While making a New Year’s resolution can be fun and exciting, sticking with it throughout the year is a different matter. Ask any personal trainer or athletic club and they’ll tell you gym memberships spike in January and plummet thereafter. It’s a universal truth that New Year’s resolutions seem like they’re meant to be broken.
The key to New Year resolution success is to make promises to yourself that are enjoyable, rewarding and offer immediate benefits to you! Star Furniture has been in the home furnishings business for over 100 years. We’ve seen many resolutions come and go. In our experience, these seven home-related resolutions are worth keeping. Give it a go:
Prioritize Your Health
When you think of New Year’s resolutions, you probably think of your friends promising to exercise more, eat better, and drop a few pounds. Striving to live a healthier lifestyle is certainly worth striving toward for people of all ages. On the surface, good health and decorating may seem unrelated, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Your surroundings have a big impact on the way you feel. Houses that are cluttered, outdated, or impractical can contribute to mental health concerns, including stress, anxiety, and depression.
On the other hand, homes that are high-functioning and aesthetically pleasing can help the individuals who live there feel happy and personally satisfied. After all, when your living spaces are beautiful, comfortable, and make performing everyday tasks simple, you have the freedom to do things that make you feel good.
A beautiful, orderly home will set you up for success to spend more time with your family and feel motivated to do activities, such as working out or entertaining guests. Bottom line? Taking the time to design rooms that are stylish and cozy is an investment in your mental health, which can have a positive effect on every other aspect of your life.
Pay Off Your Sleep Debt
One of the best gifts you can give yourself in 2024 is better sleep. If you’re getting less than 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night, you’re accruing sleep debt that you can’t afford.
Getting a good night’s sleep is an essential part of living a healthy, happy life. When you don’t sleep well, you’re more likely to feel tired, irritable, and struggle to perform daily tasks as well as you should. The good news is that you can take concrete steps this new year to help you sleep better and pay off your sleep debt.
For many people, poor sleep hygiene can be directly traced back to their mattress. Whether you realize it or not, the comfort and support of your mattress (or lack thereof) will determine how easily you fall asleep, how often you wake up during the night, and if you wake in the morning feeling refreshed.
Because of this, the new year is a great time to invest in your sleep health by replacing your old, uncomfortable mattress with one that helps you sleep well night after night. If you’re in the market for a quality mattress, Star Furniture has a wide variety to choose from. Keep these tips in mind to ensure that you bring home the right mattress for your particular needs:
- Read reviews online of verified customers to see which mattresses people prefer and why.
- Try out several mattresses in person to find your ideal combination of comfort and support.
- Before purchasing the mattress you like, be sure to look over its warranty and return policy, just in case.
Out With the Old, In With the New
The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to sort through the items in your home that are no longer adding to its visual appeal, comfort, or functionality.
Knowing you should get rid of the excess stuff in your home is one thing, but taking the time to actually declutter your living spaces is quite another. The Star Furniture design team is here to encourage you to not let the past be a burden. Invite a friend over, then commit to sorting through your belongings one piece at a time.
Decluttering can mean different things to different people. Sometimes, it means making room in the trash or taking a trip to the donation center. Other times, it means organizing the pieces that you still need and use. First and foremost, it’s important to be honest about what’s worth keeping and what should be discarded.
Once you’ve parted ways with the belongings that are no longer meeting your family’s needs, it’s a good idea to incorporate practical storage solutions to prevent the clutter from returning. Here are some organizational ideas from the Star Furniture pros:
- Keep your electronics, toys, and other living room essentials neatly tucked away in this classic entertainment center.
- Elevate your dining room or home office with a handsome cabinet or bookshelf to hold books, baskets, photographs, and more.
- Furnishings with built-in storage, such as this lift top coffee table, can help keep your family room tidy day after day.
Entertain More!
One of the lessons of the Covid pandemic is the importance of community. Loneliness is a silent killer. In our post-COVID world, it’s more important than ever to build meaningful relationships with family, friends, and even acquaintances.
How do we create stronger communities? Often, this means opening our doors and welcoming our loved ones and neighbors into our space. Before you send out a dinner invitation to the family next door, it’s important to make sure your home is company-ready.
Regardless of your home’s size, age, or style, taking the time to complete a few small home improvements can help you create spaces that are welcoming and attractive. Keep these ideas in mind from your friendly Star Furniture designers to get your creative juices flowing:
- Make your sofa, dining room chairs, and beds more inviting with decorative throw pillows.
- Create a homemade bar cart with a small table, a collection of glassware, and your favorite libations to ensure your gatherings are fun and festive.
- Ensure your home is sprinkled with comfortable seating options. Consider arranging your seating to encourage conversation between guests.
- Invest in a quality dining room furniture set that will set the stage for memorable dinner parties.
- Notice if the entrance to your home feels welcoming or not. A plush area rug and warm lighting might help create an inviting touch.
With these thoughtful touches, your home will be a place to call your own. Best of all, the good times will roll all year long, even through the winter.
Create Family Meal Rituals
Who wouldn’t love to spend more quality time with their family? If you feel like you, your spouse, and your kids are all moving in different directions day after day, the new year is the perfect time to make a conscious effort, a resolution if you will, to gather around the dining room table for regular family meals. Think of them as family timeouts where connecting with one another takes precedence over everything else, work included.
This resolution is no doubt increasingly difficult in today’s world where parents and kids all seem to have demanding schedules. Family meal rituals aren’t just about enjoying delicious food together; they’re about encouraging direct conversation where each person feels seen, appreciated, and loved. (Establishing a no-device rule at the table makes this easier, by the way).
After you determine the days and times that work best for your crowd, it’s a good idea to consider your dining room decor. If your dining room table set has seen better days, don’t wait to replace it with something that suits your family’s current needs.
Be sure to look for one with plenty of space and that can hold up to the wear and tear that comes with regular use. Likewise, your dining room chairs should be as comfy as they are stylish. For everything you need to create the family-friendly dining room of your dreams, the trusted Star Furniture team can help.
Collect Pieces You Love
Your home should be a reflection of your personal taste, personality, and interests. Sure, looking at home decor sites, shows, and stores for inspiration is a great way to discover popular decorating trends, but they should never prevent you from incorporating your own touch into your home.
If every room in your house isn’t filled with pieces that are meaningful to you or bring you joy, it’s time to make some changes in the new year. The good news is that this is one New Year’s resolution that doesn’t have to be completed overnight or cost a lot of money.
On the contrary, you can spend 2024 carefully searching for and slowly adding to your current living spaces. By the end of the year, you may be surprised by how much more personal, interesting, and cheerful your home feels with pieces that you love. Some ways to personalize your living spaces this year include:
- Hang pictures and artwork of people and places you love.
- Put the items you’ve collected from your travels on display, such as on a shelf or as a centerpiece on your coffee table.
- Use surprising items to elevate your walls, such as hats, baskets, or guitars.
- Select new furniture pieces with care and intention with help from a Star Furniture pro.
Follow Your Rainbow
Every year, new color palettes and combinations come and go. While these can act as a guide that inspires you when decorating your living spaces, they certainly shouldn’t be the final say on how you curate your home. At the end of the day, the colors that you should use to decorate your house are the ones that are pleasing to you and your family.
Like a rainbow, any color is fair game when it comes to putting together inviting living spaces. With this in mind, don’t be afraid to explore different color schemes and play with color combinations to find the ones that work best for you.
When your home is adorned in colors that make you feel comfortable and happy, you’ll look forward to spending time and entertaining there. Here are some simple ways to play with color in every room of your house:
- Highlight one color through a room (or several rooms) with everything from accent pillows and wall art to fresh flowers and accessories.
- Create an accent wall using an eye-catching color or fun wallpaper to make the space feel polished and put together.
- In place of ordinary neutrals, use soft colors, such as green, blue, or yellow, to bring more depth and visual intrigue to a room.
- Go big with dramatic pops of color or color combos, such as high-contrast black and white furnishings.
Make 2024 the Best Year Yet with Help From Star Furniture
At Star Furniture, our experienced interior design team wants to make 2024 your best year yet! No matter what your New Year’s resolution may be, we’re eager to help you see it through. With our large selection of quality furnishings and unique accessories, we can help you put together a home that you’ll be proud to call your own this year and beyond.
Check out our social media sites to find inspiration for your own living spaces, then stop by our convenient showroom location to find everything you need to bring your decorating dreams to life. With a little help and the right furnishings, you won’t believe how easy and fun redecorating your home can be!