Five ways to fall back in love with your home

I get it. You’re just not that into it right now. All you can see are the things you wish you could change.

Before trading in your home for a new one, it may be that all you need is a little one-on-one time to reconnect.

Try one of these (almost free) things that are guaranteed to have you swooning for your abode like the day you first met.

1. Clean the windows 

I spend 90 per cent of my time preparing homes for sale. The day the house and windows get washed is the day it all comes together.

My method for window cleaning is to add a drop of liquid detergent to a bucket of warm water, then apply the water to the window with a sponge. Dry the water off with a towel. As a side note, window cleaning is mostly elbow grease, you’ll probably need a soak in the bath yourself afterwards.

Alternatively, call in the professionals. I’ve watched the professionals clean all the windows of a large sprawling home, inside and out, in just one day.

2. Paint something 

Anything. It could be four walls, furniture, or a picture frame. Recently I painted an old cane chair and an outdoor seat, giving myself two new pieces of furniture to play with. Painting provides enormous rewards for the time you invest, and the transformation opportunities are endless.

What I have learned about painting is that when you find a colour you like, don’t be worried about using it in a variety of places. The better you prep, the longer-lasting the result. I wasn’t too fussy about prepping my old chair, but when I painted our lounge (all four walls dark green), I made sure to take my time and use the best tools for the job.

3. Add a plant 

Plants add life to a tired or empty space. Use them to fill a gap in a room or to draw the eye to a location.

A couple of things to remember when adding plants to your home:

• Individual plants like different environments, if a plant is looking a bit sad, try it in a different spot.
  I prefer to use decorative pots with no holes and sit my plants inside them.
  If in doubt, go bigger or go up. For a plant to make a statement as a single item, it needs to have a presence – too small, and it will have the opposite desired effect.
  Upsize a plant by combining it with a bigger pot or raise it on a plant stand, stool, or table.

 4. Hang your art 

One rule applies to art, there is no such thing as too much. Art can set the tone of a room with its colour or content. It can play the hero role or a supporting role.

Try these ideas if you don’t have any art lying around waiting to be hung.

• Create some of your own (make it your painting project).
  Flags, maps, hats, plates, fans – all of these count as art when hung on the wall.
  Gather a group of objects together or raid the kids’ artwork collection.

Side note: Unless you’re hanging something weighty use a single nail instead of a hook – they only leave a tiny hole in your wall should you choose to move the art somewhere else tomorrow.

5. Potter 

Nothing (well, maybe a long lunch in a vineyard) makes me happier than pottering in my home. Re-arranging a shelf, fossicking for foliage to fill a vase. Experimenting with groups of objects until I have just the right combination. The process is as enjoyable as admiring the end result.

• Try re-arranging the furniture in a room. Even if it ends up back the way you started, it’s an opportunity to dust behind the sofa.
  Re-organising the bookshelf is another idea – keep like with like, combine different stacks including some vertical and some lying down. Place an object at the end of a row or on top of a pile. You might even discover a treasure you had forgotten you have.
  Choose one room and take everything off the shelves and walls. Place a cover over them and leave the room for a while. When you come back, slowly put your favourite things back. If there is something that doesn’t quite fit, try it in another room, or wrap it for safekeeping and bring it out again next time you potter.

Enjoy spending time with your home, because a home is a journey that is never complete. As my favourite stylist says, “home is like a linen cupboard, sometimes it’s a thing of beauty – freshly laundered and orderly – and sometimes it needs some love and attention to set it back on track.”

• This post originally appeared on stuff.co.nz