How to Make the Home Feel Refreshed Without Starting Over

How to Make the Home Feel Refreshed Without Starting Over

When the last of the mince pies have been dusted off, the glitter and pine needles swept away, the tipples tippled and the ‘It’s Christmas’ excuses used up, it’s only natural that we start to feel more than ready for a big, New Year’s refresh.

The home can start to feel very ‘lived in’ over the winter months and, by January, the arrival of the snowdrops – and the gradual retreat of post-Christmas blues – tend to signal it’s time for the house to get itself back into shape and looking beautiful once again.

But the New Year doesn’t have to signal ‘brand new everything’. These days, the shorter, faster trend cycles tend to leave us feeling like we have no other option than to say, ‘Out with the old, and in with the new’.

We are, of course, all looking forward to the moment when we can fling open the windows, feeling the crisp, spring air flooding in and let everything get a good dose of freshness. But even as winter lingers on into the new year, we can get the home feeling new again without starting from scratch.

Here are our favourite ways to refresh the home in the new year.

Fresh florals

Never underestimate the power of a bunch of flowers. From a garden posey to a celebratory bouquet – or even just a dewy handful of foliage to decorate the table with – florals and botanicals have immense power. They can be an instant ‘facelift’ for a tired space and give you a fresh focal point in a room you might feel a little too familiar with.

But florals don’t need to be freshly cut to have a big impact on a space. A floral print, say, on your curtains or feature wall, can bring a much-needed sense of life and ‘the world beyond the closed windows’ into a tired room.

Our Aspa print, designed by Sarah Vanrenen for Penny Morrison, which you can see here in green, is the ideal, fresh print for any part of the house that needs it. Crisp, bright, and far from the ‘stuffy’ florals that may first come to mind when you hear the word, it’s ideal for a new year and a new start.

And, when you’ve got a beautiful new print in your hands, you’ve got the perfect excuse to get a new pair of curtains sewn up, so why not embrace the seasonal curtain and get something new in for spring?

Upcycling

Upcycling became a trend a few years back, when sites like Pinterest were still relatively new and ‘DIY’ interior design exploded the way it did. The craze definitely died down after a while, but there are still plenty of devotees – and plenty of reasons to embrace upcycling with your furniture.

There are so many benefits to investing in pieces that have been made sustainably. Slow production methods, skilled makers and high-quality materials all make a big difference to a home’s general vibe, and investing in them is almost always worthwhile in the long-term.

But investing for the years rather than the months doesn’t mean you’re tied to the exact same look forever. By getting a piece reupholstered, for instance, you’ve got carte blanche to create whatever style you want. Something old can feel new, without the waste of taking an old piece out and replacing it with something else.

You can take a look at our guide to choosing upholstery fabrics here.

Rearrange what you have

Who doesn’t love the feeling of a room that has been flipped on its head? Well, not literally – the havoc wreaked by a handful of under-fives is enough to make anyone cling to things the way they are.

But there is something about walking into a familiar space, with all your familiar things in unfamiliar places, that can really help you to appreciate what you have all the more. Seeing an old favourite from a fresh angle is surprisingly effective at making everything feel, if not new, then better than it was before.

It may be, with this new setup, that you naturally encounter reasons to invest in a new piece here or there – or, alternatively, a new spot for a feature wall. Use this as an opportunity to tackle parts of the house that have always proved tricky, like the space under the staircase. If you can overcome them, things will start to feel very different (and refreshed) indeed.

There are so many things that can make a home feel new again. We love that feeling of walking into a room and being able to enjoy it from a fresh perspective, but you don’t need to refurbish the entire house to get that feeling back again.