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10 Tips to fall in love with your home, all over again 

 "Let's buy a new house, darling" says the husband, "What!!!! With a 700 beacon score, no credit card debt and only 20% down??? Don't be ridiculous dear, we'll never get a mortgage!!!' says his wife.

Of course we are exaggerating the current economic situation, however, the reality for most of us is if we are thinking of a new house, it is time to concentrate on refreshing our current home, to give it that new home look and feel.

Remember the days when you purchased 1, maybe 2 houses in your lifetime? Remember when your parents looked at their house as a home for the family, and couldn't wait to improve that house at any given opportunity? It almost felt like your parents were nurturing a child, trying to improve it whenever they could, getting frustrated when it let you down, costing you money at every turn, but always had their love. Well how times have changed. Over the last few years, we have eagerly watched the real estate market increase, and rubbed our hands in glee as our house prices increased week by week. We started to look at our homes as cash cows, instead of a ‘home'.

Well our hand has been forced, a decision has been made for us and it is time to fall in love with your house, maybe for the first time, maybe all over again.

Here are 10 essential tips on how to reinvent your home and start the love affair afresh:

1.      Paint. This is an easy and fast way to change the look and feel of any room. Pick the  colors that you are attracted to, the colors that make you feel good. Paint is the cheapest and most powerful way to put your personal stamp on your home. (Check out DIY project's ‘How to paint a room'.)

2.      Re-Arrange the Furniture. I wish I had a dollar for every time my wife re-arranged a room, however, one of the things it has taught me, is how you can completely change the look, feel and the purpose of any room with your current furniture.

3.      De-Clutter. I don't know why, but us humans are hoarders!! Ditch some stuff, simplify and let the pieces you leave, shine!

4.      Lighting. Get the right lighting for the room. Define what the room is going to be used for and create the lighting for the room. Mood lighting to make the room feel sexier, purpose lighting for tasks (for example; lamps for reading, brighter bulbs for rooms that lack windows). Dimmers are essential in every room to give you full control.

5.      Remodel. Taking down a wall to give more of an open floor plan feel will definitely give you that new home feel. Look at your existing floor plan and see which rooms you would like to have a flow through. Remember that considering adding columns or a support beam, no longer restricts which walls have to stay.

6.      Re-Purpose/Define a Room. Change the uses of your rooms. (For Example: Most of us have a living and family room; switch it around. Decipher which room you watch the most TV in and turn that room into the media room; wall mount your TV, add a surround sound system, put in comfier chairs).

7.      Use of Cool New Products. When redecorating, look at what's new out there. The Little Green Notebook is dedicated to bringing you the latest and coolest new products on the market - check out the ‘Cool Products and Materials' section, for ideas.

8.      Flooring. What a difference this can make. Switching out your floors will transform your home and there are many options to choose from. Concrete floors / Hardwood Floors (many different options here; Bamboo, Cherry, Oak, Birch, Maple to name a few) / Slate Floors / Marble Floors / Tile Floors / Carpet, the list goes on and on.

9.      Exterior. What you can achieve with the outside of your house will depend on where you live, your climate, how much land you have etc, etc. However, spend some time on the simple things. You will love coming home and seeing those changes. (Check out our article ‘Tips to improve your Curb Appeal'.)

10.  Team Effort. Make sure you plan your renovations, redecorating, redesign with the whole family. Everyone has a different view of the room/project currently and may have a different view of what the room/project should be. Hold family meetings to discuss, and then make sure everyone has a job when you renovate. Everyone in the household being involved before, during and after will not only ensure the job gets done quicker, but also gives you great quality time together and of course the savings on labor costs comes in handy as well!

ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY and remember to check out all our articles, ideas, photo galleries and DIY projects to ‘Get Inspiration......Be Inspiration'.