Every year when the Christmas decor comes down I feel like my decor has lost its luster.  My living room feel bare, my decor feels stale and everything that I loved before Christmas feels like it needs fresh, new energy.  I know I’m not alone in this feeling and that many of you are looking at your decor right now and wondering how you can inject some life and energy into it.

Over the years I’ve learned and employed some simple and inexpensive decorating tricks the refresh my decor for the new year.

♦♦♦

Every now and then you need to change things up in your decor to give it a new feeling.  The start of a new year is the perfect time to try a new furniture arrangement, move pieces from one room to another or re-arrange your accessories.  Move lamps around a room or even consider layer a smaller rug over the top of a larger one.  Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.

Many time when I’m feeling a sense of uneasiness with my decor it has to do with clutter and disorganization.  Dedicate the month of January to cleaning, organizing and purging every room in your home.  Donate the things that you no longer use, organized the spaces (drawers, closets and tabletop surfaces) that use most offend and give your entire home a deep cleaning.  Clutter in you physical surroundings will clutter your mind and spirit.

Color is an immediate mood booster so try adding in a new accent color into your decor to refresh the palette.  Switching out pillows is easy and cost-effective and will add big pops of color within your decor.  Color accents can also be added with small accent furniture, blankets & throws, artwork and decorative accessories.  In decorating, it’s often the little things that make the biggest impact.

tip:  when shopping for pillows, look for covers with hidden zippers so you can reuse the inserts when you change your pillow decor

During the holiday season we are surrounded with and abundance of patterns and colors.  Once the Christmas decor is down your surroundings may feel flat and lifeless.  The quick fix for that is pattern mixing.  Combine different pattern styles and colors to re-energize your decor.

tip:  a winning pattern mix combines small patterns against large ones and includes one big solid ( on sofa, floor, or wall) in the room. 

You might think that once artwork is hung on the wall it’s there to stay.   That doesn’t have to be the case.  During the winter months you can bring a room to life by simply switching out a piece of artwork with a mirror.  Mirrors enhance the light within a room(both natural and decorative) and will instantly make a room feel lighter, brighter and more open.

tip:  oversized floor mirrors will make small spaces feel bigger in addition to making the decor feel more important

Look around the rooms in your home and see where you can create a cozy seating area or reading nook.  Cozy areas will make your home feel more intimate and personal which is the feeling your home had when all your Christmas decor was up.

Plants and flowers will  make your decor feel special anytime of the year but during the winter months the emotional energy these elements add is enhanced.  Place small plants or a vase on flowers on tabletop surfaces in the main living areas of your home as well as the bedroom and bathroom.

tip: if you don’t have a green thumb, decorating with artificial plants and flowers–they provide the same emotional lift that real greenery does.

Candles are my go-to accessory during the cold winter months.  Not only can candles provide a sense of warmth but the glow increases the sense of relaxation and coziness that a room has.  Arrange a group of candles on the coffee table or along the mantel.

♦♦♦

It doesn’t take a lot to give your home a fresh, new feeling for the new year so use one or all of these design tips to refresh your decor.

all images via Ballard Design