LITTLE ROCK — As the beginning or a new year approaches, I am ready to revamp my living and entertaining areas. I am looking for creative, fun, easy, and inexpensive ways to renew and freshen up my place, short of investing in new furniture. What suggestions do you have for me?
“I know just the itch you’re having. Sometimes after we put away all of our festive Christmas finery our same old decor suffers by comparison; it can feel drab and boring,” says nationally known interior designer Tobi Fairley of Little Rock.
Fairley offers several ideas on how to make a home feel new in the New Year without having to spend big bucks on a major overhaul. These are my favorite ways to achieve a clean, fresh and stylish home:
Clean the slate. Though spring is the traditional time for a deep house cleaning, I find that a New Year cleaning can be very rejuvenating, too. The holidays bring lots of extra traffic (and food!) into our homes, and doing a deep cleaning will set the stage for a complete freshen-up.
Decide whether this will be the time of year you will also choose to have your drapes, upholstery and carpet cleaned.
Make way. As you move from room to room in the cleaning process, think a bit about whether each of the pieces of furniture and decorative items in the room is serving you well.
If there’s a piece that you feel you could easily part with, sell it online or donate it. If there’s a piece that could work better in a different space, try it out.
Everything in its place. Everything in your home should have its place, and if it doesn’t you’re likely to be covered up with clutter. Any item that falls into the clutter category should be carefully considered: Is it something you definitely want to keep? If yes, how can it be stored that will limit the chaos in your home yet keep it accessible for use? It’s a drain to be surrounded by misplaced papers and doodads all the time. Carefully planned organization makes you feel free and boosts your quality of life!
Envision. Now that you’ve cleaned and de-cluttered, try to visualize the space looking and feeling exactly the way you want it to. Draw inspiration from magazines, nature, art - everywhere. Then identify the changes you can easily make to create the kind of atmosphere you want.
Paint. Painting your walls is a way to get major bang for your buck. It can completely transform a space. Not looking for a drastic change? Consider a new ceiling color.
Old made new. Take a look at any of the furniture that’s functioning well for you and ask yourself if it could be spruced up with paint or a new fabric. If your room is mostly neutral, consider using these repurposed items as your “pops” of color and do something bold and unexpected with them.
Key purchases. Shop for new accessories, especially keeping an eye out for great new lamps, throw pillows or artwork that will really infuse your space with the new vibe you’re creating.
Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to a stylish 2013.
Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? Send your question to Linda S. Caillouet, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail:
HomeStyle, Pages 31 on 12/29/2012