The start of the new year is the perfect time to make a few changes to your home. As you take down your Christmas decorations, your home can look quite bare, prompting you to shake things up and try new things. We caught up with our Creative Content Manager and Stylist, Emma, to ask her to share her top tips for new year hacks to make your home feel fresh and anew.
1. Give your walls a fresh lick of paint.My house takes a battering at Christmas – there are scratches and marks all over the hallway walls from wrestling the Christmas tree in and out of the living room and someone is bound to splash a drink at some point during the festivities. One year I even managed to knock a candle off a shelf and drip red wax all down a white wall. So once the decorations are down, I like to attack the walls that need a little TLC with a paint brush. In my house this means painting the hallway and living room, but I’d suggest focusing on the most high-traffic rooms in your own home. You could simply give the existing paintwork a touch up, or if you’re feeling bold why not try out a new colour for the new year?
Most of us move furniture around to fit in the Christmas tree or extra seating for guests, so it makes sense to take a step back and re-evaluate the layout of your rooms in the new year. Rather than simple putting everything back where it was before Christmas, think about how you actually use the space. Does the room feel comfier with more space for guests to sit? Perhaps you could move a few things around to accommodate an extra chair permanently. Have you been using your dining table as a desk for the past two years? Maybe it’s time to add a permanent working-from-home solution. Try to look at your room with fresh eyes and consider different possibilities to what you are used to.
It’s obvious, but January really is the best time of year to have a good sort out and organise your home. No doubt you’ll have acquired several Christmas gifts that all need new homes, including several items that are probably updates of objects you already own. One of the biggest causes of clutter is duplicate items, so if you have things like old candle jars, finished bottles of cleaning products or old skincare jars hanging around the house, gather them up ready to recycle. Go through those areas of your home that are always neglected (chests of drawers, beneath the stairs, under the sink, the drawer where you stuff your bills) and have a good old clear out, getting rid of anything that you don’t love or need.
When I remove the Christmas tree, it always feels like there’s a big hole in our home. If you’ve become used to the extra greenery in your house perhaps it’s time to add a new plant that will bring colour and texture into the space where the tree previously sat. Luscious green plants are back on trend this year, as interiors focus on natural aesthetics, but filling your home with greenery isn’t a fad. If you nurture your plants, you will end up with a towering tree all year round so make sure you take the time to water it regularly.
If you’re feeling a bit lacklustre about your interiors when the festive sparkle has been removed, try making a few quick and easy updates that will make your home feel fresh and new. Something as simple as hanging a pair of new curtains or changing your cushion covers can completely transform the look of a room. You could also try restyling your shelves, moving objects around or introducing a new colour to liven things up. I like to shop my home, giving accessories a new lease of life by styling them in a new place, alongside different objects.
Planning a home refresh for the new year? Have a browse of our furniture and accessory collections for inspiration for every budget.
