How you can give your home a facelift for 2022

It may seem hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of 2021, but this long and difficult year is nearly at an end. There are plenty of reasons to feel more cheerful about the new year ahead, and something that a lot of us try to do every January is to look for ways to bring new life to old spaces. And let’s face it, it feels more important this year than most. For the last two years, most of us have spent a lot more time getting a lot better acquainted with the insides of our homes than we would normally like. Granted, we all rushed outside to enjoy the restrictions being lifted over the summer, but now the darker days, colder weather and longer nights are here, and everyone is retreating back inside with a hot drink and their TV remote.

Which is all the more reason why we should be making more of an effort to breathe new life into our homes. Whether you have been living in the same place for years or you have recently moved in, it is important to keep looking for ways that you can put your own stamp on your property. It can be big, it can be small, but it has to be you. Here are just a few of the ways that you can give your home a facelift for the new year.

Clear the clutter

This is the time of year when things can really start to stack up, both metaphorically and literally. As we spend more and more time inside, it can be easier to start to nest and before you know it those stacks and piles can start to appear. There is nothing wrong with a stack or two, to be clear, but at a certain point it does start to become a problem. There is also the added risk factor of the holiday season.

Anyone with children will be all too familiar with the way that clutter can form at this time of year, and adults are just as guilty of it. We are all counting down the days until Christmas right now, but once the 25th passes and we enter that stretch before the New Year, magazines, books, clothes, and many other things end up littered around the place. If you want to start with a fresh look, you want to give yourself a clean slate to work with. To cut a long story short, spring cleaning does not need to wait until spring. Get tidying now for the best shot a clean facelift.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with rooms

Over the course of the last two years, most people will be more than familiar with the feeling of there not being as much room as there used to be in their homes. We were all working from home, many people moved back home or in with friends or relatives, and as we negotiated home offices and places where we could have some time for ourselves, the race for space became a real issue.

As we head into the new year, this is the perfect time to play around with the space that you do have. For example, maybe it is time that your spare room/box room/home office took on a single purpose. Have you always wanted to have a home cinema room, or a home gym? Think about whether you have a space that you could convert without sacrificing anything.

Think about what your windows and curtains are doing for you

If you want to give your home a facelift, then one of the best places to start is with the place where you spend a lot of time looking out of: your windows. For a lot of people, windows, curtains, and blinds often end up at the bottom of their to-do list because they seem like a lot of work. But the fact is that the impact of changing these areas up to be more like what you actually wanted can have a tremendous impact, and it does not need to be a huge project.

If you do want to embark on something a little more extensive then there are always options for your windows, whether that is putting in a bay window for example, but why not start with your curtains and blinds? Think about how vertical blinds replacements could change the look and feel of a space. These patterned vertical blinds from Lifestyle Blinds come in an amazing selection of captivating colours and patterns, and they are all made in the UK.

It's time to think about appliances

Speaking of projects that many of us do not undertake because it seems like too much work: the new year is the perfect time to finally get around to replacing some of those big home appliances. We have all lived somewhere where we simply cannot get the oven to do what we want it to, where the fridge is far too small for the number of people using it, or the washing machine has started to show signs of aging that go beyond wear and tear.

Replacing these major appliances does come with a price tag but it is worth noting that newer models should have a better energy efficiency rating so you could be looking at lower energy bills in the future. With the news about energy costs rising, this is a major point in the plus column. And why not think about looking for a model that suits the feel that you are trying to convey?

Get out in the garden

If you have been lucky enough to live somewhere with a garden in the last couple of years, you will know just how huge a difference it can make to your outlook. As we head into the new year, it may not seem like a time when there is much that can be done with your greenery. However, this is a great time to start planning for what you would like to see in your garden in the brighter months ahead. Take a step back and look at the space you have. Are you really doing all that you can? If you love entertaining and having friends and family over, why not think about putting in some decking to make the most of those long summer evenings to come?

Think about how some additional lighting could help you enjoy the darker days too, and a fire pit is always a great choice if you want to spend more time outside. And what about wildlife? You do not need to think as big as putting a koi carp pond in (although why not, if you have got the space!) but something as simple as putting a bird bath in can help to attract wildlife to brighten your day. If you are keen to bring some feathered friends to your property this winter, you could also think about adding bushes and other plants with berries and which offer plenty of leaf cover. Hanging bird feeders up can help to bring birds to your garden during the cold winter months too. Just make sure that you know where your cat is!