Happy New Year Everyone!! In celebration of the new year (and my short hiatus from blogging), I wanted to put together a post of all of the little things we have done to our home this year to freshen it up and make it look new again. This house was very lived in when we bought it, but we have found that a little bit of paint, stain and organization totally refreshed it. Here are 5 tips to refresh your home for next to nothing! There’s nothing like refreshing your home for the New Year!
#1: Spray Paint old Metal Vent Covers
We replaced some on the metal vent covers throughout out house because they were rusted or dented, but we were able to salvage some of the others. Originally, we just cleaned the covers and put them back on the wall, but I decided to go one step further and spray paint them to really make them look new again.
I unscrewed the vent covers from the wall and wiped them down with a damp cloth.
Once the vent was dried, I spray painted the grate using white semi-gloss spray paint. I did two coats of paint, waiting for the first coat to fully dry before spraying the second coat.
Once the paint is dry, just re-attach and move on!!
#2: Paint Stair Risers
Most of this house was painted in eggshell yellow and brown, including the the stair risers. My mom kindly offered to repaint the risers in semi-gloss white and it made a huge difference. Our stairway looks brand new now for only the cost of a can of paint!
#3: Organize Your Living Space
We always seem to have an accumulation of coasters, computers and magazines under our coffee table. I usually stack and dust everything, but it just never stayed organized.
I found these great woven baskets at Target for $10 each and put all of our electronics in one and all magazines in the other. This immediately made our family room look more organized!!
#4: Paint Old Furniture
I have painted many old pieces of furniture in my house to update the look. This old furniture set was no exception. These drawers were originally varnished oak. I stripped down the varnish, primed and painted the drawers in a high-gloss white.
This was an easy way to update this furniture without having to spend a ton of money on updating a guest room (Eric hates spending money on rooms that “we only use twice a year”). Also, I haven’t yet, but I plan to buy some hardware for the drawers to give them an even better look!
#5: Replace Old Fixtures
Similar to replacing light fixtures and faucets, another way to easily update your home is to replace other fixtures that you might not think of, like your floor vents. The house came with these lovely gold metal floor vents. I considered spraying them, but I decided that instead of making them stand out, I wanted to make them blend in.
I bought unfinished wood vents from Home Depot (find them here) and stained them to match the wood floor.
Now, the floor vent blends into the floor and it is barely noticeable!
I hope you enjoyed my 5 Tips to Refresh Your Home!! Come back again soon!
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