Everyone knows about Spring cleaning, but what about Spring “refreshing?” To me, Spring is a season for new beginnings, and “refreshing” your home while Spring cleaning is a great way to boost your mood and get you excited about a new season. While you’re doing your Spring cleaning, get rid of clutter and anything on your shelves, walls, etc. that doesn’t excite you anymore. You can spend just a little bit of money on small stuff to “refresh” your home, and make you feel like you have a whole new place to come home to at the end of the day. And if money is tight, try just rearranging some furniture or things on shelves and walls for a new feel. Walking into a clean, “refreshed” home after a long day at work can inspire you and make you truly appreciate what you have.

One of my pet peeves is clutter on kitchen counters. I have a small kitchen, so if I have a ton of stuff on my counters, then I don’t have much of a work space when I’m cooking. One way to decrease clutter is to group things onto a tray or riser. This also makes cleaning your counters much easier, because you don’t have a bunch of little things to clean around and under.

** Wooden riser – T.J. Maxx, $12.99

This picture of my kids makes me smile while I’m cooking or cleaning up, and this little bird has special meaning as well. Trying to clean around little things like these is much easier when they are together on this riser, and it also looks less cluttered.

Another place in my home that was very cluttered and not very pretty was the entry table at our back door. We don’t have a true foyer or entry area, so this console table at the back door was a catch-all for mail, keys, and lots of other junk. I also had a huge clock hanging above it, which made the console table look small and even more cluttered. This is the first area we see when coming home through the back door, so walking into a cluttered area after a long day at work wasn’t very relaxing or inviting.

To “refresh” this entry space, I swapped out the big clock for a mirror, making the space appear a little larger, and utilized the drawers in the console table for all of our junk.

**Round wooden mirror – Target, $59.99

Now we walk into a clean, simple area when arriving home, which makes us even happier to be home at the end of the day. And the mirror reflects light from outside, making it brighter and more cheerful inside. This entry space is also right off our kitchen, so the shelf is a perfect spot to store cookbooks for easy access.

Besides kitchen counters, bathroom counters are notorious for being cluttered and unorganized. Some bathrooms have a ton of drawer and cabinet space to hide everything, but not ours. To help with storage in our bathroom, I found a small wooden box at a local antique store to keep my lotions, perfumes, etc. inside. They are still on my counter for easy access, but tucked away in a cute little box. Having all those bottles inside the box makes cleaning the counter much easier as well.

**Abstract painting – Hobby Lobby, $29.99; Hanging towels – World Market, $6.99-$12.99; Light fixture globes – Lowe’s, $6.99 each

Our light fixtures above the mirror were also outdated, and rather than spend a fortune on new light fixtures, I just bought new glass domes for the existing fixtures. The previous domes were frosted glass with a fluted shape, and these clear, plain ones have a cleaner, more modern look. They also put out more light than the frosted ones did.

Another spot in my bathroom that was cluttered and hard to clean was the linen cabinet/shelves. For some reason, I guess I thought I had to have every inch of every shelf filled with something. Getting rid of some things on the shelves helped not only with cleaning, but also with making the room feel a little bigger.

**Bracelet holder – Target, $12.99; Wooden tray – Amazon, $4.99

The last room I’ve “refreshed” so far is our master bedroom. It was already pretty clutter-free, but the bedding we had was a darker color, making the room feel smaller and not very “Spring-like.” We had a paisley print Pottery Barn bedding set since we got married almost 15 years ago, and while it was still in very good shape, it was time for a “refresh!”

If I was going to get a new bedding set, I was NOT going to get another duvet cover! They are beautiful and more expensive and all, but they sure are hard work when making the bed! I even had the clips in ours that are supposed to hold the duvet cover in place over the down comforter, but it would still slip down and get out of whack.

I looked online and in stores for WEEKS, and every comforter set I found in my price range was super busy-looking, with a ton of pattern and color. I was looking for something simple, lighter-colored, and super comfortable. Just when I had given up hope I found this one at Target! This is the softest comforter I’ve ever felt, with the material feeling like an old t-shirt. It’s also thick enough to give it some “pouf,” but not heavy so it doesn’t suffocate you on warm nights.

It’s an off-white color with light blue stripes, and a cognac-brown color trim. The lighter color makes the room feel larger, and the simplicity of the pattern makes it feel calm and relaxing when you walk into the room. And did I mention how soft it is?!?

**King comforter set with pillow shams – Target, $89.99; Faux leather pillow covers – Amazon, $9.99 each; Lumbar pillow – World Market, $14.99

Another reason I chose this bedding (besides how soft it is!) is because of the blue stripes. I already had the blue color in our bedroom with curtains and throw pillows/blanket on my reading chair, so it tied in perfectly without having to change out other colors.

**Curtains – Bed Bath & Beyond; Reading lamp -Target; Monogrammed throw pillow – Ballard Designs (I’ve had all of this so long that I don’t remember prices, sorry!)

So for around $200-$300, I was able to “refresh” my house and make it feel like a whole new space. Some people think you have to paint walls, buy new furniture, or replace countertops to make a space feel new and different, but just a little decluttering can accomplish the same feeling.

So when you’re doing your Spring cleaning this year, try rearranging some things. Try donating or selling some things that don’t inspire you anymore to make room for something new that does. Try decluttering countertops to make cleaning easier and give you a calmer feeling when you walk into the room. Your home should be a relaxing place that you love coming home to at the end of the day!

Thanks y’all!

-Nikki