There’s something about turning the calendar to a fresh new page (and a new year) that evokes feelings of refresh, renewal and recharge – especially after the year we’ve all just experienced. While there was still plenty of beauty to celebrate in 2020, we’re looking forward to a much better 2021 and we’re setting goals to make it happen in our lives and in our homes. Whether you want to call them goals or New Year’s resolutions, we’ve rounded up 10 ideas to help make your home the best it can be this year.
Get Organized
Tackling the mess of everyday life is a common New Year’s resolution, but it’s often an easy one to forget by February. The secret to making it stick? Start the year off by setting up your home with thoughtful storage solutions and an organizational system. By decluttering a la Marie Kondo, you’ll have less things to deal with, and what’s left will be easier to keep organized if you invest in some dedicated storage solutions (here are a few of our favourites).
Related: How to Organize Your Bathroom Like a Designer – No Matter How Small it Is!
Go for a Cleaner, Greener Year
Once your home is organized, you’ll want to keep it clean, too, so resolve to create a cleaning schedule (and stick to it). This year, you may also consider resolving to use more natural, green cleaning products – you can even make your own.
Related: How to Make Every Room in Your Home Look Clean and Organized in Under 10 Minutes
Add in More Art
When you’re spending a lot of time at home, it’s easy to lose a little inspiration when you’re looking at blank walls. Whether you pick up a painting from a local artist or create a gallery wall of your kids’ masterpieces, art is a great way to add character and personality to your space this year. Not sure where to start? Here are some tips for how to pick art for any room in your home.
Related: Awesome Living Room Wall Art That Makes a Statement: Beyond Paintings and Photos
Become a Plant Parent
Does it seem like everyone you know has gotten into plants over the past year? Having indoor plants can help boost your mood, and they make your home look fresh and full of life. If you’re new to the plant-parent life, start with one or two of these easy-to-care-for indoor plants.
Related: Over 2020? Here Are the 15 Luckiest Plants for Your Home
Make Your Bedroom a Dreamy Space
Your bedroom should be a Zen oasis for relaxation in your home, but our sleeping spaces are too often overrun with clutter or not set up to promote rest – or, worse, your bedroom could actually be encouraging anxiety. Make this the year of rest by giving your bedroom a deep clean and declutter, and then layering in comfy textures and bedding (here are a few cozy ideas to start).
Related: 10 Surprising Reasons You’re Not Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Colour Your World
White walls can be calming and clean, but if you’ve defaulted to a colour-less home because you haven’t got around to painting, make it your goal to bring in a splash of colour for the New Year. If you can’t decide on a colour palette, these shades go surprisingly well together. Or, you can always be totally on trend with one of Pantone’s 2021 colours of the year: a bright, radiant yellow.
Waste Not
If you’re working towards a more sustainable lifestyle this year, your home is a great place to turn your attention: from plastics to food scraps, our homes can be a big source of waste. Where to start? Small steps add up. Try a few of these strategies to reduce food waste, swap your paper towels for one of these alternatives and start upcycling plastics in your home.
Related: How Can We Live More Sustainably? The Green Jar’s Tannis and Mara Bundi Break It Down
Do it Yourself
From painting your own walls to building your own entryway organizer, doing things for your home yourself can save you money – and it’s seriously satisfying. Create a list of 12 DIY projects that are within your skillset to complete and tackle one a month for the year. Taking on DIY projects is also a fun, different way to spend quality time with kids or family members – a resolution win-win!
Related: Decorating With Kids: 15 Ways to Make it a Family Affair
Kick Up Your Kitchen
If you’ve resolved to eat better this year, it’s not all about the food (though, of course, a few healthy recipes won’t hurt). Setting up your kitchen to be clean, tidy and well-organized can help encourage those healthy habits. Here are 10 kitchen organizing tips to get you started.
Set Up a Productive #WFH Space
Another lesson learned in 2020 is that home is more than where the heart is – it can also be a space to create, work and get down to business. With that said, if you’ve been working from a makeshift office area, resolve to create a dedicated productive space (no matter what room it’s in) that’s comfortable and set up for success.
Related: How to Take Your Home Office to The Next Level, According to an HGTV Designer
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