Love Starts at Home

6 Ways to Show Your Home Some Love

Home is more than the house where you live. Home is a place where you are comfortable, where your people are, where you can relax and be totally yourself. Home is what you make it, with your style, creativity, love, and your choices!

When decorating your home, start from the bottom up. The floor is your room’s foundation. It sets the tone for other furnishings in the room. Flooring choices are decisions you make that will last years and years, so they are more important than say, a lamp or bedspread.

But, where to start? Like a good pair of shoes, what’s underneath your feet is vital to the look and feel of your home. There are many options, and how you use your space will dictate the best option. Do you prefer hardwood, porcelain tile, laminate, luxury vinyl plank or carpet? Select your flooring first, and other finishes once the flooring is determined.

If new floors aren’t in your plan this year, here are six easy, less expensive and less permanent ways to show your house some love.

1. Conceal worn flooring. Use an area rug to cover dirty carpet or scratched wood floors.
2. Tidy the entry. If your entry doesn’t already have storage, add a few hooks, a rack or tray for shoes, and a basket to collect stray items.
3. Make your kitchen counter a place of peace. It’s natural for the kitchen counter to accumulate stuff. It starts innocently enough: a blender for smoothies, your coffee pot, a cutting board, a bowl of fruit. But, there comes a point when a cluttered counter becomes a magnet for more clutter, and soon, your counter is swamped with stray rubber bands, incoming mail and half-finished homework.
   Start fresh by removing everything from the counters. Put away anything that has a home, and clean the surface. Then, selectively put back the few items you use daily or find beautiful and inspiring. Better, isn’t it?
4. Freshen up the front porch. Clean up porch furniture, launder or replace cushions, sweep and mop the porch floor, and lay down a new welcome mat.
5. Plant a living centerpiece. Why fuss with flowers when you can have a green centerpiece that’s just as interesting but lasts indefinitely? Plant one or more shallow containers with a variety of succulents, and line them up along the center of your dining table for a fresh look. If you don’t love succulents, anything green will do.
6. Clear bedroom clutter. A clean and serene bedside makes for more restful sleep. Remove everything from your nightstand, as well as anything piled on the floor beside it, and wipe down the table. Put away any extra books, magazines, stray pens and old water glasses. A bedside table is another great spot for a beautiful houseplant. If you like, add a candle, too.

Follow these tips to show yourself and your home some Valentine’s Day love!

– Elisabeth Stubbs is one of the owners of Enhance Floors and More, one of Atlanta’s top-rated flooring dealers, located in Marietta.