6 home projects to brighten the new year – Beaumont Enterprise

Houston interior designer Courtnay Tartt Elias installed this whimsical wallpaper of oysters and lemon wedges in the kitchen pantry of a client's home.

Houston interior designer Courtnay Tartt Elias installed this whimsical wallpaper of oysters and lemon wedges in the kitchen pantry of a client's home.

Photo: Julie Soefer / Julie Soefer /

Houston interior designer Courtnay Tartt Elias installed this whimsical wallpaper of oysters and lemon wedges in the kitchen pantry of a client's home.

Houston interior designer Courtnay Tartt Elias installed this whimsical wallpaper of oysters and lemon wedges in the kitchen pantry of a client's home.

6 home projects to brighten the new year

You dont have to build a new house or launch a whole-home remodeling project to live in a more functional and stylish space. There are plenty of things you can do on a smaller scale to better enjoy the place where you live.

Here are six ideas for 2020, if youd like to try something new at home.

Replace your front door

Everyone knows about curb appeal: keeping a nicely landscaped front yard, a decent front door and an inviting porch or entrance. This year, consider refreshing or replacing your front door.

Missy Stewart of Missy Stewart Designs recalls one client who had her refresh the exterior of their home in a remodeling project. The tan stucco became white and old windows with mullions painted tan were swapped out with single-sash windows with black frames. An arched entrance to the porch was squared off and covered in planks of wood for a more contemporary look, and the new door reflected the same, while still having a thin vertical window to see out.

Even if you dont want or need to change your whole entrance, a new door or even a new door color can make everything seem a little fresher. Stewart advises using a favorite color, which will provide a glimpse into your personality. (Hers is Sherwin-Williams Dignity Blue.) Looking for something modern? Try a metal door with a large glass panel.

Refresh your bedroom

New bedding can instantly change the look of your bedroom. A comforter, quilt or duvet with new sheets, shams and decorative pillows range in price, too, from discontinued patterns youll find at discount stores to luxury bedding. And if you havent bought a new mattress in several years, consider replacing that, as well. Youll be amazed at how much better you sleep.

Get rid of your light box

Anyone living in a production home built in the 1980s or 1990s maybe even some newer that that could have a big light box filled with unflattering fluorescent tubes over their kitchen island.

Interior designer Lynne T. Jones of Lynne T. Jones Interior Design had a light box, too, and one day decided she was done with it. She bought pendant lights, hired a contractor and had him remove the box to install the new lights, add sheetrock over the hole and then paint the ceiling. Her Facebook post on the transformation inspired me to do the same in my own home, and I love the new look.

Its an instant upgrade for your kitchen, and you can find attractive pendants in a variety of styles and price points. Hire a contractor or even a skilled handy man, and its a project that can be completed in a single day, yet make your kitchen look dramatically different.

Reinvent your laundry room

The It room for 2020 surely will be the laundry room, a space that many designers are holding to the jewel-box status relegated to powder rooms. Theyre opting for nice stone counters, designer lighting, bold paint colors and, sometimes, wallpaper. At the very least, paint it your secret favorite color and add nice hardware to cabinet doors and drawers because if you have to spend time doing laundry, do it with style.

Wallpaper your pantry

Amid the trend of all-white kitchens and soft neutrals in every room, home dcor can get a little boring. Inject a pop of color and pattern in a place that will make you just a bit happier every time you enter: your pantry. Its usually a smaller space, so it wont cost a fortune or take a lot of time. The only inconvenience is that youll need to empty out your pantry though that might also be a good time to check the expiration date on canned goods and invest in some matching storage containers.

Use all of your home

Do you use every room in your home? If not, or if theres a room that you barely use an extra bedroom perhaps, a formal dining room or even an upstairs den where you store mismatched furniture consider converting that room into something youll need. A few ideas: Turn the den into a craft center, the extra bedroom into a home gym, the dining room into a quiet reading room, a lounge, wine room or even a stylish office.

diane.cowen@chron.com

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6 home projects to brighten the new year - Beaumont Enterprise