6 Easy Design Resolutions That Can Bring You Joy
Try one of these pain-free changes to mark the start of the new year
Sometimes New Year’s resolutions that revolve around the home sound good on paper. But all that cabinet and closet organization, calling up repair people, filing papers and checking to see what sparks joy can be a real drag. This year I’m going for really easy stuff I know will spark instant joy. I promise these are all easy to accomplish and require no tools.
Resolution 1: I will have family dinners. Gathering for meals is one of the best ways to stay connected with the ones you love, and this goes for singletons too. If you don’t live with family, make it a point to get together with close friends at home (what Bridget Jones referred to as her “urban family"). I often host but I can’t cook, so I supply the wine and cheese, the kitchen my cook friends love to use and a cozy table, and they organize cooking the meal. Then I’m on cleanup duty.
Resolution 2: I will fall in love with a piece of original art. One of the most satisfying things to buy for your home is an original piece of art, whether you get it at a neighborhood festival, an art fair or on Etsy.
Look with fresh eyes at the kinds of art you usually don’t look at twice — mixed media, a photograph, a sculpture, pottery, something abstract, folk art — and see if it floats your boat. Don’t think about the colors in your living room or where it will go. If you fall in love with it, there will be a place. And it’s wonderful knowing it’s a one-of-a-kind piece that belongs to you.
9 Reasons to Buy a Painting
Look with fresh eyes at the kinds of art you usually don’t look at twice — mixed media, a photograph, a sculpture, pottery, something abstract, folk art — and see if it floats your boat. Don’t think about the colors in your living room or where it will go. If you fall in love with it, there will be a place. And it’s wonderful knowing it’s a one-of-a-kind piece that belongs to you.
9 Reasons to Buy a Painting
Resolution 3: I will treat myself to new pillowcases. This is a guilt-free purchase. No other object in this world touches your face 25 to 30 percent of the time. Find some super-luxe, high-thread-count cases in a scrumptious color or, if you prefer, crisp white and splurge on them. They’ll make your bed extra inviting.
Resolution 4: I will switch up my flower game. I buy tulips at Trader Joe’s every week and put them in an Aalto vase and they look fabulous. But this year I’ve vowed to switch it up with berries, wildflowers, forced branches, bamboo leaves, a bunch of eucalyptus. Whatever comes my way, I will try new things and put my other vases to good use.
Simple Pleasures: Treat Yourself to Cut Flowers
Simple Pleasures: Treat Yourself to Cut Flowers
Resolution 5: I will bust out the twinkle lights when it’s not a holiday. Little white lights are a great mood lifter no matter where you put them. Wrap a headboard, a mirror, that fiddle leaf fig, a mantel, whatever you like and enjoy their happy glow.
10 Ways to Enjoy the Magical Glow of String Lights
10 Ways to Enjoy the Magical Glow of String Lights
Resolution 6: I will try at least one idea from the inspiration photos I’ve saved. You’ve been compiling Houzz ideabooks, putting bookmarks in design books and ripping photos out of magazines for years. These aren’t just for some fantasy house or far-off date. Take one simple idea and implement it, whether it’s rearranging some shelves, putting together a proper bar cart, displaying your jewelry in a new way, corraling coffee table objects on a tray, setting up a different centerpiece and tablescape, trying a new color or having that tattered Oriental rug in the attic upholstered onto an ottoman. Who knows what accomplishing one small design task will lead to? You may wind up trying a new one every weekend.
Share: If you try something new inspired by an image you’ve saved, please snap a photo and tell us what you’ve done. We’d love to see what you’re up to around the house in 2017!
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Share: If you try something new inspired by an image you’ve saved, please snap a photo and tell us what you’ve done. We’d love to see what you’re up to around the house in 2017!
More
8 Life-Enhancing Home Resolutions for the New Year
Slow Down and Ease Up: A Sanity-Saving Approach to Life