Freshen Up Your Interior For Springtime: Restoration Ideas for Overlooked Areas

Does your house feel…blah? Has it moved from feeling nice and homey to feeling over-used? Did areas that need attention become front and center while you were entertaining guests for the holidays? We have several ways to spiff up your home for the Spring.

1: Rejuvenate Your Fireplace

Spring in New England is still on the chilly side, so cozy evenings in front of your fireplace are far from over. If you currently have a fireplace with dark brick, consider painting it a lighter color. You could also cover it with tile, natural stone, or stone veneer. To top it all off, you can replace the mantel shelf, or the entire mantel, to match the material you choose for the rest of your fireplace.

2: Freshen Up Your Bathroom

A beautiful bathroom always feels luxurious, but you don’t need to completely reinvent the room to get that same feeling. Consider painting your vanity cabinet or replacing the sink top, faucets and perhaps your toilet. A coat of paint on your walls can also liven up the room.

3: Update Your Kitchen

Your family and your guests spend a lot of time in this central room of your home. The most visible way to remodel your kitchen is to overhaul the cabinets. You could replace them entirely or have them painted in a new color or stain. Updating your countertop or sink can also change the entire look of your kitchen. If your floor is looking a little worse for wear, replacing it with vinyl that mimics tile, wood, or stone is an economic option.

4: Give Your Staircase a Facelift

Your staircase takes a lot of use and abuse over time, so undoubtedly it could use some love. If your stairs have a carpet runner, your first step should be to remove it and evaluate the condition of the wood underneath. Repair or replace any balusters that need attention, or paint or stain your stair railing.  Then, refinish the stairs themselves or replace the runner.

5: Make Use of Extra Space

Did your home feel cramped when overnight guests paid you a visit this holiday season?  If you have a room that is underutilized, consider repurposing it. Attics make great offices or bedrooms, and basements lend themselves to family rooms and playrooms.  It is a great way to get more use out of the space you have, adding on to your house without the hassle and expense of renovating!

6: Replace Your Interior Doors

If your doors are getting on in years, it may not feel like they don’t provide the privacy for which they are intended. Old or warped doors can stick when they close, and as such they never feel completely shut. And if time has worn away the door or the frame, the space created exposes the room to the rest of the house. Replacing any older doors and sprucing up worn door frames will restore the separation they are meant to create.

7: Modernize Your Lighting

All these changes are barely worth it if no one can see them! Installing a new lighting system is one of the simplest and most effective ways to change a room. In the kitchen, track lights can be installed under cabinets to light countertops. Some rooms might benefit from a hanging fixture where there was once incandescent light, but for the most part new fixtures and energy-efficient bulbs will do the trick.

This year, take the “blah” out of the overlooked areas of your home with these simple, budget-friendly solutions. Next holiday season, you’ll be delighted you did!