Happy New Year 2022! In the spirit of new beginnings, here are some easy projects you can tackle to give your home a refresh.

Rearrange Your Furniture

Rearranging your existing furniture is an easy way to bring a new perspective to your living space. However, before you do any heavy furniture lifting, there are some questions you must ask yourself. For example, is this your primary space for entertaining? Do you have a large area that serves multiple purposes? If, for example, you are hoping to entertain friends and family in the near future, you may want to rearrange the furniture in your living areas to promote conversation and togetherness. Please see my article Designer Tips for Room Layout for more professional tips to make your room makeover a success.

Create a Kitchen Hub

The kitchen has always played a pivotal role in our homes, and even more so in today’s world. It is the hub of cooking, entertaining, and day-to-day life. In addition to traditional considerations—such as traffic flow and fixture locations—many homeowners are adding customized, personal zones in their kitchens. For example, you may want to update an existing office area to provide a comfortable space for work or study, complete with filing and storage solutions, charging stations, and plenty of light. In addition, a large, functional kitchen pantry has become a must-have in many homes. Plenty of storage space at an arm’s reach can be made easier with customized shelving for canned items, unique glass storage jars for cereals and baking supplies, and baskets/bins for easy storage of boxed items. An added bonus of a large pantry: it frees up space in floor and wall cabinets for other essentials.

Design a Smart Home this New Year

Over the past few years, there has been an increased interest in designing more intelligent homes. For the most part, this has come from the growth in technology that has revolutionized our world and added convenience to our daily lives. As I mentioned in a recent Domain article, smart home systems can help to elevate your home by providing different customizable options such as home security and entertainment. Another area is the kitchen, where homeowners have become more reliant on technological innovations such as smart refrigerators and appliance drawers.

Home Organization

Keeping your home neat and tidy can directly impact your mental health, which is very important today. Numerous studies find that how organized people describe their homes directly relates to whether their time at home feels restorative or stressful. While the results are not surprising, many find that they don’t know where to begin while they may be ready to start organizing. I suggest you start with the space that most impacts your day-to-day living, whether that is your kitchen, home office, or closets. See my article Tracy’s Tips for a More Organized Home for organization and design tips to help keep the stress of daily living at bay.

What are your new year’s resolutions for yourself and your home this new year? We would love to hear from you!