3 Things That Make Your Home Look Better Instantly

Simple and easy ways to give your home a facelift. Want to impress your guests? Need a change for your own sanity? Do these 3 things!

To "declutter" simply means to clean up the mess!

"Decluttering" is a trendy topic these days – thanks, in part, to the Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. I watched a few episodes, and, believe or not, it had me in tears every single time. Having to let go of things can be very emotional, even when those things are hidden covered in dust (like my high school uniform). Tidying up, what an amazingly simple concept yet deeply transformative experience! Marie Kondo teaches, "Only keep things that spark joy." What a great lesson!

We are going to look at "decluttering" from a slightly different angle – more like an easy to follow cheat sheet. Rather than focusing on life changing commitments, we will simply try to make our room look better, quickly and efficiently. The in-laws could be on their way right now! So, let’s get to it.

Simply put, the strategy is “less (out) is more.”

Walking into a room, you want to see minimal “stuff” hanging around, showing the room as a clutter-free, well organized, and inviting space. As shown in the kitchen photo above, keep only those sweet and charming items (that you probably rarely use) out on the counter space. All the items that are used daily, such as small appliances, dish racks, pots, pans, and cleaning supplies, should be removed. Store them in cabinets and drawers, out of sight. Just remember to organize them nicely in case the in-laws open the cabinets!

Unless your goal is to create an ultra-eclectic style, limiting the number of colours used in a space immediately helps to achieve a more calm, spacious and organized atmosphere. Look around. On the walls, curtains, furniture, floor, rug, and even the accessories on the shelves, how many colours do you see in the room?

Black, white and grey are not technically "colours," but, for our interior decorating purposes, let's count them in. We will group them as a single colour. All the similar tones/shades of a colour will count as one. For example, dark brown, medium brown, and beige would count as one colour. Most likely, you have these two colours – grey and brown – in every room as a foundation. Floorings, regardless of the type of material, are usually in the brown or grey groups. There are exceptions – I have shown homes with intensely colourful carpets like red or green. Ceilings are usually painted in white, and, if you have those beautifully exposed beams, they will most likely be one of the two foundation colours.

Now, beside the two foundation colours, what other colours are there in your space? The rest of the colours will act as accent colours. Ideally, you don't want to have too many accent colours in a space. Literally, accent colours should be the highlights of the room, standing out from the rest. Too much variety in accent colours will cause conflict amongst them. The space will look busy and cluttered. So, keep the maximum number of accent colours to two or three.

Look at the beautiful living room shown in the photo above. There are only four colours in total, counting grey, brown, and the two accent colours, yellow and green.

If your room has more than five colours, try reducing the number by removing things that are not necessary in the room. Move them to a different room, with a different colour palette, where they may shine better!

Limiting the number of colours gives the space a better sense of unity. However, the actual choice and coordination of colours can also have a big impact on the space. Consider the amount of each colour used and where. Ask these questions:

• Are the colours evenly distributed in the space?

• Is there too much of one colour overpowering the rest?

• Are the accent colours (if more than one) complementing each other?

Adding plants can be the easiest and most affordable way to bring more nature into your home.

We all love nature, don't we? Read the following words out loud and see how you feel! Forest, palm trees, grass field, sand beach, sunrise, campfire, waterfalls.... Not feeling it?! Okay, how about these? Fresh oyster, coconut, Pina colada, barbecue sandwich…. Maybe, now you do!

Speaking of sandwiches... even in food, we find ourselves striving for quality natural ingredients. We count on nature for our wellbeing and happiness. Point is, I believe that we are “naturally” attracted to nature. We constantly seek opportunities to be closer to it. And we call it a “vacation”! No wonder those homes with beautiful gardens or views of parks and lakes are in such high demand on the real estate market.

The home interior is no exception. From hardwood floors to modern granite countertops, we enjoy the look and feel of natural materials. How about the new artificial ways to bring more natural elements into the home? We can have an electric fireplace, rainfall showers, and even accent wallpaper that looks like real stones. (Although, maybe we can overdo it sometimes.)

Still, just by simply adding plants, we can add in that natural green goodness to our space!

Little Bit of Green Colour Psychology

Green has strong associations with growth, spring, and nature. It increases feelings of balance, calmness, and support. It is a fresh, vital, and lively colour that has also been associated with healing. Although green is sometimes associated with envy, it is actually a very emotionally soothing colour. Green is one of the easiest colours for the eyes to settle upon, making it one of the most restful colours.

So why don't we go to the Home Depot now and grab a large palm tree or something? You can also find great indoor plants for a great price at Ikea, Costco, and Canadian Tire!