New Year, new home look: What to change

When the New Year draws in, celebrations are the in-thing and in most areas, it is a party after party mood. Most parties are in-house so some home owners seek to create a new look for their homes as they usher in the New Year.
Others will go further to seek ideas from interior designers, architects among others. It is a culture in some homes that they will go an extra-mile to change the furniture, infrastructure outlook and other house properties or opt to buy a new house.
The trend is not new and history cites the Mexican ancient Aztecs who used to burn their mats and other fabrics in their houses at the beginning of the New Year, as fire was considered a form of cleansing. They would then take the clean, new fire to their homes to light their hearths.
Monicah Kitaka, an interior designer, suggests that it is definitely advisable to give a new look to your home after a year regardless of your focus and budget.
“It is not all about celebrations but in the long run several things have to be adjusted either in set-up or physical infrastructure,” Kitaka adds.
Kitaka points out areas like the kitchen, which sometimes get messy in the course of the year.
She says you need to work on the sink, tiles and walls to give it a new look. Here are a few ideas on what you can do to give your home a new look.

Painting
Rogers Odiambo, a self-employed painter in Salaama Munyonyo, believes painting your home is the best and the quickest way to adjust a house and perhaps give it a fresh look.
He adds that painting is not only good for enhancing the beauty of a house, but also the most important way to preserve and give a house a new look.
He adds that each year, the weather might change given the current condition of climate change. “January might be hot so that means you have to get rid of dull colours.
“It also serves as defence against insects and other damage, so it’s important to paint as an aspect of home maintenance,” he adds.
Odiambo says you might have a timeline when you want to re-paint your home but end of year is ideal since you are home and are able to advise and make adjustments as well.

Change interior properties
After a busy Christmas and perhaps much spending, home becomes the coolest hotspot to hang out in January and all you have to do is adjust the outlook of the interior.
Hawa Bukirwa, an interior designer, says: “Whether you’re changing only the blinds, few changes or adjustments can give a new look to your home and sometimes create space without much spending.”
She says placing new curtains in the living room can transform the entire room and she advises that you look for a unique print and a vibrant colour.
She notes that similar adjustments or changes can be done on furniture, carpets and mats.
“Sometimes you can simply switch the rooms or change the positions of the furniture but if you can afford to, ditch the old for new” she adds.

Plants
Looking at the décor, she says one needs to prune the plants and introduce new plant types as well to bring more greenery into their home.
“Both the interior and exterior needs a new touch, introduce new flower breeds, prune the available ones and you can as well repaint the pots and vases,” she adds.

Lighting
Annet Alitusabira, a lights expert at Crystal Euro LED lighting, says lighting should be on your menu unlike in the past where lighting was a mere change of bulbs.
“It is a new year and new lights are a good idea. Actually, before completion of all other tasks that is to say furnishing, changing lights is one of the things you need to put in consideration,” she advises.
Alitusabira says something that is often forgotten about, and yet it can have a profound effect on the look and feel of a home, is lighting.
Strategically placed and different coloured lights, lighting ‘scenes’ and landscape lighting can drastically alter the way you feel about your home, how you interact with your home, and according to some, even your mood and health.
She notes that an adjustment, say in garden lights, or interior, may create a new beautiful feel and makes the home look fresh.
She advises that adjustments can be done in outdoor areas changing colours or positions of garden lights, floodlights and for the interior one can work on decorative lights, mirror lights, picture lights, wall brackets add a warm glow of light to create a cozy atmosphere.

Budgeting
He advises that full scale renovation can consume time and money but with a good budget, works can be quickened.
“It is important to remember in budgeting that you cannot overestimate your expenditure. The plan is to effectively budget depending on what you want and in what time, it should be done,” he adds.

Rent or buy a new house
Michael Kinene, a real estate dealer, says the best time to buy or rent a new house is at the beginning of the new year. “It is at this time that buyers are few and sellers are many and so it is with rentals,” he says.