Commentary by Vicky Earley

When I start the design process with a new home owner, I always ask the question “What was the moment when you knew that this house was the one?”

Often times it is a dream kitchen that turns a looker into a buyer. Sometimes it is an incredible view from a window. Other times it is as simple as a practical list of needs that are met.

Regardless, the days and weeks that led up to the moment when the keys cross a closing table are filled with preparation and plans on how you could decorate this new house and truly make it your home. Images from Houzz are coveted and inspirations photos fill the iPad.

If you are like most, you move in, life happens and you’re your hopes and dreams for this home are pushed to a date in the future. Much of your home remains the way it was on move in day.

Before your home lapses into mediocrity, consider that there are some things that can help rekindle the dreams that were left at the threshold on moving day. Here are some steps to begin with that don’t require huge sums of money for remodeling.

If your new home is more than 12 years old, update the light fixtures. I promise that when bright brass returns as a style, it won’t look like the fixture that has been hanging in the dining room since 1990.

Update plumbing fixtures. It is amazing what a modern faucet can do to a powder room or a kitchen sink

If you still have the original builder beige wall, jump in the deep end and start rolling the color.

If the bedding in your master bedroom was once marketed as a “Bed in a Bag”… bag it and purchase grown up bedding. You deserve a lovely retreat.

Lose the half-alive (aka almost dead) plants in your home. If you are attached to the plants, remember that they are not pets … they are mere vegetation. If it hurts too much to bury them in the trash, relocate them to the laundry room and declare it the Intensive Care Unit.

If the house that you purchased came with vertical blinds, consider ditching them and let the sun shine through your sparkling clean windows.

Eliminate clutter. Nothing feels better than a home that is tidy and organized. An overdose of accessory do-dads will weigh a room down and do nothing toward style.

Move your furniture around and edit with creativity. Just because you have always had a sofa and loveseat does not mean you must continue that tradition adinfinitum. Get creative. Ditch a worn out loveseat and replace with a daybed or a chair for two.

Paint the front door. It is a quick, easy project. Every time you put the key in the lock, you will be reminded that this home is special.