Little Ways to Refresh your Home

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I love the empty look of the inside of my home after taking down the Christmas decorations. Don’t get me wrong, I love when the decorations are UP during Christmas time but come December 26th I’m ready to organize, declutter, and lighten up the house a bit.

I’ve been working on so many different decluttering projects around my house and it feels so good. So good!

Have you heard of the whole Marie Kondo concept of Tidying Up? She wrote a book and now has a series on Netflix too! I have neither read the book nor watched the series, though I know both are very popular right now! No matter what, I’m always in the mood to declutter and organize at the beginning of year, whether it’s “trendy” or not.

I’m focusing on taking things *out* of the house instead of buying new stuff to bring into the home to refresh it, but I wanted to share a few very simple ways to update your space without doing an expensive makeover by redecorating!

one. two. three. four. five (similar). six. seven (similar). eight. nine. ten. eleven. twelve. thirteen.

Adding greenery, faux or real, is the quickest way to breathe some new life into a room. Most of my greenery is faux, not only because I have cats but also because I can’t keep house plants alive. Well, I have kept my snake plant alive thus far, but everything else dies.

Faux greenery has come a long way and can look quite real in some cases! Adding a small plant to my mantle, side table, or the center of my coffee table is my favorite way to trick my mind into thinking it’s spring.

Justin and I are in desperate need of a new quilt or comforter on our bed. The cats have *ruined* the current quilt so it’s kind of pointless to invest in a new one only to know that it will likely get destroyed as well. But I did try out some Brooklinen sheets a few months ago and the simple act of updating my sheets makes my bed feel new. I’m not a throw pillow kind of person, so adding new pillows would end up being a bit of a burden, but refreshing the sheets was a strategic way to update the bed without wasting money.

In the kitchen, sorting through my kitchen towels is a 5 minute task that not only gives some space to that drawer, but also let’s me determine if any need to be replaced. I usually get my kitchen towels at Target or Home Goods!

I decluttered my jewelry collection and thought through strategic places to organize everything I have. The “dailies” hang on my jewelry tree that is placed on my nightstand, but the statement pieces are in a jewelry organizer like this one within my closet. If I’m wearing statement earrings, I’ve likely given my outfit that day a bit more thought, which is why I would spend more time in my closet. Grabbing the earrings while I’m picking out my clothes makes it quick and simple.

More than anything, though, cleaning up a room is the best way to refresh a space. I try to repeat the saying “a place for everything, and everything in it’s place” in my head while I’m cleaning up so I can determine whether or not I need to establish a place for things, or if things simply need to be put back where they belong.

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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says · 01.16.19

I love that you included so many plants! I’m trying to incorporate more green into my home this year. They make the place look so comfy! 🙂

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

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Amanda says · 01.16.19

I have embraced faux greenery recently, also cat related reasons! They look so real these days, it’s a great investment. The cats have also damaged our bedding, which is frustrating but at least I’ve learned they can’t scratch a shag pile rug!

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Carol says · 01.16.19

There us no link to the jewelry tree:(

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Kate says · 01.16.19

Yep, #10. Also here: https://rstyle.me/n/deq772m8f6

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Megan says · 01.16.19

What great ideas! I love the succulents at Dollar Tree.

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Annie says · 01.17.19

Lol. I doubt Kate ever steps in to a dollar store.

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Anglea says · 01.16.19

I love a regular refresh of things in the house. It’s easy to pile up way too many things that just end up all over the place. I need to definitely watch a few episodes of Tidying Up!

Angela at Blush & Pearls

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Kris says · 01.16.19

I am slowly adding life to my boyfriends house, which looks like a total bachelor pad.
I like simple clean lines and am looking for ideas for the bathroom. We have a garden tub with an unfortunate ice block window.
Any ideas?

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A Woman Of A Certain Age says · 01.16.19 Reply
Stephanie says · 01.16.19

Hi there! I know to check your profile or the blog to see if you have linked items but do you happen to remember where you got those fabric boxes from in the main photograph? Thanks!

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Fawn says · 01.16.19

I’ve seen boxes just like those at target!

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Hillary Knutzen says · 01.16.19

I love refreshing and tidying up too each season. Great idea on the adding greenery! So simple but really adds life to a room.

Hillary
http://www.pnwlifeandstyle.com

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Cathy says · 01.16.19

Out of curiosity, what did you do with your jewelry you decided not to keep? I never know what to do with pieces I don’t wear anymore.

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Kate says · 01.16.19

You can donate it!

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Jane Davidson | Typically Jane says · 01.16.19

I loved watching Tidying Up, and between that, and this post, I am ready to turn my home into a sanctuary of tidy organization.

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Kaitlyn says · 01.17.19

You mentioned cats. We recently got my daughter a cat for her birthday. I love that she has a pet to take care of but the cat has been getting into everything! I know this wasn’t the intention of your post but I wanted to see how you handled things. Do you have a litter mat for their litter boxes and does it help with the spreading of litter on the floor? Also, are your cats declawed? Our cat has been scratching the walls and couches!!!

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Julie says · 01.17.19

Hi Kaitlyn – I would suggest getting a number of cat scratching posts or pads – and a cat tree. Cats have a natural instinct to climb and scratch. It is good for their health, and helps them to shed old nail sheaths while allowing them a good opportunity for a big stretch. We have a litter mat for under the litter box as our cat seems to think she’s an archaeologist when she is in there! It doesn’t eliminate the mess completely but it does cut down on it. Enjoy the new furry family member. 🙂

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Kaitlyn Berry says · 01.17.19

I did buy something for her to scratch on and she wants nothing to do with it! She just wants to scratch the walls (and has already ruined some trim). I even tried sprinkling catnip on it!!! I will def try the litter mat though because we need one for her litter box.

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Holly says · 01.17.19

For decluttering, check out Clutterbug on YouTube. She is AWESOME and breaks down decluttering based on your organizational style. Highly recommend!!

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Eva Moore says · 01.18.19

Great ideas! My friend https://ello.co/aliciafreeman has already refresh her house. I hope soon I could do the same. God please give some free time!
Your blog is great!

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Megan says · 01.20.19

I 100% agree – it feels fabulous to declutter and refresh after the holidays! Love your suggestions, especially adding plants. Ifyou feel brave, try a pothos! I have several and they are super low maintenance and gorgeous!

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M says · 01.20.19

For fun and practical decluttering tips and strategies, I love Dana White from http://www.aslobcomesclean.com. Her book, “Decluttering At the Speed of Life” is hilarious and so helpful. Her podcast is great inspiration too! She says that if she held up every item in her house and asked whether it brings her joy, that she would end up keeping everything (which I totally relate to as a creative person!) — so I have found her mindset shift and 2 decluttering questions very helpful!

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ry says · 01.22.19

hi kate.
where’s your clock from please?
thanks!

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Handy Squad says · 01.24.19

It’s great to start the year by refreshing our homes and clearing up the clutter. We really loved your suggestions! Thanks for sharing.

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DoubleCleanUK says · 02.07.19

Thank You for giving fantastic tips to refresh home. If you want to clean your home, I have some idea about cleaning. We provide various cleaning services like carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, end of tenancy cleaning etc.

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Lindsay Clark says · 04.05.19

I love that that saying, “a place for everything, and everything in it’s place”. I have been trying to declutter as much as I can and have really tried to weed out all of the items in my home that don’t have a place. I decided to get my carpets and furniture professionally cleaned this go around so that I could really start with a clean slate. Just like you said about your sheets being something that made your bed feel new. Treating your home in some way adds so much motivation to cleaning and decluttering.

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Katie says · 04.19.20

So cute, but unfortunately lot of the products linked are no longer available 🙁

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Lara says · 05.04.20

Really amazing tips. I hope your ways help people to organize their homes for better. Also, what are your views on tapestries for home decor?

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