Don’t Redecorate. Refresh

A forgotten drop-zone gets a refresh. Finding homes for the clutter, rearranging furniture to make the room work better, and bringing a few once-loved pieces back out of the closet—and voilà. A whole new look, and the only thing "new" is this crane art. Everything else just found room to shine.

There’s something wonderfully freeing happening in home design right now.

Rooms don’t have to look “done.” They don’t have to match. They don’t have to follow one decorating style from the rug to the lamps to the artwork. And perhaps best of all, refreshing a room doesn’t have to begin with replacing the furniture.

That’s good news, because many of us aren’t particularly interested in starting over.

We like our homes. We may even plan to stay in them for a very long time. In one Houzz survey of homeowners engaged in renovation, 62% expected to remain in their homes for at least another 11 years, while 45% described theirs as a “forever home.”

At the same time, people are being more selective about where discretionary dollars go. Research from KPMG reflects continued concern about costs, even as consumers protect spending for things they consider meaningful—particularly experiences.

Put those two things together and an interesting question emerges:

What if your home doesn't need to be redecorated at all? What if it simply needs to feel a little more like you?

The collected home - A Means To Refresh

One of the home-design ideas I particularly like right now is the move toward the collected home.

Family photos, a vase made by mom, a stack of old family books, and pretty boxes with family games. Collected and authentically ours.

Rather than walking into a showroom and purchasing a coordinated room, collected interiors develop over time. Art lives alongside things brought home from travels. Something inherited from a parent shares a shelf with a newer find. A beautifully framed photograph matters because you remember exactly where you were when it was taken.

These rooms aren't interesting because everything matches. They're interesting because everything has a reason for being there.

And that means you don't necessarily need to spend thousands of dollars replacing perfectly good furnishings to make your home feel fresh again.

Sometimes the most noticeable changes are much simpler.

• Move the chair.

• Change the pillows.

• Clear the things you've stopped seeing from the mantel.

• Bring something out of a cupboard that deserves to be enjoyed.

• And look at your walls.

Art changes a room surprisingly quickly

Artwork has an unusual amount of influence for something that requires no contractor, no delivery truck and, usually, very little disruption.

A piece can introduce color into an otherwise neutral room. It can make a large wall finally feel grounded. It can pull together colors already scattered through a space.

But I think its best job is even simpler:

Art can make a room feel personal.

That's where distinctive art is very different from simply finding something to fill a blank wall.

You don't have to know anything about art to recognize the difference.

• One is, That works over the sofa.

• The other is, I love that.

I'll take the second one every time.

Original doesn't have to mean unattainable

Same room. Fresh perspective. Art becomes the starting point, a few pillows echo its colors, and suddenly the room feels pulled together—without replacing a single piece of furniture.

There's also a lingering assumption that buying art from an artist means entering a gallery, knowing the right terminology and preparing yourself for a very large price tag.

It certainly can mean that. But it doesn't have to.

Artists today offer work in many forms and price ranges. Original paintings may be an investment, while beautifully produced fine-art prints can make the same artist's work accessible for considerably less. Smaller pieces can be collected over time. Existing frames can sometimes be reused. A piece you already own may simply need to be moved to a place where it can finally shine.

And unlike another round of trendy décor purchased simply because the room needed “something,” art gives you the opportunity to choose something because you actually connect with it.

• A landscape that reminds you of someplace you've been.

• A bird that makes you smile.

• Flowers that bring the garden inside.

• A painting whose colors simply make you happy every time you walk past it.

• Those are pretty good reasons to put something on your wall.

Before you redecorate, try this

Choose one room that's feeling a little tired.

Don't shop yet.

Instead, remove a few things. Move something you've always kept in the same place. Bring in an object from another room. Look through the things you've collected but rarely display.

Then stand back and look at the walls.

Ask yourself—not What goes there?—but:

What would I genuinely enjoy seeing there every day?

That's a very different way to decorate.

Save the big spending for the things that truly need replacing. Let your home evolve rather than starting it over every few years. Add things slowly, and choose them because they mean something to you.

A home collected that way may never be completely “finished.”

I think that's part of what makes it beautiful. Not sure what size—or even what kind of art—would work on your wall? That’s exactly why I created My Art Match. It's easy. It's free. It actually works!

My Art Match - It's Easy!