Supported by Tempur
If you ask me, one of the best ways to start the new year on the right foot is by refreshing pockets of your home. Creating stylish nooks that support your interests, decluttering zones of the home that have been causing you stress, or treating yourself to a few new items of home decor are some of the ways you can welcome in the new year and make your home feel inspiring again.
From quick and free updates to mini weekend renovation projects, these are 23 of my favourite ways to freshen up your home in 2023! It’s time to let go of the old, set new goals and welcome new opportunities… in life and around the home.
Related article: Top 10 ways to create a sophisticated master bedroom
Related article: Five mantras to get you in the mood to declutter
1. Create a vignette you love
How’s the top of your sideboard, dresser or bedside table looking? If you do an eye roll every time you look at one of those spaces, why not turn it into a vignette you love?!
It’s super simple to create a vignette (aka a styled arrangement) and I share my top vignette tips in this article.
Some easy things to remember:
- use a base of some kind to anchor the arrangement (in the pic below I used a stack of books or you could use a trivet or tray)
- mix up the height and scale of the objects on top, such as the taller and wider glass cloche and the smaller crystal
- play with materials, I’ve used glass, metal, crystal and books
- use an odd number of objects, clusters of 3, 5 or 7 look best
- introduce a pop of life, such as the devil’s ivy plant 😉
2. Rearrange furniture
After the festive season, our wallets can feel a little stretched but freshening up your home doesn’t have to cost money.
Simply rearranging furniture — or shopping your home as we like to call it — can have major impact. Consider switching side tables or occasional chairs between rooms, or trying a different furniture layout within the one room. At the very least, we suggest pulling furniture away from walls to give breathing space to a room.
3. Introduce a new colour palette
Colour affects our emotions and moods and we delve into colour theory in this article. Introducing a new colour palette to a room makes a dramatic difference to the way we feel in the space — and you don’t have to go overboard!
Simply using 3-5 pops of your colour palette across a room is enough. An easy way to introduce colour is to select two colours and one neutral, and then use a ratio of 60:30:10 where 60% of the space is one of those colours, 30% is another colour and 10% is your accent colour. This is an effortless and fool-proof way to introduce a colour palette that feels harmonious.
Of course, if you feel bold, you could go BIG and paint some accent walls. We share all our tips on how to paint like a pro in this article.
4. Out with the old
You know how in the intro we said the start of the new year is a time to let go of the old? Well around the home that means decluttering in a big way!
If you don’t love it or haven’t used it in the past 12 months, it’s a sign you may just be able to let it go.
Decluttering can actually be a good opportunity to sell items you no longer want or need to make money to buy that piece you’ve always wanted. Check out these top decluttering tips to help you get started.
5. Replace your mattress
They say we spend a third of our lives in bed so we better make it a comfortable one! If you notice your mattress doesn’t support your body, is lumpy or just uncomfortable, it’s time to upgrade. A new mattress can make a world of difference to our health — particularly if you suffer from insomnia or pain.
You may have read Gina’s product review of a Tempur Sensation Elite mattress with Cooltouch. She did a lot of research when it was time to upgrade their mattress and ultimately decided to make the investment into a Tempur. Not just a brand name, Tempur is a unique material that was first developed by NASA to support astronauts during lift-off. It offers the ultimate comfort and support, and she’s joined the thousands of others who give it a 5/5 star rating. Discover the Tempur range of mattresses here.
6. Give your bathroom a quick style
The first room we go to in the morning and often the last room we’re in before we go to bed at night is our bathroom. Yet, this is one room that often gets overlooked in the styling stakes.
Treating yourself to some beautiful bath products, fresh towels and an indoor plant is all it takes to create a more inviting space.
Find loads of bathroom styling inspiration and our top tips in this article.
7. Restore an old piece of furniture
Impress yourself with an upcycle project! If you’ve got a drab piece of furniture that’s still got good bones, you could get crafty and give it a new look.
From reupholstering to repainting, there are thousands of DIY tutorials you can check out online for inspiration. This dresser upcycle is one idea of what can be done.
8. Introduce more greenery
Indoor plants are always a good idea! From ferns to succulents, cactus to palms, there is an endless choice of plants you could choose but here are our top 20 hard to kill indoor plants.
9. Hang some new wall art
As Julia Green says “Art doesn’t always have to be behind glass” so when looking for new wall art, consider sculptural pieces or wall hangings as well.
There’s a huge range of affordable wall prints on the market today and if you really want to treat yourself, you could also commission an original artwork from a fave artist.
10. Light up your space
Like colour, lighting plays a big part in affecting how we feel in our home. If all the lighting in your home is from the ceiling, you may want to look at investing in some floor lamps or table lamps to introduce softer and more ambient lighting. Check out this post for all you need to know about creating a winning lighting plan.
11. Redress your bed
Fall in love with your bedroom again by giving your bed a hot new look. Select a quilt cover that ties into your new colour palette or fits with the new direction you want to take your interiors in 2023 and find a few cushions to complement the look. Finish with a throw.
If you love the earthy tones of Gina’s bed styling below, you can shop all the bedding online at the Sheet Society.
12. Refresh your window treatments
Window treatments looking more drab than fab? Make it a goal to replace them in 2023!
Not only can new window coverings transform the look of your interiors, they can also offer significant thermal benefits. This helps your home to be more comfortable year-round, reducing the need for heating and air-conditioning — saving you on costly energy bills! Find out more about the best window coverings to insulate your home.
13. Invest in a rug
You often hear us harp on about rugs and recently we posted a detailed guide on how to select the right rug.
“It will give your room more warmth and create the sense of a zone. Having defined spaces will make you feel like the layout of your home works better,” says Amy from The Real Estate Stylist.
14. Start using candles or a diffuser
Most of us have candles in our home as a decor piece but how often do you burn them? Life is short, burn the candles! Scent works on a subconscious level and creates ambience in our home in a way few other things can.
If candles aren’t your thing, perhaps picking up a diffuser or diffusing essential oils is an idea to try. Check out our guide to essential oils here. We also love burning incense and incense holders can be a beautiful decor piece!
15. Display photos
Personalise your interiors by putting your happiest memories on display. Too often in this digital age, we take photos but don’t make the time to print and frame them. Check out our 5 stylish ways to display photos around your home.
16. Replace your cushions
When it comes to instant, low-cost updates in the home, there’s nothing better than simply replacing your cushions! Get a luxe look for less by switching foam inserts with feature cushions.
Temple & Webster and Urban Road are just some of our fave stores (and yes, we’re aware we have a cushion addiction!).
17. Set up a new space to support your goal
What goals have you set yourself this year? Whether it’s to kick butt in business or take more time to relax and unwind, look at where you can create a dedicated space in your home to support this goal.
A little cosy nook or stylish office can be the reminder we need to keep working at those goals.
18. Keep on top of your house cleaning
Few people find house cleaning fun but we all know it’s the secret to keeping our homes feeling fresh, inviting and stylish.
We created a free cleaning checklist that breaks down all your daily, weekly and monthly cleaning tasks so you can keep your home in ‘clean enough’ state for longer (oh, and you’ll also find some of our favourite cleaning hacks in there too!).
19. Switch cupboard handles
Perhaps you’d like to makeover your laundry, kitchen or bathroom buuuuut it’s just so expensive that you need to save for a bit longer?
Rapid Renovation Expert, Naomi Findlay, swears by the impact of new handles. She included this suggestion in ways to update your kitchen for less and 5 best cosmetic bathroom upgrades. You can find our round up of the best places to shop for new handles here.
20. Style up your entry
Your entry is the first impression of your home. It can be beautiful and welcoming… or a neglected zone. So if your entry resembles a dumping ground or just has you feeling uninspired, why not give it a quick refresh?!
Creating a stylish entry is simple and a few tips are to:
- have a tray or bowl of some kind to store keys and smaller items (often called a ‘catch all’ tray)
- consider using a mirror or artwork to take advantage of wall space
- incorporate greenery of some kind, flowers or foraged stems (as I used in the video below) look fab. Or an indoor plant is another great option.
Or if you want to go one better, why not create a dedicated drop zone or mudroom in your entry?! We’ve got all the inspo and design advice on how to create a mudroom or drop zone here.
21. Give your garden some TLC
One of the best quick ways to freshen up your home is actually outside. Because if we’re being honest, technically your garden creates the first impression of your home. So if it’s looking unruly or just a bit neglected, why not pop on the gardening gloves and get stuck in. Defining gardening beds, topping up mulch and filling in sparse areas are a few easy ways to create big impact. We share everything to do in the garden by season in our gardening guides here.
If you don’t have a garden, perhaps starting a herb garden on your balcony or creating a more inviting front entrance could be ideas to try.
22. Refresh your bookshelf or sideboard styling
When was the last time you switched up your bookshelf or sideboard styling? It’s easy to let pockets of the home become stale… especially when they were such a struggle to style in the first place! But if it’s been a year or more since you pulled everything out of your bookshelf or on a surface area like your sideboard, take this opportunity to switch things up.
We’re all about creating a sense of life and energy in the home and one way to do this is simply rearranging what you already have. Unlike some tips in this round up, this home refresh idea doesn’t cost a cent! Move objects between rooms or take a second look at what you have stashed away in cupboards — you might be pleasantly surprised to find some decor you’d forgotten about!
23. Buy fresh flowers and open up the windows
Finally, give your home the quickest freshen up of all by treating yourself to a beautiful bunch of flowers and opening up the windows.
A fresh breeze, sunshine and the sweet scent of flowers will be sure to boost your spirits. And make your freshly cut flowers last longer by following these tips.
Will you use any of our quick ways to freshen up your home? Or do you have additional ideas to refresh the home? We’d love you to share them in the comments below!
More styling ideas
This article was first published in January 2017 and continues to be updated with latest styling tips and images.
I think displaying more photos around the home will be the thing I need to do this year 🙂
Good one! Love how much photos personalise a home!