5-Minute Room Refreshers: Instant Updates that Make a Big Impact

What keeps you from decorating your home for a new season? I bet it could be the fear of overwhelm – the fear that it will take hours and hours to give your home a fresh seasonal look. I have a list of tips for 5-minute room refreshers to help you decorate your home for the seasons in no time.

What if you could eat this elephant in small bites? You can do anything in small bites of time. Get in the “5-minute mindset” with these tips.

Set a kitchen timer. Give yourself 5 minutes to accomplish one small thing. If you don’t finish, that’s OK. Just continue at your next 5-minute session. 

Tips for 5-Minute Home Decor Updates

These 5-minute ideas can help you update your home using snippets of time. Take advantage of 5-minute intervals to get your home in shape for the fall season – or any season.

Simple ways to transform a part of a room, one step at a time, will help you get your home ready without the stress. Here are times to take advantage of.

5-Minute Opportunities

source: House Digest

• While waiting for water to boil – add a tray to the counter and add cute seasonal coffee mugs
• While the kids finish breakfast – rearrange a segment of the kitchen counter
• While on hold with the . . . . – put the phone on speaker and pick one quick swap out
• Waiting for the kids to get home from school – tackle a quick room refresh
• While the kids are doing homework – straighten up magazines or books in a decorative arrangement
• While the coffee brews – change out the decorative dish towels
• During TV commercial breaks – change the scented candles in the living room
• While dinner is in the oven – rearrange plates or glassware in the cabinets
• Before guests arrive – create a quick welcoming vignette
• Sunday morning routine – pick one room for a 5-minute refresh
• Before your morning shower – quickly move bathroom accessories or swap out candles
• While the kids are getting ready for school – flip books from vertical to horizontal stacks in the living room or visa versa
• During your lunch break – if working from home, refresh your workspace or nearby room
• Before bed – end your day by creating tomorrow’s fresh bedroom vignette – move items between nightstands

source: Nina Hendricks

Easy 5-Minute Tips in General

Some general decorative updates remain constant throughout your home, regardless of the room you are in.

source: Caitlin Marie Design

• Swap lamps between the bedroom and the living room for a fresh update or switch lamps between end tables and sofa tables or a console table
• Change out the color of books on the bookcase (pastels to shades of beige, brown, cream, and taupe)
• Rearrange books between the living room and the bedroom and the coffee table
• Turn books from vertical to stacks of 2-3 with a small object on top
• Flip or rotate area rugs 90 degrees for an instant new perspective
• Move mirrors from one room to another (bedroom mirror to hallway, bathroom mirror to bedroom)
• Switch out drawer pulls or cabinet knobs you already own between rooms

Room-by-Room Quick Fixes

The key to accomplishing these 5-minute transformations is to take one room or even one part of a room at a time.

Living Room

For example, in the living room, you have the mantel, the coffee table, a bookcase, side tables, or console tables.

source: Bluesky at Home

• Swap pillow covers for fall patterns and color
• Create a new coffee table vignette

source: Life with NitraAB

• Swap out the placement of artwork or change the artwork completely with fall prints
• Rearrange furniture accessories like decorative bowls or trays between the coffee table and side tables
• Rearrange a few shelves on your bookcase

source: The Beauty Revival

Bedroom

source: One Kin Design

• Switch nightstand items between sides
• Change out the bedding (comforter, sheets, throw pillows or bedskirt)
• Move a chair from one corner to another
• Create a small reading area in a corner with a small chair and a small table
• Add a plant by a window
• Add a plaid throw across the bed

Kitchen

source: Life with Mar

• Swap out dish towels
• Rearrange counter accessories
• Add a fresh or faux fall simple flower arrangement
• Move small appliances to different counter spots or remove appliances to cabinets or drawers
• Swap out placemats or table runners in the breakfast room

source: BCStone

Bathroom

source: Sunny Side Up

• Add new hand towels or switch to a fall color palette
• Switch out candles for fall scents
• Reorganize toiletries into different containers
• Add a tray to corral items such as perfume, makeup or jewelry
• Add a small stool/plant stand with greenery

source: The Mixxery

Tips for Shopping Your Own Home

Before spending a penny on new items, take inventory of each room. Make a list of accessories you have and ones you need.

source: Quiet Minimal

Decide which room you would like to tackle first. But don’t forget to take advantage of those 5-minute time frames: if you’re in the kitchen, make use of those 5-minute segments.

• Shop your home for accessories to rearrange
• Gather items that will work well in multiple spaces (candles, small plants, books, baskets, trays)
• Create instant collections from scattered items
• Move accessories and furniture from one room to another

Visual Impact Principles

Interior design is built on long-held tried and true principles that, if followed, will make decorating your home easier and more successful.

• Remember the “rule of three” for groupings
• Use the “odd number rule” – groups of 1, 3, 5, or 7 items feel more natural than even numbers
• Create imaginary triangle compositions with your groupings
• Vary the heights in your arrangements
• Repeat one accent color in 3 places
• Repeat patterns in different materials
• Try to mix textures and materials

source: The Turquoise Home

More Quick Seasonal Makeover Ideas

• Fall Mantel Makeover
• Easy Fall-Inspired Vignette
• Steps to Styling a Glass Vase for Fall

Want to have a list of these 5-minute decorating tips? An easy checklist to help you keep on track? Then grab this FREE PRINTABLE to help you. CLICK on the Image BELOW.

Pin this Post to keep the information for reference. Check out these Pinterest Boards: Fall Decor, Autumn Ideas, Home Decor for more great ideas.