Toss out dead plants and flowers and replace with new, fresh ones in interesting pots or jardinière.

If your rooms are missing something it’s most likely texture, greenery, scale, or focal points. Add texture with two or three new throw blankets in trendy new colors and baskets in a variety of sizes.

Clear out all old newspapers and magazines dated earlier than December 2019. Get a nice deep basket to store them near a main seating area. You can go through them every season and either give them away or recycle them.

Second Week

Rotate and plump up sofa and chair cushions every month. Weekly for feather cushions. It wears the sofa evenly and looks so much better. Instant energy boost.

Add three new 20-inch feather filled throw pillows to your sofa in one designer fabric that really pulls your room together.

Have carpeting and draperies cleaned professionally. Recently I had my dining room slipper chairs professionally cleaned. What a difference.

Third Week

Redecorate your cocktail table with one or two tall stacks of hardbound coffee table books and a pot of good quality faux flowers. I love white hydrangeas. The cocktail table is one of your living room’s focal points and really benefits from this special treatment.

Hire a housekeeper to come in two to four times a month or if it’s not in the budget this year, schedule time to clean it yourself at least twice a month. You will be amazed at how much better the house looks with just a cleaning.

Get fresh candles. They don’t all have to be the $30 scented ones. Most of the candles in my home are inexpensive white 6-inch pillars or small votive candles. But I do burn one or two scented ones daily to drown out some of the pet odors.

Fourth Week

If your lamps look dated and you don’t want to invest in new ones, try replacing just the shade with a white linen one. They run around $25 to $40 each. This tip is especially fun if you have great lamps.

For a whole new look, invest in slipcovers for your two main armchairs and have matching pillows made for the sofa. Choose a fabric that really pulls the room together.

Use colorful artwork or boldly framed mirrors to play up your living room’s natural focal points: the fireplace and built-in bookcases. Place them strategically for visual emphasis.

Fifth Week

Faux plants and floral arrangements need to be cleaned and fluffed up occasionally. I see a lot of dirty, bedraggled faux plants out there. It’s also good to replace them after ten years, especially if they’ve gone out of style. Willows and privets are out. Fig trees are in. Invest in best quality faux.

Kid’s rooms require lots of storage. Baskets and tubs are a great way to get them organized. Set them up for success by creating storage systems and teaching them from an early age to use them. Make clean up a game by singing or whistling or telling stories while you do it. It worked for me when my son was little and with consistency, it will work for you.

Mail is a problem in any home and has a way of accumulating in the kitchen. Stay in control of the paper lion by sorting and tossing daily. Use separate baskets for bills, insurance, taxes, and personal correspondence. Galvanized metal or wicker wall units are great for this job. I like the laundry room for this or home office for this.

Sixth Week

With children at home, it’s even more important to be organized because if you leave things untended, they accumulate like graffiti. You have to stay on top of it. Set a good example and make kids follow suit. You can’t expect kids to clean up after themselves if you can’t do so yourself.

Treat yourself to some new white towels for the bathrooms and white high thread count cotton sheets for your bedrooms. October is a great month for this as the days get cooler and shorter.

Open up your curtains and shades. If your views aren’t nice, invest in sheers that allow light but omit any ugly scenery.

Week Seven

Strive to keep it nice. Once you have your home organized and decorated it’s easier to keep it that way. If you let it get messy, you’ll be back to where you started and that’s no fun.

If you’re looking to make improvements to your home this year updated kitchens, baths, window coverings and flooring are great investments. Many people have put these things off for five years or more and have a “pent up need”.

Remember to keep your choices clean, classic and neutral. White paint, stained woods, wool carpeting, neutral materials and hardwood flooring are timeless choices.