Last week I joined Emily Keating Snyder, a fine artist who creates colorful textile pieces, on Instagram Live to discuss some simple and creative ways to refresh your space while embracing #quarantinelife at home. Our replay, unfortunately, isn’t working, so I wanted to provide a little recap with some of the ideas we spoke about.
If you are fortunate enough to have some downtime at home, it’s a great time to tackle home projects or make small changes to refresh your space. That doesn’t mean you need to run out to Home Depot or Target (please don’t unless it’s essential!), but there are many things you can do at home using what you already have or by ordering online. Having a list of projects or ideas of things to do at home has given me something to look forward to on the weekends, and I hope this list sparks some ideas for you too!
Paint
This is the easiest way to make a big impact in your home. If you want to tackle a whole room, try online services like Clare, where you can order a whole paint kit with everything you need to get started.
If a room feels too daunting, start small with a bookshelf or other furniture piece that could use some love. I’m also a big fan of spray painting to give things a new look. These shelves pictured above in our last apartment were actually from Ikea! A black matte spray paint gave them a new look.
My husband and I have been slowly painting our bedroom with Portola Paints Roman Clay over the last few weekends and it’s been a great weekend project. You apply the paint with a joint knife to create a plaster-like texture, and I find the process to be sort of meditative. It’s also a great way to get away from my phone and other screens for an extended period of time.
DIY projects
There are endless sources of inspiration for DIY projects you can tackle at home. If you’re looking for ideas, start on Pinterest, or interior blogs like Style by Emily Henderson.
I recently finished making these DIY pinboards via EyeSwoon, and I’m obsessed! I wanted something to hold pieces of inspiration and swatches, and I love how textured these look while still being subtle on the wall. The key to this was painting the boards the same color as the wall so they recede a bit. This really changed the wall and it cost under $50 total to do!
Style your home
Styling can take many forms, from arranging flowers to rearranging a bookshelf. When creating vignettes, look for opportunities to create balance and harmony. For example, the shelves above feel balanced because the objects share similar heights and visual weight space.
If you’re styling shelving or a tabletop surface, you can layer artwork, books and objects to create small groupings too. Last weekend I styled the open shelving in our kitchen and it felt SO much better afterwards. I started by clearing off the shelves and taking inventory of the objects I had to work with. Then I placed the largest items first and filled in from there. When in doubt, leave things there for a day or so and come back to it with fresh eyes.
Hanging up art can also make a huge impact! If you’re looking for new pieces, this is the perfect time to support small businesses and independent artists like Emily Keating Snyder. If you want to plan out the placement of art on a gallery wall or determine the frame size, start off by using blue painters tape to mark off the size of the frame or collection of frames. This is a great way to visualize the arrangement and achieve a nice balance before making marks in the walls.
Organize
Organizing areas in your home can do wonders, especially in high-use spaces like the kitchen or bedroom closet. If you’re looking for inspiration, start with the Neat Method’s instagram page.
While I was styling my kitchen shelves, I pulled out some of my Weck jars of dried goods I use the most and displayed them with other objects. I also ordered some paint pens so I’ll be able to easily label items. A win-win for pantry organization and kitchen styling!
Add greenery
If there’s a farmer’s market you can go to safely, you should hopefully be able to find a great selection of affordable flowers. Try arranging them or simply throw them in a vase. You can also go foraging. Bring your clippers on your next walk and snip some branches to bring home. There’s never been a better time to bring some life into your home!
Plants are also a great option, and re-potting can be a nice weekend project. Our local nursery is doing drive-through pickup. I’d suggest checking out what safe options your local spots might offer. If you can’t support local (safely), you can order plants from online stores like The Sill, Fast Growing Trees, or even Amazon.
Touch it up
Have scuffs or scratches on your walls at home? I have two words: Magic Eraser. Our apartment has bright, white walls, and there’s nothing more satisfying than making them sparkly clean again. If you have been putting off patching holes or touching up other areas that need some TLC in your home, now is the time!
Another great cleaning tool I swear by is Bar Keeper’s Friend. I use it on all of my stainless steel surfaces in the kitchen and it makes them truly look like new. Though these are small efforts, I find doing a good scrub down around the house makes SUCH an impact.
Plan for the future
We’re all spending more time than normal in our homes these days, and you might find yourself re-evaluating your furniture arrangement, paint colors, or decor now that you’re staring at your space 24/7. With many businesses temporarily closed right now, you can use this time to plan out the changes you’d like to see in your home, so that when things open back up you can look forward to a refreshed space.
I’d love to partner with you to reimagine your space via my firm’s remote design services. You’ll simply provide the measurements and photos, and we’ll work together to create a design plan tailored to your needs. Additionally, I’m also offering remote design consultations via video chat on an hourly basis to help you make the most of your space right now. You can email hello@chloeheath1stg.wpengine.comdev.wpengine.com or fill out our contact form to learn more about packages and rates.
Stay safe and well xx
– CH