Welcome to the Blog

By Laura Carson Miller

Hi friends! As we are about to embrace a brand new year, it’s the perfect time to go room to room in your home and employ one of my very favorite interiors strategies, the area refresh!

What exactly is the area refresh, you might ask, and how do I execute said area refresh in my very own abode?

Well, let me start by saying the area refresh is quick and easy and will make such a phenomenally uplifting difference in every room in which you use this method!

The area refresh involves choosing a small area, I like to concentrate on high traffic areas or areas where your eye lands right when you enter a room, and using either items you already have or procuring new or gently used items, to enliven said area.

A great place to start is areas you use every single day, such as your coffee area. During the Covid lockdown I chose to refresh our coffee area with by moving our coffee maker to a new gold toned bar cart and purchasing a pair of brand new white ceramic canisters with light wood lids. The canisters are similar to the ones shown in the photo above. We also bought and installed two white floating shelves above the bar cart for our coffee mugs. I added a plant on one end and it instantly perked up (do you see what I did there?) the entire area! I make coffee every single morning of my life so I want a coffee area that is both highly functional and pleasing to the eye.

Your living room or den, the place where you tend to relax while reading or watching tv, is another room prime for an area refresh. I like to switch out items on side tables such as candle holders, tapers or votives, or flameless candles in clear holders. Smaller framed photos or small vases with fresh flowers or small plants such as orchids can be moved easily from side tables to a console in your foyer or a tray on an x-bench or your bedroom dresser.

Entry points like your foyer are perfect for a switch up of a mirror to a painting or other framed art piece. If you have a fireplace try the mirror/art switch to refresh the space and give your eye a renewed spark as you spend time on your sofa enjoying a cozy fire this winter. The end of a hallway is another excellent place for the mirror/art switch up. I move our framed art from room to room as it allows us to have continued enjoyment of the pieces as we use them in varying rooms and areas.

Lighting is so important and task lighting such as the floor lamp shown here, the plug in night lights and the super cool plug in pendant lamp all serve as vital room refresh components. Again these can easily be moved all over your home to provide endless area refreshes.

Are you finding you need additional storage options for makeup, art supplies, kids toys, books and magazines or whatever? The trio of bamboo boxes shown here offer a stylish and functional answer for tidying up in a casually chic way! Again these boxes are easily moved from room to room depending on your needs. They are great for overflow times in the kitchen, too!

Speaking of which, a few new mugs for coffee, tea or hot chocolate will make your morning coffee more exciting. And, are you still using paper napkins? Do introduce cloth napkins for the new year! They are so much more economical and bring a subtle sophistication to each and every meal. Just toss them in the wash! Tortoise handle flatware is fun and an easy upgrade for your dining room table and everything from your microwave vegetable lasagna to your homemade chocolate cake from your Mothers recipe. A touchless soap dispenser is a true area refresh gem for your kitchen or bathroom.

Personally I prefer neutral colors for home accessories as they are so easily welcomed in every room and with every decor style. Neutral rugs, drapes and throws complement all furniture and paint colors. A neutral palette, with pops of color using solids, pattern and print, is always the way to go in my opinion. You can go to the shop page here on my site to access my LTK where you can see and shop all the items featured in this post.

Why Not Live Beautifully Each Day?