Everyone is gearing up to spend more time at home this winter than in years past and that makes it a great time to think about some easy DIY upgrades to make your house serve its likely dual purpose as a cozy retreat, and a pleasant place to work.
Rethink the home office
Maybe you’ve already been working from home for a few months and aren’t satisfied spending hours at the kitchen table anymore, or your office has taken over your living space or bedroom. You can get creative about the home office so that you can more easily separate work from relaxing. Whatever room you are using, don’t let a home workspace take over. A folding desk, or cabinet desk can fit nicely in a corner and can also be tucked away when not in use, or you can go for the closet office. Clear out your clutter and add a desk, cabinets, and shelves, and close the doors at the end of the work day. But don’t forget about adding all important lighting. If you don’t have abundant overhead lighting or natural light, a desk or floor lamp can be added to make sure the space is well-lit.
Make kitchen upgrades
This winter, your holiday plans for traveling and parties may be on hold and that might mean more time to enjoy cooking at home. Unless you’ve decided that now is the time to go for a full kitchen remodel, you can make some DIY upgrades to fulfill your chef aspirations. DIY kitchen upgrades include repainting cabinets, or adding fresh hardware to cabinets and your sink. Updating your dining table and chairs (or recovering the chairs that you have), can be another way to get that restaurant experience at home.
Spa luxury
The best way to take away the winter chill is with some home spa upgrades. Luxury doesn’t have to cost a fortune when you are giving your bathroom a DIY facelift. Pick a calm and neutral color palette, repainting walls and removing worn rugs, and towels. Then, upgrade faucets and towel holders. Lighting, including candles, and greenery can brighten up a room and create an inviting retreat. And don’t forget to update all of your linens.
Be practical: Weatherstrip door and window frames
A warm home is a cozy home and reducing air leakage is a cost-effective way to make it more energy-efficient, and well heated. Caulking and weatherstripping are two simple and effective air-sealing techniques, with caulk used for cracks and openings around door and window frames, and weatherstripping used to seal doors and windows that open. An inexpensive tube of caulking, and spending a weekend on this renovation project, could save you thousands of dollars on an expensive repair job for your home, while keeping everyone warm.
Add some greenery, inside
Just because it is gray outside doesn’t mean you can’t brighten up the inside of your home. Winter is an ideal time to bring green into your home with houseplants. An excellent candidate for winter plants are succulents or air plants which don’t require a lot of maintenance and can be placed around your home in creative ways, such as hanging or above cabinets.
It’s always a good idea to make your home a relaxing place to recharge, and maybe also an organized place to work. With a few upgrades this winter you can make it even more comfortable and enjoy being at home.
