It is often said that a house is not a home until it is filled with love and attention. Caring for our homes is essential and it affects every part of our lives, from our general hygiene and family health, to our psychological well-being. You’ve probably heard the term ‘a tidy home is a tidy mind’, but there is no denying its truth. A clean home is good for head, heart and soul.
Sometimes, all the household tasks that build up become a huge weight on your shoulders — and you can’t be blamed for putting them off! But winter is just around the corner, Christmas is approaching fast and we will all be spending more time in our homes and in the company of loved ones. It’s about now you should be considering giving your home some tender loving care and bringing it back up to scratch.
We’ve picked out some simple DIY chores that you can do to give your home a new lease of life, so you’re as comfortable as possible over the Christmas period. Maybe you’ll even be able to show off some vibrant new features to friends and family!
Start with Improving Kerb AppealBegin by stepping outside and taking a look at the front of your home. What does the path look like and the walk up to the door? Make sure it’s tidy, easy to navigate and welcoming. Sweep away leaves and dirt and move any rubbish or bins out of view. Then, assess the path or paving you may have in front of your house. If it’s looking dirty or neglected, give it a wash down. For best results, use a pressure washer.
Once you’ve given your pathway a new shine, step back and take a glance up from the street. Is it welcoming? Invest in some plants, flowers or ornaments for the front of your home. You don’t need a big garden for this and, as long as greenery isn’t impeding anyone from entering, it makes a house look much more friendly and accommodating.
It is also important to consider your home’s frontage at all times of the day. No matter how beautiful the exterior, if you have poor lighting or no lighting at all, it is going to look dingy and unwelcoming when there is a lack of natural light. Install some garden and front door lighting to brighten up your frontage and highlight its beauty at night, making people feel welcome and impressed.
Front Door: Shaping First Impressions
Now your front-of-house is looking spick and span, it’s time to approach the real impression-maker of your home’s exterior: the front door. How recently have you upgraded your front door and door furniture?
The entryway to your house says a lot about you and a neglected looking door can be a real turn-off. Think about giving your door some new features and a new colour. Painting a door is neither hard work nor time consuming when done pragmatically — and it can do a world of good for your home’s appearance. After you’ve given it a new gleam with fresh paint start assessing which features need replacing with some shiny new door hardware. Hinges and door knobs can be stand out feature of your door but if they’re rusty and squeaky it’s well past time you replaced them. Of all door hardware a door knocker can have the biggest impact on your front doors character. A shiny new door knocker will give your front door an entirely new persona whilst also injecting class and style into your front door.
Enrich Your WallsPeople take a lot of time to consider what colour they paint their home, both inside and outside — and with good reason. We all react to colours on an emotional level whether we realise it or not. Blues are associated with productivity, greens with calm and tranquility and so on. There are some colours that suit the home and some that don’t, but it will always largely come down to personal taste.
Whether you like bright, statement-making colours or gentle, soft colours, a new shade will always give your home a fresh feel. If there is a room really lacking character, think about being a bit unorthodox by mixing and matching the colours of your surrounding walls.
Painting one wall a different colour to the rest may sound unconventional and a little too adventurous, but it can look fantastic. If you’re serious about giving your room a new feel, wallpapering just a single wall can provide a particularly unique touch. As with before, this will certainly come down to personal preference, but an endless selection of wallpaper designs out there, you’ll be able to find something that fits in no time. Make sure what you choose gives the room a new character, but doesn’t overpower the room too much with excessive patterns or colours that may become difficult to live with over time.
Cupboards, Shelves and Cabinets
One of the first things guests and homebuyers notice inside a home is ill-kept furniture. New sofas and chairs are a large, long-term investment that needs to be thought through. A quick DIY job that you can do to help your home’s revival, however, is giving the cupboards, shelves and cabinets a makeover as you’ve done with the front door.
Put aside an afternoon and give cupboards, wardrobes, shelves and cabinets a new coat of paint if they’re looking past their best. Perhaps take it a step further if you’re really serious on impressing the family and have a look for some new door knobs and latches. Little things like door handles go a long way to giving your home a brand new appeal and can be a great touch if they’re currently a bit boring!
Well Exposed Windows and New Window Furniture
Last but by no means least are your windows. Your windows are a key part of the home and they play a huge part in controlling the brightness and temperature of each room.
Natural light can have a huge effect on how you feel each day. Your windows should be well exposed so that as much natural light as possible can flood the room. Remove anything that might be blocking windows and try to make them the centrepiece. Most people shape their living room around where the television is best located, when you should really be considering how light can best flood the room. You’ll be surprised once you’ve played with the layout of your lounge just how much of a positive effect more natural light can have. It makes rooms look larger and more cheerful.
Once your windows are well exposed and the focal point of your room, give them a revival so they look bold and attractive. A new coat of paint will never go amiss. Place duct tape on the windows so you don’t need to clean the glass and give them a new shade — one that is different to the surrounding walls preferably, so they really stand out. Make sure your window furniture is up to scratch and not old and rusty. If you’ve got stubborn windows that refuse to let you open and close them easily, it’s about time you invested in some new window furniture.
Finally, now that your windows are fresh and free, decorate them accordingly. Aside from window furniture, if your curtains aren’t making a statement to the room and you like to tuck them out of view, it’s time to choose some new ones. Curtains can be a fantastic feature for any room and, while you want the light to flood the room, you also want to be able to cover the windows with thick curtains, keeping the light out and the warmth in.
