There is a moment that often occurs when homeowners, on the verge of listing their house on the market, have a tiny twinge of regret. They don’t regret listing their house or choosing to move; they regret that they didn’t truly live in their space to its fullest potential, until it was time to invite someone else to live in it. This year, live in your moment and in your home’s moment. This year, make your home new again; fall in love with it again. This year, try our recipe to delicious homeownership that can only be home-made from scratch.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 Closets
- 3 Trips to Home Depot
- A handful of HomeSense
- 2 ½ Craft Projects
- 1 Cup Patience
- Fulfillment – to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat your partner to the idea of tackling this project. Everyone loves to settle in and get “comfortable” (code for: messy, cluttered). No need to go ‘low & slow’ on a couple of big DIY renovations that will break the bank and your backs. A couple of small tweaks are all you need to make your home new and exciting again.
2. Stir up the kids and pour your closets into a large mixing bag. Still hoarding baby stuff in the basement or garage? There are plenty of mom-to-mom sale groups on facebook, or more secure websites such as murrayandbee.com or our own neighborhood spot – Twice As Nice at 683 St. Clair West. Let a new set of grubby little hands read your copy of Good Night Moon! You can also donate all 3 wardrobes your teenagers grew out of last season alone. Ripple Clothes for Kids takes donated hand-me-downs, sorts them and, with the help from charitable partners, passes on “new” wardrobes to kids in the Toronto area.
3. Mix scuffs, scratches, touchups with a can of paint and a paintbrush. You don’t need to spend a week taping up a room and holding paint swatches up to the wall while you scratch your head and wonder which shade of ‘beige’ is the most ‘beigey’. Do one quick walkthrough and put a post-it wherever you see a touch up in need. Then go back with some paint and a brush. A simple 1-2 hour job will make your space feel polished instantly.
4. Take your existing décor and separate the yolks and the whites. Or in other words, take your ‘gently-loved’ pillows, throws, and chachkies and put them on ice until you can use them for your kids’ dorm room or the cottage. Then take a trip to Home Sense for affordable pillows that will brighten up your living space. But my favorite décor trick? Rugs! Rugs shape and frame any and all the spaces in your home. My go-to is Ikea; they have great rugs at affordable prices that are great for indoor/outdoor and can really take a beating. Don’t forget lamps they bring warmth with a gentle light.
5. A dash of Home Depot or a trip to the local Home Hardware adds the right amount of flavor to fix any home. Broken base boards squeaky locks cracked face plates. Tighten and righten everything up to feel new again. The difference will astound!!!
6. Now relax into your new “old home” staged and decluttered not for the new buyer but the well-loved owner.
ENJOY!!