Connecting You with Designers, Advice and Updates: 5 Easy Ways to Freshen Up Your Home for the New Year

Every year after we haul our Christmas tree out to the recycling bin and pack away all of our decorations, our house looks a little, well, sad. Add that to the regular new year push to make everything feel fresh and brand spanking new, and we're ready for something new at home.

Fortunately, giving your home a bit of a facelift doesn't have to cost a million dollars, or take months and months to complete. We're a fan of simple, easy, inexpensive changes - like these:

1. Change That Wall

We love the hallway at the left - it's very pretty and calming with it's sky blue door and sweet little bench. But wouldn't it be even more fun to walk into a punch of bright paint, or even a single wall covered in fun wallpaper? We'd play off the blue door, covering the wall that's visible to the outside with Maven paper in Gray, Baby Blue, Light Spring Grass, and Sand Dollar:

The paper is fun and punchy and the colors strike a perfect balance between energetic and muted. We love it.

2. Sweep off the Table

Check out the tables around your house. The kitchen table, the living room coffee table, the dining room table - even your nightstand. What's on them? How long's it been there?

One quick way to change the look and feel of a room is to straighten up those tables (put away that stack of magazines!) and to swap out tired accessories for something new. Bud vases, coffee table books (bought on sale), shallow bowls, even new coasters - these all bring new life to a space.

2. Turn the Light On

Whether for the table, the floor, or the ceiling, new lamps and lampshades can add a whole new feel to a room. Take the kitchen at the left, for example. It's a pretty, clean kitchen with great natural light and a fantastic floor. We love the green accessories. But it feels just a little boring, right? A little underdecorated?

We'd swap out those simple globe pendants for something that's a little more fun and a lot more colorful, like Linoak on Seventh pendants in Spring Grass, Light Spring Grass, and White:

All of a sudden, spring doesn't feel so far away, does it?

4. Throw It Down

It's easy to forget about the floor. After all, we walk all over it. But adding a new area rug to a room is a fantastic way to change both the mood and organization of a space. Consider a new shape - round rugs are hot right now - and don't be afraid to add color.

5. De-clutter

Easier said than done, we know, but removing clutter should be on everybody's new year's list. There's nothing quite as refreshing as waking up to a house that's blissfully empty of mess. Take this room for example: Imagine how much nicer it would look with about 50% of those books donated to a favorite charity - a few fairly empty shelves would go a long way towards making this space more peaceful. We'd also switch out the plain white pillow for something a little brighter, like the Crosshatch pillow in Cantaloupe and Aurora Red: Fun, but not overwhelming.