How To Give a Room New Life

It never fails. You invest time and money into finally completing a room to find it can quickly turn stagnant. Suddenly you're sitting in the room and you're kind of sick of it. If you're like me, it probably has taken you substantial time to put it together. The idea of starting from scratch gives you anxiety. Never fear! Today I want to talk to you about How to Give a Room New Life. A quick makeover on a budget, or even free.

I like to build a room slowly. I gather all my inspiration and have a solid mental picture before I start accumulating anything. Otherwise I have found I tend to pile up beautiful treasures that have no home and I'm quickly looking at hoarder status.

So, it can take me literally years to complete a room's look. Maybe it's because I'm not naturally talented, or perhaps it's because I like the hunt and process. It could be both. So, when I sit down in a room that I've invested so much of myself in and find myself sick of it, I'm not going to start from scratch. At least not in the traditional sense.

A Room Makeover Starts Fresh with an Empty Space

The first place I start is basically how I start decluttering, I clear off flat surfaces. Go grab a couple of empty boxes or bins. Then start clearing away everything small that looks like clutter. As an added bonus, the room will get a really great deep clean while you're giving it a refresh.

Empty the room as much as you possibly can and give it a completely clean sweep. In fact, sometimes just deep cleaning and organizing can give a room new life without even having to spend a dime or invest any time changing out furniture or decor.

Tip #1 Clear off all flat surfaces. Remove every dust-catching piece of art or Knick knack sitting around.

Tip #2 Empty the room. This includes as much as you can physically do. Furniture included if you have that ability.

My Next 7 Steps in My Strategy of Fresh Beginnings is to Clean From Top to Bottom.

Like I said before, a good thorough deep cleaning is sometimes all a space needs to feel prettier. I go in this typical order:

1. Strip my couch naked and wash my slipcovers, pillow covers, blankets.
2. Dust the blinds & ceiling fans/light fixtures.
3. Vacuum thoroughly carpet, couch, under furniture, and the cobwebs.
4. Steam clean the carpet and any upholstery that needs it.
5. Take down the curtains and wash them.
6. Wash the walls. Magic erase your heart out.
7. Mop the floors.

Now You're Clean. Where Do We Go In the Makeover From Here?

The first thing I generally do after I have cleaned an entire space is try out different furniture layouts. And even though I've lived in my home for almost 9 years I still find new ways of rearranging the furniture. And almost every single time I've found the new way works better than it did before.

The best way to tackle this is to think of what you need to get out of this room. How do you need it to function for you? What traffic flow do you need to accommodate? Are there doors, windows, or electrical outlets you have to work around?

Tip #3 Come up with furniture layout options and try them out until you find a layout that works the best.

Give a Room New Life With Simply A New Coat of Paint

This will absolutely never fail. You don't need to go out and buy new furniture, or all new decor. A fresh coat of paint is literally a magic wand for a room refresh. When I moved into my home the living room was dark Hunter Green. When I painted it, White Dove, by Benjamin Moore it was like I'd stepped into a new house.

Suddenly light was everywhere and it gave the room a brand new feeling. And this is what we're going for. So take a moment to consider if you want to invest a day and $30-$60 in paint? Then think about how you want your room to feel. Dark and moody? Light and airy? Contemporary? What is your go to style? If you need to take the time to inspire yourself on Pinterest.

Tip #4 A Coat of Paint Can Be Transformative. The best bang for your buck is a drastic coat of paint. But really a fresh coat does wonders all by itself.

One of the upcoming colors I've noticed trending recently is dark greens like the one pictured above. It's rich and beautiful.

This light and airy greige works so well to lighten up a space, though I prefer white, this is a great option to bring in some warm tones as well.

You've emptied, cleaned, possibly painted, and now you have the perfect layout. So, now it's time to put everything together again, like Humpty Dumpty.

Bring Back One Piece at a Time. Find It A Home. Then Move On To the Next One.

This is a super simple, albeit time-consuming, process. But this is another step that could easily give a room new life by itself. Move around your decor. Maybe you'd rather have books on a shelf where you used to store trinkets? Or maybe you need something with texture or a pop of color? Have fun with this!

Tip #5 Shop Your Own Home. If you don't like the decor you were using, put it away for another day and try other pieces you have in other rooms.

Your decor options could completely transform the feel of a room, even using less or choosing to use more could go from minimalist to a more cozy feeling. Also feel free to live with it for a day or two before you decide if you like it or not.

Every season of our lives comes with different needs and wants. How we have our home set up can be the difference between a sanctuary and a visual disaster that actually adds stress. So, if this season of your life feels more stressful eliminating some visual clutter may actually help. This could be the perfect opportunity to downsize and eliminate things that require being taken care of.

I hope I have given you some helpful tips. Honestly I can't wait to get started on my own room refresh using these exact steps.

Thanks for stopping by!