Re-designing your space

BUCKLAND, MASS. (Mass Appeal) - Everyone deserves a home that inspires them - and redesigning your space is a great place to start! To share a few inexpensive ways to freshen up your home for the new year is Jennifer Heilman, Interior Designer and owner of Clesson Brook Designs in Buckland.

Get Organized!
Getting organized is always top of the list. Create a spot in your entry way that is dedicated to keeping you organized as soon as you walk in the door. Just a small table or shelf will work. All you need is a place for your keys, your purse, your phone (preferably a place to charge your phone as well) and a place to sort your mail.

Create "stations" in your home
Having a file system in place is crucial (I will bring one) and a recycle bin under the table is needed as well. So when you walk in the door that's the first place you go, you put down you keys, purse, and phone, then you sort the mail, bill, letters, and junk. Junk mail goes immediately into the recycle bin, THEN you take off your coat! Make a habit of it.

Be creative with organizing and storage.
Ottamans and baskets are a great place to store toys and keep stuff under control. Make a deal with your kids that they can keep toys in the living room as long as the fit inside the ottoman when it's time to put everything away. Any thing else has to be stored away.

Proper lighting brings warmth!
In the living room, another way to freshen up your home is with lighting. Lighting is the number one way to make your home feel warm and cozy. A properly light room can make the difference between it feeling cold and uncomfortable to warm and relaxing. Matching lamps are a great way to pull your decor together. Frame your couch with side tables and matching lamps. The side tables don't have to match exactly but they should be similar in size. The lamps should definitely match. You can find great inexpensive lamps at Target or at Marshalls.

Throw pillows can make an old couch look new again. Pick contrasting color throw pillows so your eye focuses on the pillows not the couch! Also, a comfy throw blanket that matches the pillows is another great way to hide an old couch.

Plants enrich your home
Plants are a great way to enrich your home. They not only help to make our space healthier by filtering carbon dioxide into oxygen but they also look great. And are an easy way to add richness to your decor.

In the bedroom, just like the couch, frame the head of the bed with side tables and matching lamps. A new comforter with matching pillows, and a few coordinating throw pillows. Add a plant, some inexpensive, but inspiring art and your done.

Area rugs are great for covering up old floors or stained carpet.