When we hear the term “redecorating”, we often think of running to the nearest furniture, supermarket or craft store to buy all new pieces. While this is one of the most common ways to give our homes a new life, redecorating doesn’t have to be a stressful or expensive process. It can be as simple as rearranging what you already have.
Swap things out
Just because your sofa has been in your living room for years doesn’t mean it always has to be there. Take stock of what items you can steal from other rooms that will give you a better space than what you had before. Pull something out of the China cabinet to put on display, separate a finished-edge sectional couch into multiple rooms or turn an unused eating space into a seating area for hosting. “Shopping” at your home can help you make better use of what you already own and breathe new life into your space without breaking the bank.
Create more space
When you first laid out your home, you probably had a vision of where things should be and that is where those items went. But was it the best layout to maximize the space or as functional as it could be? If you live in a small apartment or are dealing with a small room, moving your sofa or loveseat from the middle of the room to against the wall can really open up the space. You never know when creating more space in one room will help you get more function out of another room. You might not know what will work until you give it a try, but be sure to take traffic flow patterns into consideration before moving anything around. You don’t want to block the natural flow of the room, which will only result in increased frustrations and a need to rework the space again.
Add structure
Did the large master suite or studio apartment look great before you moved in, but now feels like one big space doing multiple jobs? Use your standing mirror to divide your vanity from the rest of the room to create a beauty-prep space, use a sofa or area rug to create a visual divide in a large space or use a small hallway table and chairs to create a dining area. Moving pieces around the room can help stop the space from feeling huge and overwhelming and create functional spaces for some of your daily activities.
Change with the seasons
Sometimes you just feel like a change, others it's out of necessity. A layout that works in the fall and winter, may not be so friendly come spring and summer. A sofa or chair pointed toward an east-facing window or glass door can leave you feeling blind during the spring and summer sunsets. Rather than buying a new house or hanging expensive room darkening blinds, try adjusting the layout of the room to make the best use of the natural seasonal lighting. Move a small breakfast table closer to the window to catch the natural light or move your TV stand to a new location to avoid glare during peak-TV watching times.
Lengthen the life of your floors
Placing furniture in the same spot for years on end can leave your carpet or flooring with damage. Large, heavy pieces of furniture can leave dents or imprints on the floors and walking around these pieces can cause wear and tear to your flooring too. Have you ever moved a piece of furniture and thought “so that’s what color it used to be!” Moving your furniture around gives you a chance to complete a deep clean and reduce fading on your flooring and furniture.
Spread the energy
Phones, TVs, tablets, clocks, computers - there’s no shortage of devices requiring outlets. Rather than create a safety hazard with surge protectors plugged into surge protectors, arrange the furniture so you can reach more outlets or consider whether all of those devices need to be located where they are. You might have a few critical items that have to be plugged in near each other, but there are probably more than a few items you could relocate to a different space in the room or even somewhere else in the house.
Keep things clean
Rearranging your furniture doesn’t only allow you to discover what the floor used to look like, it also gives you a chance to do a deep clean. Over time, dust and dirt collect behind and under your furniture. Even if you put it all back in the same space, moving your furniture a few times throughout the year gives you an opportunity to vacuum and wash the floors, reducing allergens in your home. Whether you’re itching to make a change or adjusting for the seasons or cleaning, rearranging your furniture and decor can make your home feel like an entirely brand new space. Your options are limited only to what you can easily move and what can reasonably fit in each room, so grab your tape measures and sketchbooks and get to planning your rejuvenated home.
