4 Ways to Re-Decorate Your Space for Easier Living

Everyone loves the idea of a beautiful home. Too often we get blinded by a Pinterest-worthy re-decorate idea that we miss what is really important: ease and efficiency. Is the home actually comfortable to live in? Are things that you need easily accessible? Are you able to put things back where they belong right away? Are the furniture serving their purpose? Are the shelves easy to clean?

These are some questions you need to think about when you’re redecorating your space. If you can’t enjoy it because you’re always running into problems (bumping into bulky furniture, digging through piles of things, constantly cleaning rugs that stain easily, etc), then your work is not really done. You need to make some changes so that everything in your home flows smoothly.

If you’re struggling to figure out how to do that, here are some tips that might help you out.

1. Rearrange your kitchen

Your kitchen is one of the busiest places in your house so it only makes sense to keep things functional here. By that, we mean that there should be plenty of counter space where you can prep your ingredients. Get rid of anything unnecessary that’s taking up counter space. You’ll also want the prep area to be near the sink so you can wash your hands quickly as needed.

Arrange your pots, pans, utensils, and spices in a way that they’re near the gas stove so you can easily grab them as you cook. And your pantry? Organize items by category (dry goods, powders, sauces, pasta, grains, etc.) so you know where to grab the ingredients needed for your recipe.

2. Have a designated space for paper

Paper clutter is one of those things that you’ll probably never get rid of. There’s just too many of them –monthly bills, magazine subscriptions, receipts, coupons, notices, work documents,  notes. However, you can organize them so they don’t drive you crazy.

This is what we’ll call your paper station and it’s an area for all your incoming paper items and organized documents. Every week, you need to go through all the incoming paper items and decide whether you should digitize them, put them in one of the dividers, or throw them away.

3. Bring in multi-functional furniture

Your furniture should serve more than just one purpose. This removes the need to buy two items when its use can actually be achieved with just one. It also takes up less space. A good example is the ottoman. It’s a chair that also acts as a storage space for your items. If you’re buying a chair, don’t just settle for looks. It should be ergonomically designed to help relax your back better while sitting. Or how about an expandable dining table that can instantly accommodate different sized groups? There are plenty of options in the market these days. Take your time exploring these innovations and you might just find one that will totally transform how space functions. 

4. Add lighting

It’s so simple but the right lighting really does make a big difference to your living situation. Light will not only brighten an area up, it also makes navigating a room easier whether it’s the kitchen, the living room, the garage, or the hallways. 

Also, by adding the right light (soft and warm light vs. bright, cool light), you can adjust the mood of the room how you like it. During day time, you can use brighter light and then switch it to warm light during the evenings. You’ll want the light switches to be near the light as well so you don’t have to trek to the other end of the hall to turn it on or off.

 Which of these tips did you find the most useful? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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