Your home should be your sanctuary. It’s a place you want to feel relaxed, and happy. But over time, it may lose some of that initial joy. Or perhaps it’s your first home and you want to make it feel more like your dream home. The best way to love your home again is with a quick and easy home refresh!
Check out these simple ideas for updating your space without having to spend too much time or money.
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How To Love Your Home When It’s Not Your Dream Home
Do you remember that new home excitement? Your home may not have been perfect but at the time it felt like a really special place because it was all yours.
Over the years some of that early excitement might have worn off and you find yourself scrolling Pinterest, dreaming of the perfect home… all while feeling resentful towards the home you have.
I know this feeling all too well after 12 years.
Our home wasn’t perfect but at the time, it was a great first home and we loved having our own space.
Over time, certain things have become worn or outdated… or we simply craved some change in our surroundings.
So we have been on a journey the last couple of years to gradually refresh our home, starting with a mix of small and larger home projects that have helped us fall in love with our home again.
To help you do the same, these ideas range from things you can do to refresh your home that won’t cost a thing to easy ways to update your home on a small or bigger budget.
Home Refresh Ideas That Don’t Cost Anything
Wondering how to refresh your home without spending a thing? There are a few simple ways you can do this that will make make a big impact on your space without costing you anything except some time.
Declutter
If your home is already clutter-free, well done. For most of us though, there are spaces in our home that are cluttered which can leave us feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious.
But even if you have taken the time to declutter your home there may be things that are still hanging around that no longer serve a purpose or need better organising.
A great way to refresh your space is by taking some time and doing a major declutter.
Eliminating clutter from our homes can open up our spaces, remove frustrations and make the whole place feel more calm and relaxed.
In addition to the benefits of decluttering mentioned above, studies have shown that an organised and clutter-free home can positively impact mental well-being.
When your living spaces are neat, they can create a sense of calmness and help alleviate stress and anxiety. Moreover, a decluttered environment can enhance productivity and focus, allowing you to enjoy and engage with your home thoroughly.
As you begin your decluttering journey, remember that you’re creating an aesthetically pleasing space and cultivating a serene and harmonious atmosphere that contributes to your overall well-being.
Organise
A clutter-free home is a wonderful way to refresh, but without organising your space, it may soon end up cluttered again.
There are no rules for organising your home. You can organise in the way that makes the most sense to you and suits how you live in your home.
Resist the urge to rush out and get a heap of storage containers and tubs until you know what organisation systems actually work for you and your family. What works for one person won’t always work for another.
For example, open containers with easy access suit me, while for others, stacked containers with lids might be preferred to hide away what is inside.
For kids, make sure you have practical toy storage solutions that suit your home and your family.
Take some time getting to know your organisation style and then get busy organising your home.
Deep clean
Doing a deep clean of your home will help you love it again by getting everything looking its best again.
Deep cleaning can be as simple or as detailed as you want depending on how often you deep clean your home.
After all, there are tasks most of us hate doing and tend to neglect, such as cleaning the oven. There are also a few you might have forgotten to clean too!
In some cases, a deep clean can restore parts of your home to their former glory, such as scrubbing grout so it shows up its original colour, cleaning carpet stains, or pressure cleaning your patio or driveway to bring back the vibrant colours beneath the dirt.
Investing time and effort in a deep clean will revitalise your home’s appearance and create a healthier and more inviting living space for you and your loved ones.
These easy cleaning tips to refresh your home can make a big difference!
Thrifty Ways To Refresh Your Home
If you have a small budget to update your home, there is plenty you can do without having to spend much. There are many DIY projects that can help you fall in love with your space again.
Here are a few quick updates to try:
New Fittings
Switch out your door handles, light switches or tap fittings. This can be a really affordable way to add a modern or quirky touch to your home.
We replaced the handles on our bathroom cabinets from old yellowing plastic handles to sleek stainless steel handles. They cost around $2.50 each to replace and gave it an instant refresh.
A slightly more costly upgrade we also recently did was replace all the taps and fittings on our sinks, showers and bath.
Again, our old ones were plastic and yellowed with age.
Now we have modern stainless steel fittings that look fantastic and are much easier for the kids to use too.
Many of these replacements can be done yourself in less than an hour, although if you are making electrical or plumbing upgrades, you will likely need to hire a professional.
Lighting Upgrades
Upgrading lighting in a room is quick, easy and doesn’t have to cost much either.
Try swapping out old, outdated light fittings with modern alternatives or change the type of light bulbs you use to brighten up your space, using daylight or natural lightbulbs.
Make sure to hire a qualified electrician for any electrical upgrades you add to your home. It isn’t worth the risk of attempting to DIY these projects.
Feature Wall
Adding a feature wall to one or more rooms in your house is far more cost-effective than painting the entire house and it can have a huge impact on the look of your home.
There are so many different types of feature walls, ranging from paint colour changes to wallpaper or even adding texture to the wall.
If you are unsure where to start, invest in a few paint samples and choose one that stands out as your favourite colour or check out some wallpaper designs to see the different options available.
Your home is an extension of your personality so choosing colours or patterns should reflect you.
New Decor
Adding a few new pieces of home decor can help your space feel more special since you are taking the time to decorate it the way you want.
Avoid too much decor or your home will feel cluttered. Instead, aim for a couple of new items to add interest to a room.
Mirrors can be fantastic for making a space look bigger, which is great if you feel like your home is too small.
A vase with artificial flowers or pot plants can add a pop of colour to a room.
This simple method can enhance your interior’s overall appeal. Choose decor pieces that resonate with your style and preferences and let them breathe new life into your home.
Furniture makeover
Update an existing piece of furniture you own by giving it a makeover. This is a great way to breathe new life into it and save money by not having to buy a new item of furniture.
You can give your old furniture an update by painting it or adding fabric to the surface of the piece.
Adding new handles or legs are also quick ways to update a piece of existing furniture.
Or doing a furniture hack, such as one of these Ikea hacks to transform the look or function of your furniture.
Bigger Budget Projects To Help You Love Your Home Again
If you have a bigger budget and can afford to spend more money to update your home, there are plenty of larger projects that will completely transform your space so you can fall head over heels in love with your home again.
Excellent resources to explore inspirations and obtain professional guidance include Renovation Capital or any reputable and experienced kitchen and bathroom renovation company in your location. They offer valuable insights and expertise to assist you in making informed decisions for these projects. Take a moment to visit their websites and discover the extensive range of services they offer.
It’s a great way to gather ideas and get inspired for your home transformation.
Renovating and major upgrades can also be time-consuming so be prepared for how long this may take, depending on the size of the project.
Here are some home upgrades to freshen up your house:
Repaint
Repainting either the interior or exterior (or both) of your house can make a massive difference to how modern and fresh your home looks.
Over time, exterior paint fades and the interior walls may end up with scuffs and chips in the paint from everyday living. Especially if you have kids in the house…
This is certainly a large project you can complete yourself, although the do it yourself option for painting your home is a massive undertaking and you might discover it is more difficult than you anticipated.
If it is within your budget, it is well worth hiring professional painters to come and do the job for you.
They will also make sure you are choosing the correct types of paint and undercoats for the different areas of your home and help you finalise your colour choices.
If your home is on the smaller side, painting just one room can make a big impact. If you have more time and money to put into this project, paint all of the rooms in your house instead.
The cost of repainting depends on the size of your home, the quality of paint you use and whether or not you are DIYing or hiring painters.
Repainting kitchen cabinets is another consideration and it can refresh old kitchen cabinetry by giving it a fresh new colour.
New Flooring or Carpet
When we first purchased our home all those years ago, one of the things we said we needed to upgrade early on was the carpet.
Have we? Not at the time of writing this, however, 2022 is the year to make this happen. 13 years after we moved in…
New flooring is a massive home upgrade and it can completely transform the look of your entire house.
Having new flooring in some rooms is certainly better than none at all, but if you want to do more than just one room then this will be a substantial cost.
New flooring comes with options such as carpet or tiles or floorboards and they come in all textures and colours.
If you are after something more modern, check out the flooring trends for 2022 to make sure whatever your choose matches up with the current styles in home decorating.
Using different types of carpet and tiles can help create a beautiful contrast between rooms that looks stunning when completed. It will also help avoid monotony.
Floating floorboards are another popular trend these days and are quick and easy to install.
Landscaping
Adding a garden and outdoor space can create a beautiful sanctuary in your yard.
Consider constructing a new patio or a simple pergola that will offer shade and entertaining space outside.
The edition of a built-in fire pit will add a modern touch to your outdoor space.
If you have an existing garden, consider updating it with new plants and flowers.
Or completely rip out the existing garden, add stones, potted plants and garden edging as we did. This will change the look of your home instantly!
You can do this by transplanting old plants or installing new flower beds. Either way, changing up the landscaping in your backyard or front is a project that can often be completed relatively quickly.
New fencing or retaining walls can also add a modern touch to your yard.
Update furniture
Even if you don’t want to replace all of your furniture and décor pieces, updating existing pieces is a great way to freshen up the look of your home.
Not only does new furniture make your home look more modern and fresh, it also improves comfort, so you can enjoy your space much more.
Upgrading furniture such as couches, dining tables, beds and shelving units can range in cost with options to suit every budget, depending on what you are looking for.
This is one of our focuses for the new year, now our kids are getting a little older, we can enjoy updated couches and dining table suits knowing they are old enough to take care of the new furniture too.
Swimming Pool
Swimming pools are a great way to increase your home’s value and create an outdoor entertaining space for friends and family.
However, the price of building a pool can be high depending on if it needs excavation or decking work done as well.
This can be an incredible way to turn your outdoor space into a home oasis, bringing resort vibes into your own backyard.
Just make sure to do your research before you become a pool owner, so you can be certain you meet all the pool inspection requirements.
Room Remodel or Renovation
If you want to tackle a room remodel or renovation, this is a big-budget project, although there are many options for keeping these costs reasonable.
A complete renovation of a room will completely change the look and feel. You can take an older, outdated home and give it a modern makeover by upgrading your kitchen or bathrooms.
However, you don’t need to replace everything in these areas if there are parts that you do still love!
Just replacing a key element such as kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanities will make an instant difference for relatively little cost. An old laundry will look brand new with a modern sink and new tiles, for example.
Renovation projects should be planned carefully as they can disrupt normal living, and may even require you to stay elsewhere for a few days.
This is certainly the ultimate way to love your home again though since the end result will feel like a brand new home, even if you’ve lived there for 20 years!
Extension
Adding an extension to your home not only adds more space to a small home but also gives you the chance to increase the value of your home as well.
An extension can add much-needed space for your kids to play in, or perhaps create an office nook or an extra bedroom with an ensuite.
You could add a level to a one-story home or enclose a carport or garage, or build a whole new section of your home at the ground level if there is space to do so.
The cost of building extensions will vary greatly, along with the costs of associated council fees and legal requirements for extending your home.
A professional building company will be able to assist you with these required permits if you’re not sure where to start.
Get my Home Management Binder Printables
With over 80 pages of printables to help you manage your home and your life, this is the perfect way to create your home management binder – without having to make all the pages yourself!
This printable kit is undated so you can use the pages year after year and you can print them as often as you need them or skip a page if it isn’t relevant to you!
It includes all the family budgeting, meal planning, cleaning checklists, life planner, calendars, home maintenance and health pages to help you stay more organised at home!
Love your home again by adding simple updates. The projects we’ve shared will help you freshen up the look and feel of your home, whether it’s a small room remodel or an extension to add more space for your family or simply adding some new decorative cushions and a side table. Update that old furniture with new pieces or give old ones a modern makeover – not only does it make your home look fresh and modern but also improves comfort!
We hope these easy ideas have given you inspiration on how to love your own home again!
Keep your home looking great:
- How to deep clean each room of your house
- Step by step guide to decluttering
- Time saving cleaning tips
- Cleaning hacks everyone should know
- How to simplify your life
- How to deep clean your oven
- How to deep clean pillows
- Craft storage ideas on a budget
- Pantry organisation ideas
- Ideas to make cleaning more fun