CREDIT Ali Solomon, The New Yorker

With trick or treating behind us, and Daylight Savings Time about to come to a screeching halt,  it’s now officially the start of the ‘what-to-do-with-this-house?’ season.

It’s probably not that your house went to hell in a handbasket since spring. Maybe you let a few things slide, but more likely, the shorter days and cooler temps mean you’re inside more, and wowzer, now you see E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G with startling clarity.

Funny, you don’t remember those closets being so full, or the countertops so crowded. Then there’s that broken shade or missing knob, the dreary bathtub, the paint color or wallpaper you’ve always hated, and ohyes, that rug…..

So a few things I’ve learned from years in this amazing people-space-and-stuff business:

• Getting a few things done around the house brings your space up, but brings you and yours up even more.
• There is so much that most people can easily do, or manage themselves. Help with prioritizing, resources and maybe just a little nudge is sometimes all it takes to get started.
• If the challenges of the last few years taught us anything, it’s the gatherings with friends and family we will cherish.

Design work doesn’t necessarily mean what it did years ago. But it does mean you make changes in your space that solve problems, improve function, and make you happy. While you may in fact be ready to make some substantial purchases, here are some of the easy quick-fix things TRH recommends during design consults:

New Linens

• Old saggy bed pillows, worn towels, flattened throw pillows and mismatched bed linens are just sad, real downers. It doesn’t take a lot to make a huge difference in your spaces. And many local animal shelters take donations of clean but worn linens, so win-win!

Lighting

• The right bulb color is an immediate boost, but maybe you’re due for some new eye candy vis-a-vis a new fixture, or better/right-sized  lamps

Mix Things Up

• Re-working a floor plan, and re-positioning of existing art and other furnishings can give you a whole new look, while amping up both function and your satisfaction.

Wall Color

• Has that peach (baby blue, linen white or basic beige) had its day? Nothing changes a space more dramatically, more quickly, and for less money than new paint!

Un-Deferring Maintenance

• Finish something you started, repair what’s broken.  Donate what’s usable but unneeded, toss what’s not salvageable, and cleaning something so thoroughly its squeaky clean are all life-affirming things.

17 years ago The Refreshed Home was named for exactly these kinds of projects.  From book club get-togethers to Super Bowl extravaganzas, a pre-season design consult with TRH can help you get your space to it’s company-ready best. Space planning, color and finish coordination, easy snazz-ups are what we do.  All. The. Time. Interested or curious?  We love questions! Just start the conversation!