If there has been one unexpected consequence of COVID-19, it is in the relationship between ourselves and our homes. These days, those who do not know every square inch of their own four walls clearly haven’t had to work from home. For most of us, it was initially quite pleasant to spend both the workdays and the downtime at home and skipping the busy commute. Then the novelty started to wear a bit thin, as cabin fever started to emerge. Soon, all of the home’s little faults that you’d promised yourself you’d fix someday become immeasurably apparent.
However, it is a new year —so perhaps it’s also time for a fresh start! If you are the type of person who goes in for an annual spring clean, then why not take things a little further this year. Here are a few ways to overhaul your house, thus turning your home into a work of art.
First, a (working) blank canvas.
First things, first—it’s pointless doing anything if the home is not in a fit state beforehand. You can paper or paint over all of the cracks in the home but those cracks will still be there, and it will only be a matter of time before the decor crumbles away and betrays the true state of your walls. However, on the other hand, the average cost of home renovation is going up and up. By the time you’ve finished all of your repairs, there will be no money left for home improvement.
You can, however, use your various repair jobs in a more creative way and blend your home improvement project with your home’s renovation project. Purdy Design has quite a few ways to help you do this, from making new cabinets out of old garden furniture to upgrading your walls with much more interesting paintwork using stencils and design brushes. The best parts about their interior design ideas are that they don’t cost a fortune, they don’t take much time, and they are all easy DIY projects that any homeowner can pull off if they put their mind to it.
Working inwards from the outside.
Last year, the most popular home renovation projects were a mix of keeping the HVAC systems in good working order (as high humidity within the home is a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and virus transmissions) and establishing the home’s curb appeal. The latter is how good a home looks from the outside and is especially helpful if you are selling a property. By having a well-maintained exterior, you are projecting the sense to potential home buyers that the inside aesthetic is equally as high in quality.
Of course, you don’t have to be relocating in order to work on the exterior of your home. Getting the front and back yards ready now is a great way to enjoy your home in the summertime. Potentially, it’s cheaper too, as many retailers will be selling off last season’s stock at a lower rate. Here, modification is the key to success. You can get some patio furniture for cheaper and then give it a new paint job or a complete overhaul for an entirely new look. Alternatively, you should look into repurposing old indoor furniture for the outdoors like making new countertops out of old kitchen ones for summer BBQs, or strip the cushions from an old sofa and stick on some durable waterproof ones for porch seating.
Take it all, one room at a time.
Listen, the coronavirus is potentially going to be with us for a lot longer than we would really like. Plus, there’s probably going to be a few more restrictions put in place across the U.S. in an effort to curb its spread. In all likelihood, you may be spending a bit longer within the confines of your own home, so you might as well get some enjoyment out of turning that living space into a work of art. Feel free to take your time, finishing renovations on one room before moving on to the next.
Also, pick one particular space that you class as the heart of the home and work on that one first, remembering why you enjoy spending time in it more than the others as you renovate. For some, that is the togetherness that is provided by the living room while others prefer the privacy of the bathtub and its surroundings. For most Americans, it’s actually the master bedroom that is their favorite but would go about spending money on renovating the kitchen and bathroom first.
The “Y” in DIY (and where it may best be left out).
So if you feel like transforming your kitchen into a work of art first, then go right ahead. Just remember to take your time and focus only on that room first. Kitchen renovations do also tend to be the most intricate, as they have a lot of working parts that shouldn’t really be messed with sans expert advice. Much as it would be great to say that you did everything yourself, there are some “DIY projects” that shouldn’t really be attempted by anyone other than pros. The aesthetics are still entirely up to you, of course, so feel free to design away!
Final point: don’t forget to stick to the CDC guidelines for having contractors perform work in the home if you do end up calling in some outside help. We all have to do our part or else the cabin fever will end up becoming permanent.
