The most satisfying home projects are ones that can be accomplished relatively quickly and that make a big difference when they are done! In the face of uncertainty and change, especially, creating a home that is a safe and welcoming haven is SO important! Here are some ideas for small changes with big impact to create a welcoming feel.

Paint the Front Door

Paint is, by far, one of the easiest and least expensive ways to make a big impact, and now is the perfect season to paint the front door a cheery or elegant color. And PLEASE, if you have a storm door, paint it the same color as the door. Too many times I see the storm door left in the white that it came in on top of a pretty colored door - it frames and reduces the size of the front door visually making it look stingy instead of welcoming and generous. Stumped for what door color to choose to go with your house colors? THIS post has the answers along with 10 gorgeous front door colors. And don’t forget, you can paint the interior of your door a contrasting color too for a standout statement in your foyer! Be sure your door color doesn’t clash with your foyer colors - it will be an important part of the transition into the room when the door is open!

Celebrate your new door color with a new welcome mat like one of these (click on the letter in the legend for more info)

Change your Lighting

The right lighting makes a HUGE difference in the mood of a room - even an outdoor room. The right light bulbs are the fastest route to better lighting - check out THIS post for what you need to know to choose the right option. Or maybe you already have the right light bulbs but need to add dimmers. Bright light is great for tasks like cleaning or cooking, or grooming - I mean if you’ve resorted to cutting your own hair or tweezing anything, you NEED bright light, but it is not so desirable for a relaxing soak in the tub, or leisurely dining, or binge-watching Netflix, so having the ability to dim your overhead or sconce lighting is a great way to immediately impact the mood of the room. Or maybe you just need more lamps to light the corners of your room so they don’t look dark and forbidding after sundown. THIS is a primer on how to choose the right lamp (and some NOT to choose)!

Need a lamp? Here are 3 options (click on letters in legend for more info)

Decorate a Naked Wall

If you have a featureless blank wall or one with your artwork just hung randomly on the hooks that happened to be there when you moved in, then now is the time to take a critical look around and shop your house for things to create an arrangement that brings joy and infuses your room with some personality. PRO TIP: it doesn’t have to be fine art! A collection of prints, or a changing gallery of kids artwork, can be a fun project. Use different but coordinating frames and arrange your pieces in a balanced composition, OR hang a series of identically framed prints (say from a vintage calendar, or book illustrations, or seed packets) in a grid.

If your blank wall is above a piece of furniture, a good rule of thumb is to fill the wall space at least 2/3 of the width of the furniture and to start the arrangement no more than 8” to 12” above the furniture so it all becomes part of the composition. THIS post has some ideas for items other than art you can use to create a wall arrangement. And THIS one has some do’s and don’ts of how and where to hang your items. Another option is to add a large scale mural paper to a feature wall for instant impact. We’re working on a wall decor project for a naked wall in our Spring One Room Challenge bedroom makeover coming up, and it’s going to be epic!

Custom framing is fabulous because you can get exactly what you want, but it can add up quickly. If you are stumped for frames, the ones below are great looking, come in a variety of sizes and finishes, and are reasonably priced (click on the letters in the legend for options and pricing):

Small changes will yield big benefits in the feel of your home!