Newsletters

A Few Ways to Change It Up at Home for Under $10

Alysha Findley
Alysha Findley
Alysha is a photographer and designer living in Seattle who loves dark chocolate, tea, and all things furry. In her spare time you'll find her with paint in her hair renovating her 1919 Craftsman and sharing the process on her blog Old House New Tricks.
published Jan 10, 2013
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
See More Images
(Image credit: Rebecca Proctor)

January is synonymous with new, new, new. It’s the time of the year when we aspire towards change and refreshing the old. But a change doesn’t have to be big or difficult to be effective. Follow me after the jump to see a few inexpensive ways to liven up your home…

Bring the Outdoors In: Having flowers and plants indoors instantly cheers up a room. If you haven’t had any in a while, this just may be the time to start. If you live in a warm climate, you could pick a few outside, and if not, head to your local market and grab a bright bouquet or sweet potted plant. Maybe even plant some herbs in pots for your kitchen window sill.

Get Moving: Nothing gets old like the same old routine. Try moving a few things around in your house that always stay in the same spot. Maybe it’s the vase that you put your newly cut flowers in. You could swap the neutral pillows from your bedroom to your living room. You can even re-arrange some furniture for a new perspective.

Go Thrifting: Head to your local thrift store and browse around for some fun, quirky home accessory that will liven up your home and your outlook.

Start Re-thinking: Is there an unused closet that you can turn into that sewing space you’ve always wanted? Is there a window that could become a lovely reading nook just by bringing over a small chair and table from another part of the house? Look around and see if there are areas in your home that would be best suited for another purpose.

Listen Up: Do you listen to music in your home while you’re doing chores or cooking dinner? If not, maybe start there. If so, what if you changed up what you listened to? What if instead of your usual playlist, you put on some jazz or classical or reggae? How would that change your mood and the feeling in the house?

(Image: Sue & Grame’s Eclectic Victorian Townhouse House Tour)

Filed in:
Money