Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive Ways to Fall Back in Love With Your Space

February is a cold month and while some days we feel the urge to gear up and head outside, other days, we just want to hunker down and enjoy being at home. So when you look around your space, are you filled with joy and calm? Or do you look around and think "something has to change," but aren't sure what that something is or where to start? 

Here’s a quick list to help you fall back in love with your home without breaking the bank!

Declutter and Deep Clean

Yeah, we know. This is the least fun tip on the list, but it's where every space spruce-up needs to start. Research has shown that clutter can negatively impact mental health and wellness by increasing anxiety and creating stress in a space that should calm you. It’s also been shown that if clutter is something you see whenever you look around, it can impact motivation and cause procrastination in other areas of your life. 

So start small:

• Pick the room you spend the most time in. 

• Look around and be honest about what you use and don't use.

• Donate, recycle, or toss anything that has been around for too long without contributing to your life in that space. 

If certain things mean a lot to you — like pictures, artwork, letters, or articles that you want to keep — find some inexpensive frames to put the things you love on display! If it's less about having things on display, and more about the memories, get a binder or folders to organize your items so they are easy to find, out of sight, and well-protected. 

Then, give the space a deep clean. Surfaces, floors, furniture, baseboards, and rugs all need a good scrub from time to time, so once you declutter and give everything a good clean, you'll be able to see your space more clearly and come up with a solid plan about how to update without adding more ‘stuff’ to the room. Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo for some fresh perspective and ideas on making the most of your decluttering journey if you need inspiration or information about the benefits of decluttering and caring for your space. Or better yet, have her Netflix show on in the background for inspiration!

Once you’re done with all that hard work, here are a few examples of places to donate to in Vermont: 

• Lamoille Family Center 

• ReSOURCE 

• Contact your local church 

• Habitat for Humanity in Chittenden County 

• Southeastern Vermont Community Action in Hartford 

• Listen Community Services in White River 

Some charities will pick up your donations for free and give you a tax deduction receipt!

Spice Up Your Seating

Sitting on a couch or in an armchair with a good book on a cold day requires a little something extra to kick up the cozy factor. Without a warm blanket or soft pillow, getting comfortable can be rough. Look around the house to see if you might have a throw that isn't used in a linen closet or on a bed. Add that with a soft, medium-sized pillow to your reading chair or the couch for that extra bit of personality and comfort. Make sure your seating areas have access to a place to set that cup of coffee or glass of wine. Those surfaces should be free of clutter and offer a little extra light for reading, knitting, or writing. The way your seating is laid out also contributes to the space's flow, function, and beauty. Look at what you have, the shape and size of the area, and consider a few different arrangements that could spark a new love affair with that room!

Changing out the colors of slipcovers and pillowcases can also help a room feel more "in season" and give it a new personality at different times of the year. Rich colors like forest green, dark blues, leathers, or faux furs are great for winter, while sea glass, whites, linens, and stripes are fun and fresh for summertime! 

If your space is a little smaller and you struggle to fit everyone onto the couch when they arrive, look into some inexpensive and adorable floor seating options. These often provide visual appeal to the room while also offering extra space for visitors to pull up to a card game around the coffee table or cozy up close to the fire. 

Soften the Lighting 

Overhead lights can throw cold, uninviting, and unflattering hues. Keep those lights switched off and add smaller lights or a reading lamp to the room. As we mentioned earlier, don't be afraid to ‘shop’ from your other rooms. Sometimes, the perfect furniture or lighting for a living space is just living a different life in a bedroom somewhere. Consider floor-standing reading lamps, or even an elegant string of lights if surface space for more lamps is hard to come. Whichever you choose, make sure your lightbulbs are a warm color temperature. These warmer hues create a cozy atmosphere that people subconsciously associate with more intimate and inviting environments.

Varied light sources cause your eye to travel around the room, making it more visually appealing and exciting. Highlighting artwork or pictures on the wall also adds an element of interest as well as candles or lanterns. It's all about having options you can choose from to create the perfect mood for your room. 

Another way to change lighting intensity and mood is with smart bulbs. Some brands like Phillips Hue boast up to 16 million color combinations you can explore to create the perfect atmosphere for any situation. Smart bulbs are an efficient way to light your home using an app on your phone or a hardwired system that enables you to set the scene with the touch of a button. Make sure you read up on how these work, what other things you’ll need to consider, and what options are suitable for you. 

Mind Your Nose

Out of all our senses, smell is the one we use most. Whether we are asleep, awake, aware of it or not, our sniffers are always working. A smell can tell us when something is wrong or something has gone bad in the fridge, but it can also communicate memories, feelings, and make us feel calm and safe when we are in the presence of a pleasing aroma.  

It's essential to keep this sense in mind when creating an inviting space to share with others and relax in yourself. 

So before you run out to Target to grab the first scented candle you see, take a minute to think about places and scents you have enjoyed in the past. Are these scents of the outdoors like pine, cedar, the ocean, or a campfire? Or are they scents you enjoy from other things like clean laundry, an ocean breeze, or freshly baked cookies? Believe it or not, smells also have seasons. We often find ourselves drawn to warmer scents like pine and freshly baked cookies in the colder months when those smells remind us of a cozy night sitting by the Christmas tree while eating cookies and milk. In the warmer months, we lean more toward fresh smells like laundry, flowers, and fresh-cut grass. 

If you aren't into candles, you can also try oil diffusers with calming smells like eucalyptus or lavender, or go the traditional route and bake some fresh bread, pie, or cookies! 

Bring Some Nature into the Space

Whether you consider yourself an outdoorsy person or not, it is a proven fact that nature can awaken our minds and bodies in a way that screens, desks, and couches cannot. That’s why plants and other floral arrangements might be precisely what you need to breathe new life into your space!

Not only can thoughtfully placed plants and flowers bring cheer to a room, but certain plants can also improve the quality of the air you breathe in your home and your emotional well-being. Plants and flowers make people happy, it's as simple as that! 

If taking care of plants has never been your specialty, consider options like peace lilies, cacti, spider plants, succulents, or money trees that are easier to care for. You can find the right plant for your space at a local garden center, or if a friend has one you like, ask if they might be open to splitting it the next time they repot that plant. Sharing plants can be a great excuse to host a repotting party with friends while saving you the money it might otherwise cost you to buy something new.  

Breathing life into your space and striking up a new love affair with your home doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming. Tackle one room at a time, one corner at a time, or one surface at a time…whatever feels right to you. 

Lastly, remember to take a moment before you make any changes to your space and look around to honor what’s important to you. What gives you that sense of comfort and coziness? Is it a cabin in the woods? A little beachfront bungalow? Your favorite restaurant or a loved one's home? Use the spaces that inspire you to re-create something that fills your cup at the end of each day and makes you love where you live.