As much as you might love your home, there will be a time where you think it could do with some improvement. You might not have the time for substantial structural improvements, but that’s okay, there are plenty other little changes you can make that will change the way you see your house, and look forward to coming home after a long day.
These little changes can be completed in a day, or over a weekend, some may cost money – but not a lot – while others will be free of cost. Despite how small they are, you might just be surprised at how much of a difference this will make towards your home.
REARRANGE
Take a look at any room in your house. It has probably looked that way for so long that you just assume that there is no other way to improve it, right?
Wrong.
Rearranging furniture in your home, such as sofas, beds, or cabinets can have a massive effect on the way the room appeals to you. Moving that big sofa away from one wall and placing it in the centre has the potential to unleash an unimaginable amount of space that you had never considered before.
Furthermore, locating the centrepiece, the main event, the item of interest in each room. This is typically something you are very proud of, be it the best photograph you have ever taken, or a collection of trophies from your children’s title-winning football season. These are the things you want people to pay attention to whenever they come round.
But do they grab attention? Sometimes, sure, but often, they are placed too out of the way to really pique interest. Rearranging by merely moving them from one shelf to another can grant further action zones within the room and show off how successful you and your family are.
GET OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM
You’ll spend a lot of time in your living room, that’s cool, we all do. Why else would you have spent a small fortune on a new TV? But being in the living room – or any room you spend most of your time – for so long can quickly cause it to lose its lustre.
This is natural. It’s why it is advised to only use your bed for sleeping and not working or eating. It’s a psychological thing where your body stops associating bed with rest and instead associates it with, well, everything else. And that is bad for winding down at the end of the day.
Changing up where you spend most of your time – and not just moving from one room to another to repeat the same process – can have a massive effect on mental wellbeing. Furthermore, it will stop you relying solely on the living room – or again, any place – to be the source of relaxation. That can happen anywhere.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
You’re probably thinking ‘Yeah like I need more lights pumping up my electricity bill’, however, light and happiness are related. This is particularly true during winter months where the days are shorter and can have hinder and potential contentedness you are aching to experience.
This light can be placed strategically around the home, but it is essential to focus on those areas that are often doused in shadow. Additionally, to run the risk of contradiction, investing in less-powerful lights for those rooms of the house that you want to feel more relaxed in – such as the bedroom – can have a massive effect on helping you wind down before going to bed.
Bedside lamps can be used when reading in bed after a long day and mean you don’t have to get up when it’s time to sleep to turn the light off. This will further increase you wind-down levels and make for an easier, more peaceful sleep.
You won’t know how much of a difference ideas such as these make until you try it. While you may have gotten used to how everything looks and are perhaps reluctant to change (because it’s way too much effort to move everything back if it doesn’t work) the potential for freshening up the atmosphere of your home will invigorate and allow you to see your home as if it were new.
Little changes making big differences is the key to keeping you active in the upkeep of your home. Seeing the same thing every day for years on end can quickly lead to boredom and restlessness, so give it a go, and reap the benefits of entering a house that you know is home but still feels fresh.
