A fresh home is the best start to a new year

Adonis Adoni Adonis Adoni
Katzenmöbel, Luxury-Park Luxury-Park Asian style garage/shed
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With the New Year still in the rear view mirror we remember the resolutions we made and look ahead to all the days that will allow us to fulfil our dreams and achieve our goals. We feel renewed, full of strength and the energy to face the world, right?

But all this positivism can disappear on the wind as the realisation sets in that our home remains exactly the same as before. Don’t feel dismayed! It’s just time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Some cleaning, furniture rearrangement, a lick of fresh paint on the walls or perhaps something more dramatic will ensure that your home keeps up with the new changes in your life.

If you feel perplexed as where to start, we are here to help! We decided to give you a few suggestions on how to reshape your home into somewhere better.

Take notes and, as always, be inspired!

Furniture clearance

First things first you will need to make a clearance of everything you don’t need. Try to fit all of your furniture pieces in one room (if you don’t have enough space to fit them try to divide them equally into two rooms). Having them all together will make it easier to differentiate those that no longer have an apparent use or value. 

There are usually pieces that have even been forgotten by time itself and those that no longer match your current sense of style. Separate the furniture into two groups; those fit for purpose and those that don’t belong in your home.  

There you have it, the first step towards a fresh home. The main target of this clearance will be your furniture but you can also use the same process to filter through appliances, gadgets or anything else you've accumulated over the years.

New colours for a new start

After making the clearance it’s time to give a fresh look to your home. Think of your house as a blank canvas and you are the artist holding the brush. What colours do you want for your renovated home?  

Pantone, the colour institute, has already published the top 10 list for the colour trends of 2016. On top sits rose quartz, but if pink is not your colour of taste there are 9 more colourful options that could fill your home with a new hope.  

Read more about the Pantone top 10, here: And The 2016 Colour Trend Is… Rose Quartz.

You can also replace the kitchen and bathroom tiles, hang art pieces on your walls or reupholster furniture. It will be prudent though to properly cover the furniture during these changes to help avoid accidents. Old or plastic sheets are ideal for covering.

Clean and repair

Let’s focus now on repairing what has been deemed worthy to stay in your home. Put on your inspection glasses and check for crooked hinges, loose doors and drawers, cracked window ledges and faded colours. Don't leave out your clothes! Go into your closet and pick out those clothes that are in need of a seamstress.  

Repairing your home is not a difficult task. It just takes some craftsmanship skills and time but the end result will be extremely satisfying. Since you are getting your hands dirty, thoroughly clean your home. Even that layer of dust that sits upon the top of your cabinets. Repairing and cleaning are essential practices to blow the wind of change through your home!

Fresh colour and DIY

The best way to turn the old into new is to indulge in DIY. Apply new colour to old furniture and walls or create novel pieces by repurposing or upcycling unwanted items. You can build a new armchair from used palettes, make lighting fixtures out of empty bottles or create a coffee table out of forgotten barrels. Your choices are limitless. 

You can also replace the furniture that didn't make the cut in the clearance with visits to flea markets and second hand stores. There you can also often find interesting options at bargain prices.

Clean the windows

It is common, especially in a home with kids and pets, to have windows that are constantly tainted with fingerprints and smudges. For a fresh home, it’s time to look at the world through clean and spotless glazing!

You can uses industrial detergents that will easily rid windows of smudges but you can also create your own homemade cleaning solution by simply combining one cup of water with one cup of white distilled vinegar. To wipe them clean, cloths may leave some lint behind and paper towels are just wasteful. Newspapers are quite efficient though, if you don't mind the ink smudges on your hands. Microfibre cleaning cloths usually work on everything, including windows. So, grab your weapon of choice and get started!

Deep cleaning

Finally, it’s time to go deep into cleansing your home. Everyday cleaning will usually ignore certain parts of the house; ceilings, walls, cabinets, adhesive between the kitchen or bathroom tiles, door handles, bathtub, shower head, taps, radiators, the back of the toilet… you get the point. So, invest some time to ensure every single corner of your home sparkles. After all, cleanliness is next to godliness and with small changes now your home will feel transformed, which is the best way to start a new year!

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