3 Rooms To Refresh in Your Home as the Pandemic Ends
If you’ve been social distancing for the majority of the past year and are now slowly adjusting to the new normal, you’ve likely spent a lot of time staring at the walls of your residence. As the events of the past year and a half slowly phase out, choosing to spruce up your décor and alter the look of your home may change your mindset as well. Below are recommendations from NextHome Rocky Mountain Realty & Rentals on the three rooms that may need a refresh as we move out of the pandemic.
- Your Home Office
According to Pew Research Center, 71% of employed Americans worked remotely during the pandemic. If you fall into this category, you may have begun working with a laptop on the kitchen table at the beginning of the pandemic and slowly transitioned into the spare bedroom, claimed the corner of your kids’ playroom, or even cleared out an unused closet to make room for a tiny workstation. Regardless of the size of your home office, it could probably use a change in lighting and decoration if you plan to keep working remotely.
If you haven’t already installed full-spectrum lighting that mimics the color temperature of sunlight, now is the time to do so—or better yet, move your desk so that you work near a window. Research shows that being exposed to natural light can help people focus and stay awake during the daylight hours. Invest in ergonomic upgrades such as a high-quality chair with back support, a good desk, and a headset for virtual meetings.
- Your Living Room
We’ve replaced going to the movies with renting new releases on streaming services, and many of us have grown to enjoy staying in, ordering in, and spending a good deal of time in our living rooms. Perhaps you moved into a new house during the pandemic to make room for your family’s new work-from-home, attend-school-from-home life, or maybe you just started looking for a new residence. Consider updating the main living space to reflect your current tastes.
You may want to wallpaper the entire room, but you don’t have the budget to hire a professional. Choosing peel-and-stick wallpaper that you can apply by yourself may be the solution. It’s affordable, simple to apply, and it features adhesive backing that can be easily removed so that you don’t have to worry about making costly mistakes. Measure the dimensions of your room ahead of time and order your paper to be printed on-demand to ensure that you have exactly the right amount.
- Your Kitchen
The pandemic has led to an uptick in cooking at home due to social distancing. If you spend more time in your kitchen making food for your family than you did before, think about giving it a much-needed upgrade. You don’t have to splurge on granite countertops and tile floors to make a lasting change. Consider painting your cabinets an on-trend color or using backsplash tiles (or even adhesives!) for a fun, affordable change.
As we move into a year filled with hope for the future, it can be fun and spiritually rewarding to decorate your home to reflect the change. Consider attractive and budget-friendly options that reflect your personal taste to create a space that you and your family can enjoy every day.