New Year, Better House: Try These 4 Smart Home Improvements in 2021

The coronavirus crisis has forced people to cancel their travel plans and stay home. Since you’ll be chilling in your home for quite a while, you may as well make the most of your time by improving the look of your property.

The good thing about home upgrades is that you can choose from a lot of options. Whether you’re looking to change a few fixtures or remodel a kitchen completely, know that there’s a project that will keep you busy during the pandemic.

If you’re looking to give your home a fresh look, consider these clever home improvement suggestions:

1. Install an Outdoor Deck

A popular home improvement project that you can pursue at the start of the year is to build an outdoor deck. This extension of your home increases your living area, gives your house an updated look and provides you with a new perspective on outdoor comfort.

Before you build an outdoor deck, check with the authorities in your local area concerning regulations and permits. Your homeowner’s association (HOA) may have conditions you need to satisfy before you make any drastic changes to the outside of your house.

If you do get a go signal, make sure that the deck you’re planning to build has adequate protection. An example is to install deck waterproofing solutions to help protect the surface against UV radiation, weather damage and general wear and tear from foot traffic.

1. Create a Statement Wall

Tired of seeing long stretches of nothing inside your house? Inject life into these bland walls by making a statement wall. Use bold, rich or unexpected paint colors that will make your living areas pop. A few examples include earthy tones like cypress and jewel hues like emerald and ruby.

Once you’ve completed painting your wall, don’t forget to hang stuff onto it. You could, for instance, hang unique artwork, such as a mesmerizing drawing of a mandala flower. Besides art frames, you could put other items on your wall like mirrors, ceramics, and photos of your family. Don’t be afraid to show your creativity.

1. Make Your Living Areas Clean, Comfortable and Organized

The organizing system of Marie Kondo became an internet sensation because no one desires a space that feels cramped, cluttered and dirty. Make 2021 the year that you’ll make your home tidy and organized.

Not sure how to begin this project? You could follow Kondo’s six basic rules of tidying as a guide. Take note of these organizing tips:

• Make a serious commitment to tidy up your house.
• Imagine the kind of home you want to live in by describing your ideal lifestyle. You could write this down in a notebook or sketch it on a drawing pad.
• Discard first before you organize.
• Tidy up all the things in your house by category instead of by location.
• When organizing, follow this order: clothing, books, papers, miscellaneous stuff and sentimental items.
• Keep only items that spark joy. If the item no longer brings joy, you could sell it, give it to someone else or throw it in the trash.

1. Create a “Zoom Room”

If you see yourself working from home for the foreseeable future, you’ll want an area that features a visually pleasing background for Zoom or other video conferencing platforms. This area is a zoom room.

Here are a few tips to create this room in your home:

• Refrain from sitting in front of a bright window. This causes the camera to produce a dark silhouette. Instead, use a gentle overhead lighting fixture and close the curtains.
• Place your laptop or computer workstation in a spot that offers a strong internet connection.
• Arrange the background by adding a well-organized bookshelf or an attractive painting.

Improve your home’s exterior and living space with these four home improvement suggestions. Until the world goes back to normal, 2021 is the year when you’ll be busy designing your dream home.