I can’t get enough HGTV. Honestly, I could watch house transformation shows all day.
I come up with all kinds of crazy ideas on what I want to do to our house. My husband is not a fan of most of them because they always involve him doing the work.
And while it is fun to fantasize about all the changes we could make to the house; I have learned that there are a few simple rules to loving your house. To me, a home is somewhere you love to be. Therefore, I have worked on making our house be a great place to hang out. A place you want to be.
So here is my top list of things you can do that will dramatically change your house.
1. Increase space and decrease stress
In other words, declutter and find a spot for everything. And I mean everything. When everything is clean, put away and organized, your mind can relax and you can enjoy your space.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that a messy home will happen from time to time. And if you have kids, mess occurs probably way more often than you want.
However, there is nothing more frustrating than having stuff that doesn’t have a home. If it doesn’t bring you joy, then get rid of it. Removing things that you don’t need from your house can be so freeing. It also gives you more space to work with, so you have room for what you love.
Start with one room and do an assessment.
I usually make four piles: trash, give away, needs a spot and wrong room. For the things that need a spot, I then make it a goal to get an organizational solution for them.
This allows me to shop with purpose since I know exactly what I need to store. Since organizing my house, I have become a huge fan of baskets. Never underestimate the power of a basket.
But before you go out on that organizational shopping spree, make sure you read the next two tips to make sure you pick out items that work well spatially and match your tastes.
2. Before you buy, learn designer rules
Did you know there are rules to how big a rug should be or how high to hang a picture? Following these rules can take a room that looks like a few college boys put it together to looking professionally done.
Honestly, I can’t believe how dramatic the change is. For instance, all the furniture in a room should be on or completely on a rug. Or that curtains should start way above your window and drape all the way to floor. You can easily look up these guidelines by searching on Pinterest for interior design rules. The schematics that you will find are great and can seriously transform a room.
Keep these rules in mind and before you go shopping, measure at home to make sure you get something that will fit the room perfectly.
3. Before you buy, find your favorite style of house
Another really important rule of loving your home is cohesiveness. Nothing is harder to me than shopping for home decor because I am always trying to envision if it will look good in the room. This means I have to have the final vision of what I want the room to be in my head.
Something that has helped tremendously is knowing what type of style house decor I like. For example, coastal, cottage, farm, modern, etc. I use Pinterest for this. Just start browsing home decor inspiration or interior design inspiration. When you find your style, search that specific style and make a board so you can save everything you like.
The next time you go shopping you will be able to easily pick out what works with your likes and what you picture as your final design.
4. Never underestimate the power of paint
Now that you know what type of house style you like, start to pay attention to color choices, especially wall paint. The paint on the wall plays a big role in the overall look and feel to a room. It might actually be the perfect place to start.
When you paint a room, in addition to color choice, be careful on how dark the color is. Natural light is the best way to make any space bright and cheery. Paint is the second-best way.
When a room doesn’t have a lot of natural light, or honestly even when it does, you want to pick a light color for the walls. Spaces that seem dark and closed will not help you when trying to create a warm and welcoming environment.
Another fun way to add a splash of color is wall decals. They are an awesome way to really make a kid’s room playful. I love how it can tie a theme together.
5. Add green plants and flowers
Not only will plants clean your air, they are also excellent mood boosters, especially in winter. Just last year, we added a palm tree to our house. I absolutely loved having it in the house during those long winter months. We also added a few other plants around the house.
Until we did this, I had no idea just how much warmer the house felt with plant life. The best part is you don’t need to have a green thumb. Trust me, I am horrible at keeping plants alive. We focused on hard to kill plants. We got a snake plant, a palm tree, ivy, and succulents.
Even fake flowers somehow changed the house to feel more like a home. We added a wreath to our front door and flowers to our dinning room table. In the summer, we pick flowers every week at a local farm and I am still surprised at how such a small thing can make such a big change.
6. Personalized artwork
My favorite art is personalized art. I just don’t get the same feelings of happiness when I look at a generic piece of artwork on my walls.
I love last name family signs, picture canvases, hand prints, wooden growth charts, etc. Do you have any empty hallways? Convert it into a walk down memory lane. We filled our upstairs hallway with lots of family photos. A lot of people also love to do this on the stairs.
7. Command center
I feel like the kitchen is where I spend most of my time purely because someone always needs a snack or I am prepping a meal. I also feel like the kitchen turns into a command center. A place for lists, bills, mail and random things.
With that much clutter in the kitchen, the place soon becomes a place of stress for me. Therefore, a big priority for me was to get a command center up. I have it near the kitchen and it has a spot for mail, keys, white board. It also has a basket for random stuff.
8. Cozy blankets/slippers
This is probably the most random piece of advice but it really can change how “homey” a place feels. I have added a basket next to a big chair in our living room that contains a super fuzzy cozy blanket. Nothing feels like home like curling up in that blanket with a kid and reading some books.
We also bought everyone slippers this winter and having cozy feet while home also makes a big difference on it feeling like home. It is amazing what small things can do.
Pursue your home today
Whether you just want to work on one room or do a full house makeover, any progress towards making your house a place where you love to be is worth it.
Remember to find your style before starting to invest in home decor items. Every project should start with decluttering to open up more space. Add a command center to keep that kitchen from becoming a continuous mess of papers and a place of stress.
To also give you more peace of mind, add green plants, trees and flowers throughout the house. And in the winter, nothing makes a house feel more like home than cozy blankets and slippers.
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I am a wife, teacher, and mother to two awesome girls. I write about what I am passionate about, which includes being a mom, house projects, beauty and skincare. I love to share my experiences, failures, and successes with my readers. Let this space be a resource for you to pursue your very best day.