It is that time of year when we start talking about resolutions and all the things we would like to do in the upcoming year. This also happens to be a great time to think about updates for your home. This can be a great time to bring color into your home, or to finally create a functional system to eliminate clutter, or to really make that family room truly comfortable for all.

If you are looking to bring color into your home look to complimentary colors for inspiration. These combinations are green and red, yellow and purple, and blue and orange. This does not mean you have to use bright primary colors to use these combinations but using the right hues and values will create a dynamic look. Think about a deep royal purple with a soft pale yellow. Red and green can also be pink or rose with lime just as blue and orange can be a bronzy gold with dark pastel blue. The idea is to use colors in the same hue family. Changing the value of the color can also add drama or calm to the space.

Are you looking to feel organized in the new year? Start it off right. Create systems to get rid of the clutter. One of the biggest complaints is usually paperwork or mail that ends up all over the counters. To eliminate this there are a few tips to design your home for function. Have a space where you walk in that you can hang up bags, coats and put away shoes. In that same place have in boxes for each family member. Make it a policy to immediately sort all mail when you walk through the door. Have each family member check their box everyday and take care of the mail and paperwork in the box. I love cork boards and white boards for notes, schedules, and important papers that cannot be filed away or stuck at the bottom of a pile.

And lastly do you have a family room that is only comfortable for some of your family? Do you have seating for everyone? Are there toys all over the family room? When you have guests are they dragging chairs into the room? If you are dealing with these issues it is time to redesign your family room. To add seating for kids add poufs to the room. They can also be used as ottomans. If toys are everywhere add storage but not too much. I love baskets or storage benches for those toys. Our policy is that if they don’t fit in the basket at the end of the night they have to be put away in the kids rooms. At the new year it is a perfect time to start a new clean up rule. It will make your room feel larger and be less stress to the start of the next day of the toys get picked up (by the kids) at the end of everyday. If you need more seating or storage then these little tips it might me time to call for a consultation. An interior designer can come out and assess your space to create a room plan that will incorporate the right seating and storage for the room to function properly. Sometimes the room will need to be arranged in a completely different direction for the best function. I love to angle a room for the proper flow and that can usually create great spaces for play areas and separate reading areas.

So in the upcoming year go ahead and go for color in your home, get rid of clutter by creating spaces for coats, bags, shoes and mail and make that family room one for everyone to hang out in. It will start your year off right.