Yesterday I was just dying to refresh rooms by changing little things. I felt that some areas just had too much stuff and I needed to edit and declutter.
So I started with one short wall.
Also, I’m thinking forward to the holidays and I haven’t decorated this apartment for Christmas yet, as I moved in at the end of January. So I began wondering where I might put a Christmas tree.
And the weather is still hot! But that’s what people who love their homes do. They tend to think ahead and decorate in spurts.
I pretty much figured out that my Christmas tree would probably work best in the corner on the other side of the fireplace.
However, I’m still getting around on the knee scooter, which makes things hard to move around.
But I figured out a way as I always do. I got down on the floor and crawled. Where there’s a will, I promise you there’s a way!
This knee boot is cumbersome and awkward, but I managed.
I added my vintage bottles on the cupboard so I could look at them properly. They were sort of behind my chair, and I couldn’t see them well there.
Ever wonder what I keep in this cupboard?
Extension cords, light bulbs, and batteries. It’s handy to have them right there and then I don’t have to go looking for them.
So I got that side of the wall somewhat decluttered and moved on to the kitchen.
Rearranging Counter Tops:
A really quick pick-me-up in decorating is to rearrange your kitchen counter tops.
Use a cutting board for a base and arrange things you use on top of it. Now if I had lots of counter space, I’d probably add more decorative items, but I simply don’t.
The only thing in the above photo that I don’t use, but that goes in a kitchen, is the vintage hand mixer like they used in the old days to mix up desserts and such.
Of course I got it because it had a red handle.
It takes about 10 minutes to rearrange your kitchen counter top. And it’s fun to get a bit of a different look. A refreshed look. I like to rearrange my open cabinets as well.
Everything on this side of my sink has to work with my little lamp. I must have lamps instead of overhead light. I hate glaring overhead light and almost never use it.
Although when my daughters come over to eat lunch or supper, they tend to turn on all the overhead lights. And as soon as they’re gone, I turn them all off!
I’m more of a get-around-in-the-semi-dark kind of gal rather than light the place up with overhead lights. I even use a lamp in my bathroom.
Add a lamp and you have an instant dose of cozy ambiance with the warm lighting.
Another day I’ll talk about the spacing of your lamps and how much light you need in specific places in your home.
I prefer lamp light, too, but I like a lot of light. The bottles look great on the cupboard. Sometimes I’m amazed at how how the smallest changes can bring us the most cheer!
I much prefer lamps to overhead lighting, too. The only room we have overhead lighting in is the kitchen – recessed into the ceiling. I do have to turn those on while cooking though as the kitchen doesn’t get much natural light and the little lamp on my counter just doesn’t do it. I look forward to the day when my kitchen can get redone and I get lighting underneath the cabinets.
Just lamps, please!!! I agree!!! The vintage bottles in front of the quilt look terrific – love the look! I enjoy tweaking and editing too.
I am the total opposite! I love bright light! I want it to be like there sun turned on in my house, lol! My kids are divided. One likes bright lights and there other likes less lights, more cozy. I don’t usually change things up to often in my house, unless it’s a holiday. Then I’ll take down my normal decorations and put up my holiday decorations, then switch it right back after the holiday. Only sometimes do I get the desire to move things around.
I am the same way Laura!
When my brother comes over he always asks me why it’s so dark in my living room! I have my curtains open with the sun shining in! I don’t need a light on during the daytime! Lol
I like my overhead lights on esp in the kitchen when I’m cooking or baking.
I’m with you on lighting in my home. For more than 45 years I worked under ugly fluorescent lighting and hated it. At home I would use 40 watt bulbs max (that was in the days before the “efficient” light bulbs) but mostly sat in the dark with maybe one small 20 watt lamp on. Over the years I’ve stashed away enough 60/40/25 watt and the little 4 watt light bulbs for night lights to use in my old fashioned lamps for the rest of my life, LOL. I have lights on during limited periods: (1) if I have guests over and they mention that my house is “a little dark”; (2) if I wake up in the morning and it looks dark in the house due to storming or storm clouds. I use focused lighting for reading. When I was working and still putting on make-up every morning I had 120 watts above the bathroom mirror so I could see close-up what I was doing with my face, OY! These days, it’s a 40 watt bulb that switches on separately apart from the lights above the bathroom mirror but more often than not, I just turn on the 4 watt night light if I’m going into the bathroom to do my business. But guests can use whatever light they feel most comfortable with in the bathroom. I use two small lamps on my kitchen countertops and sometimes the light on the stove when I’m doing meal prep/cooking. If I’m washing dishes at night (happens rarely), I will turn on the light above the kitchen sink, which contains one 40 watt bulb. When I entertain for dinner I use candlelight, not overhead lighting. My guests love dinners by candlelight. At night a 25 watt bulb gets turned on in one of my two bedroom lamps and if I’m not reading, I sit in the dark because I’m streaming shows, videos or movies on the computer.
During the day when I watch a movie, I close the curtains and sit in the dark to watch them.
Until I had cataract surgery I used lamps and not the over head lights. Now I need more light. It has taken me over a year to adjust to my vision. It switched and now I keep reading glasses every where. I just reach for them when I need to see up close. My vision was very good before except in the distance. I could go all around my home with no glasses. Now I can see in the distance even when I am driving. I have always had to wear glasses for the distance. Like I said it has been an adjustment.
I just had my surgery and now 20/20 and drive without glasses but still wearing my old prescription to see up close. Finally see optometrist next week and can’t wait so I can read things again and paint. It is amazing though.
It is amazing. I’d never been able to not wear glasses and drive before.
My last after surgery appointment is in October. There are times I cannot set up close even wearing reading glasses. I have double vision so lots of times I close one eye and I can see in the distance. It would be easier if I had progressive lens lenses.
I had mine done in 2018 and it is an adjustment. I’d worn glasses all my life and couldn’t see clearly past the end of my stretched-out arm.
It is quite a change.
I had to smile when you wrote that your daughters turn on the overhead lights. Usually when one of our boys comes over, he’ll always ask, why is it so dark in here? He knows we don’t like the bright ceiling light, but has to ask us that anyway. We too, just use lamps during the day, and at night too. I hate the glare of the ceiling lights as you do. I like the “cozy” look.
My daughters come, say the very same thing, then turn on the overhead lights.
If the overhead lights are too bright then it is like being on the beach.
Oh Brenda, that vintage hand mixer brought back so many memories of my mother! I think they all had red handles and the one we had was missing some of the red paint from overuse!
I found that one on eBay I think.
Big or small changes make such a difference about how we feel and/or what we think. I love the small changes you’ve made.
I don’t care for overhead lights either. I have a small lamp in the bathroom, as well.
Enjoy your Fri-YAY, Brenda! 🙂
Yep, it’s Friday once again!