As the holiday madness subsides and your house guests make their way back to their home cities, you may look around you and think, “It’s about time for something new.” With 2014 right around the corner, your New Year’s resolutions may include stepping up your interior design or just changing things up.Luckily, there are many ways to freshen up your home and furniture without breaking the bank immediately after the gift-giving season. From simply rearranging your rental furniture to adding some little new elements, here are some tips from CORT on how to rejuvenate your home just in time for the New Year:
Simplify.
After a long year of collecting new knick-knacks here and there, you may start to notice a tad more disorder and clutter lying around the house. Start off by sorting through your miscellaneous must-haves and throwing out the things you can’t use anymore – yes, that includes the chipped coffee pot and the broken lamp. You can also use pieces of accent furniture such as an ottoman or storage chest to hold the necessities you need to keep out of sight. You’ll be surprised by how much more space you have once you clear the room of clutter!
Rearrange.
Moving furniture around is no easy or short-lived task, but once you start, you’ll find it’s much more fun than it sounds. Rearranging your furniture the right way can do a lot to change the look and feel of a room. When pushing things around, keep in mind that you want to increase the flow of air and energy in the room, making it easy for you to walk around and feel relaxed in the space when you just want to lounge. If you can, resist the urge to center your living room furniture around the television. Instead, hang an interesting work of art above the fireplace mantel or position the couches to where they facilitate more focus on the people in the room rather than technology. Also be sure to check that none of your furniture is placed directly up against any of your air vents, which is bad for both your vents and your furniture!
Introduce color and texture.
Adding bursts of color to a room is one of the easiest ways to dramatically change its look. You might consider painting the living room wall your favorite shade of teal or lavender, or even brighter colors, which usually look great in the bathroom. If painting the walls is too much of a commitment and you’re just looking to take things slowly, small pieces of accent furniture can be just the pop of color you need. Unique lamps or works of art are great ways to add a splash of color to any room. In order to add texture, though, consider adding an area rug to the room – one with contemporary graphics, nature-inspired textures, or even just a lush shaggy material. Color and texture both help to revive and add character to rooms that have become dull.
To see more inspiring furniture rental design using color and texture, check out the CORT Pinterest page. Then, share your own fresh take on New Year’s interior design with us on our Facebook or Twitter!
