5 Simple Ways To Refresh Your Home In The New Year

*Kitchen storage jars by* *Garden Trading.*

The general slower pace of the first couple of months of each new year is a great time to revive your home. While full-on decorating isn’t advisable (it’s too cold for paint or plaster to dry properly), a few simple changes and additions can breathe new life into each room and provide a calming, organised space to start off the year ahead.

Clear And Clean Up The Clutter

Sorting out overflowing wardrobes and bursting cabinets is a restorative process that will help you feel relaxed and in control of your environment. Even if you are back at work full-time after the holidays, set yourself a realistic target (like 30 minutes in the day that you’d usually spend scrolling social media) to tackle a small drawer or kitchen cupboard. As well as helping you find things more easily and dispose of out-of-date or unrequired items, it will bring a sense of harmony to your home.

*Storage and* *stacking solutions* *from John Lewis & Partners.*

John Lewis is a great stocklist for organisational products that will help you keep your cupboards tidy. Check out their clever range of drawer organisers, shoe holders and stacking solutions.

*Shoe holder* *from John Lewis & Partners.*

Switch Out Your Towels

Invest in new, soft white towels for your bathroom; you’ll be amazed at how you didn’t notice your current towels were rough, faded, and flat. Towels are one of those home items that we don’t really pay attention to updating as often as we should (when we do we wonder why we didn’t refresh them sooner). A luxurious, crisp new towel after a morning shower will provide a positive start to the day. On the UK high street, I’ve recently been impressed with spa-like towels from The White Company and Marks & Spencer.

*Image Credit:* *The Fine Cotton Company*

Add White Flowers In Pots & Vases

Brighten up dark days and will on the warmer months by adding small pots or vases of crisp white spring flowers on tables and shelves which feel bare after the Christmas decorations have been removed (keep it white so it feels fresh and appropriate for winter - colour can feel too brash and summery). White tulips, hyacinth bulbs and paperwhites are all great choices; you can buy them inexpensively in the supermarket, Marks & Spencer, or your local florist from January onwards. Rustic pots are great for bulbs and pair well with a sprinkling of moss and twigs for a ‘wintery’ effect.

Swap Out Or Switch Around Your Cushions

Change the look of your living room or bedroom by replacing or moving around the soft furnishings. Go for a completely different cushion colourway to what you had before to refashion your sofa. Or, swap your bed cushions for the sofa (and vice-versa) to revive the rooms at no extra cost.

*Handmade patchwork linen cushion cover, naturally dyed with pure plant extracts via* *Style Your Spaces*

Add Scent During The Day

Take advantage of the dark days of winter to light scented candles and create a cocooning, cosy atmosphere, all while filling your home with scent. Woody fragrances such as sandalwood and cedar work well in winter - as do notes of amber, cocoa, soft spice, patchouli and berry.

*‘Woods’, the luxury black wax scented candle from* *Byredo*

If you want to scent a large open space (or, would rather not leave a naked flame burning when you tend to be busy), Neom has just launched its Wellbeing Pod Luxe: a powerful ceramic aromatherapy oil diffuser that emits your chosen fragrance in minutes via remote control.