Looking for some quick, easy ways to refresh your home in just one weekend? There are lots of easy projects you can tackle that will make a big difference in the way your home looks and feels. Here are some small projects that yield big rewards.
Dress Up Your Doorway
Image via Flickr by The Little Greene Paint Company
Why wait until you’re selling your home to improve its curb appeal? Spiff up your front door right now and enjoy that bright welcome whenever you come home. Give your entryway a complete makeover with a coat of bright paint on your front door, a new mailbox, and a potted topiary or flowering plant on your front porch. If you have a little more money to spend, add a new wreath and welcome mat.
Freshen Up
One of the quickest ways to make your home feel lighter and brighter is to clean the windows. Using professional tools, like a squeegee and steel wool, will make the job much easier. You’ll be shocked at the difference that squeaky clean windows can make — your rooms will feel larger and airier, and indoor colors will seem brighter. To add to the clean-air feeling, drop a fresh air filter into your HVAC system and buy one large potted plant to brighten up a corner and freshen the air in your home.
Stage Your Bookshelves
If you’re more of a reader than an interior decorator, you probably think of your bookshelves as a place to keep books. But your books are probably better off stored away from air and sunlight, and those cluttered shelves could be making your home feel unnecessarily small and chaotic. Try removing all but a few of your books and using the shelves to display a selection of decorative items, clustered in attractive groups by shape and color. Leave plenty of open space for a designer look.
Bathroom Redo
Completely renovating a bathroom is a huge project, but you can accomplish a lot in just one weekend, without spending a fortune. First, remove everything from the room and scrub it clean. Then put back only the items you really love, with an eye toward reducing clutter. Bring in a fresh accent color, like yellow or white, with a new shower curtain, a rug, or a few new towels. If your faucets and knobs feel old, cheap, or corroded, shop your home improvement store for affordable replacements. A new waterfall or massage showerhead is another great way to quickly update your bath.
Tackle One Tough Spot
Which area of your house is the most densely cluttered and frustrating? For most people, it’s either the garage, their personal closet, or the coat closet. Set up a donation bin and a trash bag and tackle that problem space. Remember that everything you get rid of is an item you never have to put away again. You might not enjoy the process, but the result will be worth it.
Take time to update or improve just one area of your home this weekend. The results will last a long time and bring you a lot of joy.
James Hendrickson is an internet entrepreneur, blogging junky, hunter and personal finance geek. When he’s not lurking in coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, you’ll find him in the Pacific Northwest’s great outdoors. James has a masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelors degree on Sociology from Earlham College. He loves individual stocks, bonds and precious metals.