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    5 Ways To Spruce Up Your Home During Quarantine

    5 Ways To Spruce Up Your Home During Quarantine

    Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all been spending more time at home, whether that includes working remotely or just during your downtime.

    And because we’re home more, many of us have been motivated to make improvements including projects that we’ve been putting off as well as things we can do to make our space more comfortable.

    If you’re feeling the urge to jump into home renovations, you’re not alone. In fact, 57% of homeowners who participated in a Consumer Specialists survey said they’d completed a home improvement project between March and May. Homeowners doing home renovations during the pandemic reported that having more time on their hands (66.9%) and noticing things that needed attention because they were home more (nearly 50%) were the main driving factors for tackling projects around the house.

    Now that you have more free time and get to enjoy the fruits of your labor more, it’s a great opportunity to start working on home improvement projects. However, wanting to make your house more of a home and knowing where to start are two different things.

    To help you get some ideas, here are 5 ways to spruce up your home during quarantine:

    1. Revamp Your Home Office

    If you’re working from home right now, one of the most worthwhile home improvement projects you can take on right now is revamping your home office or workstation. There are several key benefits to creating a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and organized home office.

    For one, it makes your home look tidy and makes your workspace part of your home, not an eyesore. It can also help you be more productive at work. There are many ways you can revamp your home office based on your setup, including:

    • Decorating your current home office (painting the walls, adding personalized touches, bringing in potted plants, etc.)
    • Carving out space to put a desk (the kitchen table really isn’t the best substitute for a home office, you need your own dedicated workspace)
    • Investing in the right equipment (get an ergonomic chair to help with posture, purchase a memory foam wrist rest to prevent discomfort and carpal tunnel, buy a laptop stand and blue light glasses to help with work-related eye problems—Objective also has Eye Shield supplements you should try)

    2. Create a Backyard Escape

    Spending more time at home during quarantine can lead to restlessness. Instead of being confined to the indoors, consider making the outdoor space more welcoming. Whether you have a spacious backyard, a small patio with some grass, or even just a balcony, you can create an outdoor space that’s perfect for lounging.

    Depending on how much space you have to work with, you could:

    • Add seating and a table (for smaller spaces like a balcony, add one or two chairs and a small table for holding drinks, for larger spaces comfy outdoor furniture and a table for entertaining is best)
    • Plant greenery (take up gardening to take your landscaping to the next level and keep you entertained, or add a vertical garden to your patio with fresh herbs and succulents)
    • Decorate the space (candles, outdoor therapeutic pillows, and even a weatherproof rug can make this space feel like an extension of your home)

    You can even add luxuries like a fire pit, above-ground pool, or game area that you and your family can enjoy together.

    3. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

    One of simplest yet most impactful changes you can make to your home is adding a fresh coat of paint. Whether you keep the same color or decide to go a completely different direction, this is an easy and fairly affordable way to spruce up your home. Some examples of paint projects you can take on include:

    • Repainting the exterior
    • Painting your front door a unique color
    • Adding accent walls in some of the rooms
    • Repainting the interior using a different color palette
    • Adding a mural to a bedroom or bathroom wall

    If you’re going to be making any exterior changes, make sure to check if there are any HOA regulations that may apply to you.

    4. Declutter & Reorganize

    Despite regular spring cleaning, things seem to pile up around the house faster than you realize. It might come down to loosening up on your cleaning commitments as the year progresses or it might just be that we accumulate more things throughout the year—either way, it starts to add up. Having too much stuff out can make your home feel smaller than it is, contribute to feelings of stress and restlessness, and prevent you from fully relaxing during your downtime.

    To help alleviate these feelings, use the extra free time you have right now during quarantine to get reorganized and declutter. If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of going through the clutter, here are a few tips to help you through the process:

    • Come up with a plan (which room needs the most attention, will you go room by room yourself or assign tasks to each family member, etc.)
    • Establish rules (what qualifies an item for keep or tossing, how will things be reorganized, what is the timeline for decluttering the house)
    • Invest in smart storage solutions (from containers to dual-purpose furniture with hidden storage components, the options are virtually endless). You may even have to rent a moving service to get all of that old furniture out.

    5. Redo Your Living Room

    Whether you’re single, living in a small apartment or have a family and a large home, the living room is probably where you’re spending most of your time during quarantine. Because you’re getting so much more use out of it nowadays, there are likely some aspects that could be improved to better accommodate your lifestyle. Here are a few things to consider if you feel like your living room could use a bit of a makeover:

    • Add more seating so everyone has somewhere comfortable to kick back (this could be anything from cushy floor pillows or bean bag chair to a loveseat)
    • Make your space more inviting (add luxurious throw blankets, supportive throw pillows, etc)

    6. Renovate Your Garage or Basement

    Creating more space for relaxation and entertainment at home is a great way to improve your quality of life throughout the pandemic. Some common spaces that can be renovated to expand your home without adding on new construction are the garage and basement. A few ways you can repurpose these spaces include:

    • Home theater
    • Game room
    • Home library
    • Family lounge area
    • Kids’ play room

    Before you make any changes to your garage or basement, make sure it doesn’t breach any community guidelines or local laws.

    It’s Time to Use Your Newfound Downtime to Your Advantage

    While it’s looking like we’re going to be stuck at home a lot more in the coming months, that doesn’t mean it necessarily has to be a bad thing. Take advantage of this extra time (and most likely pent up energy) to create a living space that better services you and your family. Figure out what home improvements would most benefit you and make your home life more enjoyable, come up with a plan of action, and get started—once you’re finished, you’ll be glad you used this time wisely.

    Alexis Maness

    Alexis Maness has a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications and is a contributing editor for 365businesstips.com. As a professional content writer, she has over five years of experience and is a contributing writer for several San Diego magazines. Alexis specializes in topics related to business, marketing, finance, and hospitality and tourism.

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