How to refresh your home this summer

When gentle summer breezes beckon, it’s time to provide a sunny-side facelift to your home. This can be an inspiring project, but it might also seem daunting, at first.

If you feel the need to makeover a particular room, you might not know where to start. Lifestyle and wellness company Tonic Australia steps in to provide invaluable tips — offering easy and affordable ways to bring your room or entire home to life this summer.

Make a list

Making lists and ticking things off as they’re completed can offer great satisfaction. Lists are a great way to remind you of what you’ve not yet done and to keep you on track when refreshing a room at home or at work.

Do some research

Flicking through design and lifestyle magazines, either in print or online, will help give you an indication of your preferred look.

There is also an abundance of applications available to download to your smartphone. This provides the opportunity to mix-and-match looks or finds out about products and interiors that you didn’t know about.

Making yourself aware of new colour stories and items that can give an extra ‘pop’ of fun, colour or texture to a room are all areas that can add summer style to your home. Of course, you’ll also find an array of inspiration via social media platforms such as Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr.

Decide on your budget

There will always be beautiful, chic, clean, colourful products available at a variety of prices. Try not to be fazed by the financials, because you can make over a room with either a small or large budget. It’s entirely up to you.

If you decide your budget is a maximum of $300, then make your room fresh again with new accessories, linen, a light fitting or a piece of second-hand furniture. Accessories such as fabric-covered door stops, candles, cushions and throws also fit the bill. If you’re redoing your bathroom, go for fabric-wrapped soaps, beautiful dispensers, candles, simplistic plants or greenery, linen or a beautifully framed picture that goes with the feel of your space and personality.

Set a timeline

One of the trickiest things about renovating, whether a larger or smaller scale redo, can be keeping yourself on track, timewise. So, at the very outset, set a timeframe that you think is realistic, keeping in mind that summer is often a busy entertaining time, but also very handy for renovations and room refreshes because we can traipse in and out of the house without muddy feet or cold air getting in and out of the house.

So, set your timeline, give yourself milestones, and pat yourself on the back when you reach each one. Another great way to keep yourself on track is to share your plans with a friend and get them to be your ‘project manager’, so they can check on your success. It might sound simple, but all input helps.

Celebrate!

Once you’ve completed your room or home refresh, it’s time to celebrate. Take some before-and-after photos and, if you’re savvy or invested in social media, share them, or just make sure to look at your before-and-after transformation to recognise and realise your fantastic accomplishments.