Easy Ways to Get Ready for the Holidays

by | Sep 15, 2021 | Home Remodeling

Easy, cost-effective ways to prepare your home for the holidays can make the difference between ho-hum and ho-ho-ho! With the holidays just around the corner, a small remodeling project in your home can make a huge difference in updating your home.

It’s September, which means school is back in session and leaves will soon begin changing colors. It also means the holidays will be here before you know it.

With every holiday season comes a wave of stress and anticipation. By adequately preparing, though, we can turn that stress into excitement. In addition to the short-term benefits, remodeling projects add value to your home. In fact, small remodeling projects can offer as much as an 83% return on investment.

Like any family, you likely have a budget to worry about. Thankfully, there are so many ways to make a noticeable difference around your home without breaking the bank.

We have a few quick fixes you can do this fall to prepare your home for the crazy holidays, but first, some questions.

Know your goals

Making slight improvements can make a room feel refreshed and new. When you consider budget and time restraints, though, it isn’t realistic to think you will drastically improve every room overnight. These limitations make it essential to plan your goals ahead of time and to carefully consider what projects are most important to you.

With the holidays in mind, what rooms will your family use to congregate? Does the kitchen fill to the brim with people? Are they living room eaters? Which rooms need the most attention? For most homes, bathrooms, dining rooms and kitchens are common starting points.

Answering some of these questions will give you an idea which spaces require the most attention. This is a very important point. Taking a few minutes to develop a game plan ahead of time could save you a headache or two down the road.

Now that you know which rooms require the most attention, it’s time for the fun part: considering which upgrades work best for you.

Adding some fresh paint

Is the paint in one of your favorite rooms ready for a touch up? There are so many fun ways you can take this endeavor.

The simplest way to improve your interior painting scheme is to add an accent to a room. This is especially useful in areas where there isn’t a lot of wall space to work with. Accents not only add a little spice to the room they are in, but they can also create sense of unity with the rest of the house.

When developing a color scheme for your house, it is important for the rooms to flow together in a way that makes sense. You can accomplish this by taking the main color of one room and using it as an accent color in another.

In the kitchen above, the color of the living room was brought into the kitchen to create continuity in this open floor plan.

If you’re looking for color inspiration, look up the “color of the year” at various manufacturers. Pantone, Sherman Williams, Behr and others all have their own annual colors.

Another paint option is to paint a nook a separate color, one that differentiates the space from it’s surroundings. In this case, office space was carved out of a living room and painted a different color.

Exterior painting projects are a bit more of a commitment, but the expense is still small relative to the impact. Most of the time, exterior jobs are better off done by a professional.

Upgrading your old lighting

Swapping out old lighting fixtures in favor of sleeker installments can make a huge impact on any room. It’s also very easy and cost-effective as long as you don’t change the actual location of the light.

Much like with painting, it is important to consider how the fixtures in one room flow with the others. Consider choosing a style, such as traditional or modern, and try to make the lights across the house match it. They don’t need to be identical, but applying a common theme goes a long way.

In the kitchen pictured above, the homeowners took our design team’s suggestion and had us install these light fixtures. Although not identical, the globes are similar.

If you have an older home, is it time to switch to dimmers or smart lighting? Dimmers can help create ambiance to any room, especially nice during the holidays.

Installing new hardware

The kitchen and bath are two of the rooms that very heavily impact the resale value of a home. This is because large upgrades in these areas are typically expensive and complex. Unlike most improvements, hardware upgrading adds value to your kitchen or bathroom without breaking the bank.

Swap out some old door knobs and cabinet pulls for a small but noticeable different in these rooms. Purchasing new hardware is affordable and installation is typically smooth and simple.

Like anything else, having a your hardware match the room’s theme is important. Make sure the knobs or pulls match your rooms vibe.

Conclusion

Who says home remodeling needs to be dramatic? Our lives move pretty fast and it’s easy for something like home remodeling to take a back seat to what’s most important: friends, family, and celebrating the holiday season together. A small project can complement those important values in a big way.

No matter your goals for the winter, we at Roeser Home Remodeling are here to help every step of the way. Call today for a free consultation (314-822-0839) or contact us online.