The new year is here (It’s hard to believe!) and while many people might make resolutions regarding their habits, it’s also a great time to refresh your home. The holidays are a crazy time that usually results in homes becoming a bit unmanageable. The new year is the perfect time to reset all that chaos with a few resolutions dedicated to the spaces in which we spend most of our time. 

Home Resolution #1: Start Your New Year With a Purge.

Take advantage of the days you have at home to start going through any of the nooks and crannies where you tend to hide stuff you don’t want people to see. Using the Marie Kondo method to declutter these spaces can help bring perspective to the items that are important to you. When you begin, make three piles. One pile is to keep, another is to donate and the last is for anything that needs to be thrown away. Hold each item, decide if you love it and if you don’t, say thank you and send it on it’s way. Showing gratitude to items that have served their purpose can really help with the guilt of giving them up. This is a great activity to do as a family and it can be a wonderful way to teach your children to be charitable. 

Home Resolution #2: Add a Little Bit of Hygge to Your Home.

Hygge is a Scandinavian decorating style that focuses on making homes cozy, warm and comfortable. For a lot of people, the cold season is just starting when holiday decorations come down. This can leave a home feeling a little lonely and baren. Shifting from holiday decorations to more cozy, wintery elements can help with that holiday hangover! Adding extra blankets to a couch or creating a hot cocoa/tea station in your kitchen is a fantastic way of embracing the Hygge aesthetic. Macrame planters, fairy lights and candles are also a wonderful addition. Basically, if it makes you warm and fuzzy, it makes for a great Hygge element! To learn more about this unique style check out Meik Wiking’s bestseller The Little Book of Hygge.

Home Resolution #3: Upcycle Some Furniture.

The winter months can be dreary and boring. You’re stuck inside, staring out of a window, wishing for spring. Take your mind off the cold weather by going around your house and finding pieces of furniture that are still perfectly good but don’t match your style. Instead of throwing them away, just upcycle them into something you love! If being handy isn’t your forte, there's no need to panic! There are hundreds of YouTube videos that can teach you everything from painting a piece of furniture to reupholstering. Upcycling furniture is a great way to refresh your style without spending an exorbitant amount of money that provides a wonderful sense of accomplishment. And you just might learn some new skills too!

Home Resolution #4: Personalize Your Space by Adding Vignettes.

Many people like the idea of a clear and clutter-free home, but intentional clutter is not always a bad thing! Take a step back and look at the places in your home that look empty. Book cases, mantles and side tables are great places for this kind of accessorizing. Collect items that are usually stored away and group them together by theme, color or any other way you like. Creating these little scenes, also known as vignettes, can bring a lot of life into your home and it can also make your home more personal and comforting. 

Adding small vintage trays to table tops and shelves can bring out the coziness of your home as well. Focus on using things you already have laying around the house, or make it a family activity and create crafts and art that you want to put on display. This is a nice place to spotlight souvenirs, gifts and other meaningful decorations. The more sentimental meaning the better. Just make sure you love all of the pieces you include and don’t overstuff a space. Let your pieces breathe and give them the attention they deserve. Spotlights and special containers are great options for giving items the importance they deserve.

Home Resolution #5: Be Good to Your Wallet and the Planet

When you’re snowed in it’s easy to feel unproductive, especially if you love updating your home and doing DIY projects. While you might be limited in the winter months, there are still things you can do to update your home and save some money while you do it. Many electric and water companies offer subsidies to help make your home more eco-friendly. This might mean installing solar panels or smart thermostats. These small changes can also decrease the amount of money you spend on your monthly energy bills. If this is something you’re interested in, the new year is a great time to do it since many of these companies offer specials on installation during the new year. 

You can also just look around your home and find ways to be more environmentally friendly. Consider a countertop compost bin or discussing ways to reduce food waste with your family. No matter what the decision you make is, having a positive impact on the environment will leave you feeling a renewed sense of purpose. 

Home Resolution #6: Refresh a Room with Peel and Stick Wallpaper.

Do you ever sit in a room and stare at a wall and think that it could be so much better? Maybe you can’t find the perfect paint color or might not have the time to give to painting. Luckily, you have plenty of options!

Explore the array of design possibilities in peel and stick wallpaper. With it you can create a range of motifs and colors. Peel and stick wallpaper is largely renter-friendly and is a great way to elevate a room in your home without a ton of mess and work. Cost-effective and user-friendly, you can complete a room in a day or two. Think of the ways you can elevate your home in the new year, with a striking mural, a fully wallpapered bathroom or adding a splash of color to your living room. Wallpaper is HOT right now and is having a major design moment.

With Artemis peel and stick wallpaper, you can change designs whenever the mood strikes. Change-up your wallpaper with the seasons or as your style evolves. Why not? Perfect for the moments when you're not ready to commit long-term to a trend but what that room remix right now.