February Blahs.

A New Year-A New Look
Easy ways to Freshen your Home 

February…it so Boring!  I am not quite in to the Spring Frenzy and just over the Holiday Coma.  This is my annual rip-things-apart-month. Yup. February. The month where things need a little refresh so I don't go stir crazy. I’ve spend the year moving, buying and putting things here and there, sometimes without the thought it deserves. It is time to regroup and reassess - and I am brutal.  
​Be Brutal.... and Methodical. 

Step 1. Clean and Purge. This is a very important step that requires a lot of discipline. Pick a room and go through your ‘stuff’. If it is chipped, broken or otherwise unsightly Throw It Out!  (better yet, give it to charity or a crafter who can repurpose it.) You know all those things you shoved in drawers and set on the shelf promising yourself you would think about it later. Later is now Gator. Empty those drawers, clear those cabinets. 

You will need 3 boxes. The Keeper - things you know you will use again. The Question - things you are not sure about and the Bye Bye Forever box for unusable, broken, I’ve-Always-Hated-That and the sad and I’m over it items. 

Fill them up. That is right, clear every cabinet and shelf, drawer and table in that room. Bare Bones.

Step 2. Assess the room. Does it need a fresh coat of paint or colour? Now is the time to do it. Fill holes, repair cracks, caulk that trim. Change the colour or just freshen up the one you have.

Step 3. Dream it - Be it. Is this room screaming for a new look? Grap a cuppa and figure it out. (Or better yet call me for a consult!) Start at the floor and work your way up. New area carpet? This could change the whole look! Or maybe it is just new drapes. Has that coffee table always been a problem or has seen better days? Lots of places are having sales right now. Go shopping - but take a list and do not stray from the path my young Pad-wan.

Maybe the room just needs a little clean up. A little dusting and a wash. Like how long have those socks been under the sofa? Now is the perfect opportunity to give the room the full clean treatment. You will need your favourite music for this task. Alexa: play Nina Simone!

Step 4. Now that you have the major players for the room figured out- flooring, wall colour and furniture, you are ready for the fun part! Decorate!
Start with the artwork. Your mantra is: ‘go big or go home’ or if you want minimal ‘less is more’.
Make sure what you put up is relevant, meaningful and in keeping with the feel you have started with your rooms major players (wall colour, furniture and flooring). Smaller frames can be grouped together while leaving some space around them. Make sure whatever you put up is appropriate for the scale of the wall and is anchored by the furniture.
Next you have your decor items from the ‘keeper’ box. Don’t even look in the other boxes! Don’t space your items around the room. Group them in common themes ( odd numbers work well) and varying heights and layers and then most importantly, leave space between your groups. Depending on your personal aesthetics you will have a many layered curated room or a simple open space with only a few key pieces. Follow it through by not putting anything back that does not absolutely fit perfectly.
Now stand back and look at your freshly curated room! You might not even need to buy new items for a room. Re-working and removing some items is often all it takes to give your room a new feel.

Now on to the next room…

Tips: Sometimes items in one room can transfer nicely in to another room. But the same rule applies… don’t use it just because you have it. Make sure it has a story to tell wherever it goes. If you have some pieces that you absolutely can’t part with, but they don’t work in the space then wrap them up and if you have the room, store them. In a year or two they may fit when you rework another room. Send everything else off to charity. (The Question and the Bye Bye boxes both!) Don't hesitate. Be Brutal. You will feel so much lighter and your February blahhs will March right on out of here.