Four Design Hacks to Update your Home in the New Year

From bright reds to the bluest of blues, a painted front door is the easiest and most cost-effective way to update your curb appeal. Not sure what color to go with? Grab color swatches and tape them to your front door. Once those are there for a few days, you should be able to narrow it down to one or two choices. Now you can purchase a small sample of the color and paint small swatches. Be sure to look at the swatches at different times of the day!

Bring Nature Inside

City-dwellers and rural families alike know that it’s important to spend time within nature. But what if you don’t have much time to get outside? It’s time to bring some natural elements into your home. For an easy additional, bring in a new houseplant or add fresh flowers to your patio. Take it one step further and decorate with natural materials reminiscent of the great outdoors. Think wicker, jute, and bamboo. Almost any interior scheme welcomes a touch of natural texture.

Update your Sleeping Space

If your bed looks like Papa Bear’s—after he slept in it—you can fix it with more pillows and a method for putting them together. Here’s a foolproof formula: Starting with a solid bedspread, add two standard pillows in white (with or without colorful trim), three coordinating patterned throw pillows, plus a patterned bolster or lumbar pillow. To top it off, add a throw in a color that picks up on the patterned bolster.

Bring in some Mirrors

To create the illusion of a larger room, add dimension to space, or create a new view, place a mirror in an interesting shape (like this octagonal) in an entry hall, above a fireplace, or in a recessed area that you want to spotlight. For a different look, group several small mirrors together.