Home is a sanctuary, a place to unwind after a long day or rest when you need to take time to recharge. Spending time in your home should bring you joy. If that’s not the case, it’s time to start asking yourself what you can do about it. Whether you’re no longer vibing with the decor you chose ten years ago or you’re just looking for a new project to immerse yourself in, here are some signs that it’s finally time to redecorate your space.
You’re Not Excited to Invite People Over
A key indicator that it’s time to give your space a makeover is that you’re no longer excited to host guests. Whether it’s because you feel self-conscious about past decisions you made regarding the design scheme or simply because the main entertaining spaces don’t seem to reflect who you are as a person, it’s time for a change. Start by asking yourself which rooms in the house you and your guests spend the most time in. Chances are, these spaces include the kitchen, living room and, potentially, the dining room as well. Focus on revamping the room decor in these locations first so you can start to enjoy the process of hosting get-togethers again.
Your Space Feels Uninspiring
If your home no longer inspires you, it’s time to make some changes. Inspiration from your home can look a little different for everyone. Maybe you’re a writer, artist or filmmaker, and you rely on the space you’re working in to stimulate your mind creatively. For others, feeling inspired by your space can simply mean that you look forward to getting up each day and living your best life in it.
When your home is no longer serving you in this way, take action, no matter how small. Maybe you’re ready to completely overhaul the space and give yourself the home office of your dreams or build a kitchen that motivates you to challenge your cooking skills. However, not everyone will have the budget available for such a drastic renovation. In reality, inspiration is often in the details. Finding ways to enhance your space with unique decor pieces that have meaning can be just as impactful as a full-blown makeover. Look for minor additions to your living room like a suncatcher for your bay window or a decorative pillow that adds personality to your couch.
You Want a Creative Project
Sometimes the best reason to start a redecorating project is just that you want to. Your home is one of the most significant investments you’ll ever make, so it’s essential to maintain it and keep it looking its best. Maybe you’re seeking a creative endeavor outside of your job, or you’re looking for a task to take on with your partner. Either way, dedicating time to redecorating a space in your home is a therapeutic and rewarding process.
You’ve Outgrown Your Current Decor
As you move through life, some events shape and change you. Sometimes outgrowing a space can mean you’re an adult who needs to redecorate your childhood bedroom. Other times, outgrowing your room looks like going through a bad breakup and needing a fresh start. Whatever your situation, when you feel like the aesthetic of your space no longer reflects how you feel inside, it’s time to redecorate. An easy way to start is to look at your wall art. These pieces say a lot about your mental state when you purchased or decided to hang them. If you no longer identify with the messages they convey, take them down and treat yourself to a few new wall art pieces that better reflect where you’re at in life right now.
You’re Trying to Declutter and Minimize Your Life
Sometimes your home becomes overrun by clutter, and you don’t catch it until it’s too late. Clutter is easy to accumulate if you’re not highly conscious of what you’re buying and how much you’re buying, and you fail to recycle or upcycle old items when new ones come into the house. If you’ve hit a point where the clutter in your home seems uncontrollable, it’s time to consider redecorating. This starts with purging all the items that are no longer supporting the vision you have for your home’s design. The concept of minimalism is a valuable tool to implement when decluttering your space and deciding how to restore it. A minimalistic approach to design requires you to be intentional about the objects you keep and bring into the house, preventing oversaturation of items you never use.
A Significant Other Is Moving In
If you’re taking the next big step in your relationship and having your significant other move into your apartment or house, it’s an excellent time to consider redecorating. While it might make more economic sense for the two of you to move into a space that one already owns or rents, sometimes the new inhabitant might feel like the place isn’t theirs because all your preexisting decorations are still up. To embark on building a home that reflects both your styles equally, redesigning the space when you move in together is a healthy project that will also strengthen your bond. You’ll have a chance you understand each other’s tastes and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished as a team when the decorating is complete.
You Feel Like Embracing the Current Season
Nothing sparks the desire to redecorate like a change of seasons, so take this as your sign to embrace that urge. Seasonal decor is some of the most fun to work with because it gives you a chance to revitalize your living space on a modest budget. Switching out throw pillows and blankets on the couch, adding seasonal candles to influence the scent of your home and putting up some wall art that incorporates colors of the season — deep warm hues for fall, cool tones for winter, pastels for spring and vibrant shades for summer — is all it takes to change up the vibe of your home. Many people do this in the winter for the holiday season, but there’s no reason you can’t make it a quarterly decorating tradition to change your decor with the weather.
Here’s Your Sign
If you were waiting for a sign that it’s time to redecorate your space, this is it. When you start to think about home decor constantly and find yourself visualizing different ways to switch up your design scheme, you’re ready to take the leap. Remember that redecorating doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking that requires a large budget. Sometimes simply switching out a few design elements is enough to create an updated look.