushing up against them, people touching them, pets touching them, spilt food, spilt drinks or anything else. If you haven’t painted your walls in a while, it may well be time to consider giving them a fresh lick of paint. Now, before you so much as consider getting the paint rollers and paint brushes out, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and put a little elbow grease into cleaning your walls first. This is a simple process, but something that many people mistakenly completely miss out. Start out by dusting the walls and skirting boards down. Dust can mount up a lot more than you’d imagine and if it’s still around by the time you get to painting, you’ll find it sticks in the paint. Next, you should gently wipe down the walls with a combination of hot water and diluted washing up liquid. Once they’ve dried, you can start to paint them. Now, there are countless tutorials online that show you how to paint walls. If you don’t have time, or you’re looking for a truly professional finish, you may want to consider using professionals!
Windows
Next, let’s focus on your windows. Now, windows actually play a major role in how your home looks, both from inside and out. Let’s start by focusing on cleaning them. Now, if you have high windows, it’s best to have a professional window cleaner clean the exterior side of your windows. They’ll have the equipment, safety know how and expertise to safely clean the windows and leave them with a shiny gleam. For the inside, chances are, you can tackle the windows yourself. To clean your windows properly, you will need a window cleaning solution (where possible, try to find an eco-friendly option), a window cleaning cloth or rag and a window cleaning squeegee Take your solution, spray the window, then wipe it down thoroughly. If you have decorative glass windows, you may need to follow specialist advice on how to clean them without damaging the coloured or patterned glass.
Renovations
Of course, the above steps are pretty achievable for the majority of us. They’re relatively low cost. But if you have the budget and time available, you may want to consider some home renovations. Home renovations can completely alter the way your home looks, making it more aesthetically pleasing, more practical, more functional, or changed for a number of other reasons. Now, there are countless renovations that you could consider, but if you’re open to suggestions, here are a few of the most popular and commonly carried out home renovations to take into consideration!
A Loft Conversion
If you would like to make some more living space inside your home, but don’t want an extension or simply don’t have the space for an extension, you may want to consider a loft conversion. Put simply, this is a renovation that takes your disused loft space and turns it into a usable, useful and comfortable living space.
An En Suite
An en suite is another popular renovation you may want to consider. Generally, people will have an en suite added to their bedroom to give themselves privacy and convenience. You won’t rely on the main bathroom anymore and can simply use your own bathroom in your own room. Some people will have en suites added to guest rooms too – largely for the same reasons.
These, of course, are just a few suggestions. There are countless things you could do to spruce your property up. Hopefully, some of the recommendations above will act as inspiration!
