It’s no secret that the last year and a half or so has been difficult on us all.
Of course, I’m talking about dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its various societal repercussions.
It’s affected everyone differently, of course, but even the most fortunate among us have suffered.
It’s easy for depression and despair to sink in when you’re trapped in your home for months on end.
But while I’m an interior decorator and home stager in London, not a therapist, there is something therapeutic that can come with redecorating your home.
How does that work?
Keep reading, and let’s find out.
The Negative Impacts Of Clutter
Doesn’t it feel great to have a clean home?
To walk in the door at the end of the day and feel like you can really relax, rather than having to think about all the cleaning and tidying you need to do?
A lot of people feel this way – and believe it or not, there’s some science behind it.
A Cluttered Home Can Make You Depressed
A 2009 study published in the Personal & Social Psychology Bulletin took a look at how women describe their homes, matching it with their mental health.
They found that women who described their homes as cluttered or unfinished were shown to have greater levels of depression than women who described their homes with restful words or nature words.
So that home project you’ve been putting off might literally be making you miserable.
A Cluttered Home Can Make It Hard To Focus
Clutter is associated with being confused and disorganized.
After all, when your home is disorganized, even the simplest of daily tasks become more difficult.
If you’re having trouble imagining this, just think of a time where you needed to go somewhere and you couldn’t find your keys.
What should have been a nice outing becomes a high stress ordeal.
On top of that, though, when a space is poorly organized and filled with irrelevant stuff, it becomes more difficult to keep focused.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that the more stuff you’re surrounded with, the more difficult it is to focus.
This is because the part of your brain that processes what you see can get overwhelmed easily.
So if you’ve ever cleaned your house after leaving it messy for a while and feel a sudden rush of clarity, that could be why.
How To Reorganize & Redecorate Your Home
We spend a lot of time in our homes.
This is true more than ever over the last year, and it’s not likely to change any time soon.
Many people have begun working from home, and it doesn’t seem like most of us are terribly excited to change that any time soon.
So the happier you are with your home, the more content you’re likely to be yourself.
In a way, you can think of redecorating your home as a form of self care.
And while you might think you need to spend thousands of dollars to redo your home, it doesn’t have to be that complicated.
Here are some of the quickest and easiest ways to redo your home.
1. Paint Your Walls
There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to give your home a completely new feel.
Whether you decide to hire a London Ontario residential painting contractor or take a DIY approach, a fresh paint job can make a huge difference.
Make sure not to skip the prep work if you’re doing it yourself, though.
It’s the least enjoyable part of painting, but it makes the biggest difference in the finished product.
2. Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets
Does your kitchen feel gloomy and overbearing?
If so, the dark colours on your cabinets might be pulling all the light out of the room.
The thought of replacing your kitchen cabinets with new ones might be overwhelming, though.
If it is, you can always paint them.
A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for even the gloomiest kitchens.
3. Get Rid Of What You Don’t Need
Do you have a lot of old, tired pieces that are making your rooms feel smaller than they are?
If so, it’s a good idea to ask yourself why you have so much stuff, and whether you really need all of it.
That old table might have looked nice in your old home, but it’s just taking up space now.
And remember, the more cluttered your space is, the more difficult it is to focus on your work.
4. Hire An Interior Decorator
It’s sometimes nice to take a DIY approach to your home.
But if it’s not working, it just might be time to call in a professional.
Call me, Mati Edwards, today, and let’s start building you the home of your dreams.
