5 Easy Ways to Freshen Up Your Décor
My home means a lot to me… it’s the place where I work… it’s the place where I relax… it’s the place where I spend time alone and make memories with friends. Home is my special place, and because of that I frequently like to find ways to freshen things up so it can continue to be a place I can be inspired by and find joy being in! I know many of you feel the same way about your homes, so today I thought it’d be fun to share five simple ways to spice up any area in your humble abode.
1. Pillow Covers
Switching out pillow covers is one of my favourite ways to instantly transform a space! Since I live in an apartment, storing pillows for different times of the year is impractical but thankfully pillow covers are easy to fold and store in a drawer! It’s true that pillow covers can get pricey, but there are plenty of budget-friendly options on the market. One of my favourite stores to buy pillow covers is *H&M Home; they have lots of options each season at different price points (some, believe it or not, are even less than $10! Score)!!
My apartment’s furniture and walls are all pretty neutral, so I do like to use pillows and throw blankets as an opportunity to incorporate colour! In my living room, my blush-pink pillows and golden-yellow throw blanket really help tie the room together by bringing some personality to the space.
2. Adding Personality
Speaking of personality, I think homes that have a lot to say about the person (or people) that lives in them tend to be so much cozier and interesting to explore. A simple way to bring some of your personality into your space is to think about your hobbies— are you a photographer? A painter? ….Do you have a love for tarot cards or meditation? Have you traveled or seen musicals/concerts that fed your soul?
Whatever your interests may be, look at your space right now and consider whether or not your current room/home says anything about who you are. If not, this could be an awesome opportunity to incorporate your interests into the décor of your home!
I love reading so I make a point of using book stacks as décor pieces in my living room on the sideboard under my television *(STOCKHOLM sideboard from IKEA) and sometimes on my coffee table. The best part? I can always switch out the books when I get bored of seeing the same titles—I can even match the book cover colours with the colours of the room to add more pop. Another bonus when you display “personality pieces” is that they can become great conversation starters when guests come by (this *dream decoder card set always piques people’s interests).
3. Photos
Adding photos to my space is the one thing I can say immediately transformed the places I’ve lived from just “somewhere I live” into a home. I take so much comfort in seeing family and friends I love displayed around me. I also love hanging wall art and landscape photography of places that are special to me.
Adding more photos and wall art to a space in itself has a big impact, but if you already have them in your home, a simple way to spice up an area is to rearrange where you display them. I tend to have the same photos in the same spot forever, so occasionally I go through my apartment and move frames to different rooms and update any frames that I have new images for. This sounds simple but when you get used to having certain items in a designated spot, just the act of moving small things like photos around can add a big dosage of variety to your life! I think it also makes you pay attention to the photos and art around you again when you’re being forced to see them in new lighting/angles/etc.!
4. Lighting
Lighting plays such a large influence on setting a mood in your space! I’m somebody who doesn’t love to rely on ceiling lighting so I have lots of lamps around my apartment— both floor lamps and table lamps— and I’m a BIG fan of hanging twinkle lights on the wall; these things really soften up my apartment and make nights on the couch or in bed with a good book extra cozy!
With technology like colour changing lightbulbs, you can further use colour at night to add some fun vibes. My brother has these ones that bounce light off the walls behind his computer (they even change colours to match the beats of songs) and I am amazed by how peaceful his desk area is whenever I walk by his room. During the winter when daylight is sparse, I find it particularly important to be focusing on lighting that helps make me feel good.
5. Decals
Decals are a super rent-friendly way to give your walls some big visual impact! I have had this grey brick “wallpaper” decal from *NuWallpaper in my office for years and I’m still as in love with it as I was when I first applied it— it adds a beautiful feature wall to my office and helps modernize the space.
In my dorm room, back in my first year of university, I used these *gold confetti dot decals to add some pizazz to my dorm wall. These days you can even find decals that look like backsplash tile and flooring…the options are truly endless for customizing your space!
What is your go-to method of freshening up your home décor? Let me know below!
Until the next one, Xo. —C.
