The year 2023 means it’s time to take the reins and really make your home what you want it to be. Are you feeling stuck inside this winter? That means it’s the ideal time to put work into your home and really get it ready for spring. It’s a fresh year, so you may as well jump and make those additions you’ve always been wanting.

Take a peek at some of these advancements you can apply at home that’ll take your living space to the next level. Maybe you prefer a more minimalist look with clean, blank slates to work with, while others may want to add quirky touches with paint and hanging indoor plants to their home. If your New Year’s resolution is to better care for yourself, updating your bathroom may give you the recluse you’ve been looking for. Keep reading to spark some ideas of modern home renovations that will make your life easier, and can all be completed before winter is up!

1. Transform Your Backyard 

Having multi-functional spaces and utilizing your property to its fullest is going to take the stage when designing spaces in 2023. One thing guaranteed to boost your home’s uniqueness is transforming your backyard with an enclosed patio, deck, or dining area.

Opting for an outdoor living space that’s enclosed offers many perks. It allows you to have easy access to fresh air and an intimate escape to nature at your own home. Getting outside, especially in the wintertime significantly helps with mental health, and can alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Having this outlet to nature will allow you to enjoy the beauty from the warmth and comfort of your deck or patio. The perfect addition to a room like this is heated floors to keep the warmth flowing up from your feet.

To use your enclosed space during winter, you’ll want to insulate it well, add energy-efficient windows, and even purchase some large indoor space heaters. The look of floor-to-ceiling windows is in right now, making your space feel bigger and enhancing your view. Distinctive touches like putting in a gas fireplace or an indoor-outdoor fireplace can be another way to bring warmth and comfort to your enclosed space.

Whether you want a relaxation room to watch the snow fall or plan on hosting guests for a hearty meal, having an enclosed outdoor option is a popular, unique trend that will really take your space to the next level.

2. Think About Seamless Transitions

Similar to the look of an infinity pool, seamless transitions are a look that won’t be going out of style. It’s a popular look going into 2023 to make any room in your home have a bigger, more spacious feel without the hassle of taking out walls. Adding touches like these is easy to complete during the wintertime while you’re all cooped up. Keep reading for some of our favorite trends to modernize your space from inside your home.

Curbless showers are currently on the up and up, with their ability to maximize your space and make your bathroom have a more luxurious feel. The idea is for your shower space to blend into the rest of the room with one solid waterproof tile, and can be open with no door, or closed off with floor-to-ceiling glass doors. This type of shower style has become increasingly popular because of its lack of a ledge or step into the shower. Your drain and shower head will be placed an appropriate distance from each other to ensure proper drainage, protecting the dry half of your bathroom and creating an open and luxurious feel. This will give you a great recluse for wintertime.

A waterfall edge countertop is another option for your home that’ll make any room look bigger and sleeker. This style uses one material and pattern from your countertops, all the way down to the floor. It’s popular for its appearance that seemingly drops off or extends on forever. Some popular seamless countertop additions we’ve seen lie in kitchen counters and islands, bathroom counters, and even a weather-resistant island for a backyard kitchen area.

Wherever you decide to enhance your space with a sleek feel, consider splurging for that waterfall edge on your counters and eliminating curbs and ridges in your shower entrances for that never-ending seamless look.

3. Enhance The Kitchen

While you’re at it, consider adding more room for organization in your kitchen. This is a space you’ll always be in, whether it’s cooking, mingling with guests, or spending time with family. You’ll be even more likely to enjoy it if it serves your needs and makes your life easier. You may be drawn to the addition of a kitchen island, with the same waterfall flowing edge. Islands are popular as they bring an extra dimension, room for dicing and prepping meals, and seating for guests so you can utilize your kitchen for hosting, not just cooking.

If you’re in search of a functional space and enjoy hosting guests, a popular addition to kitchens is a coffee/bar cart, or baker’s rack. This adds separate space for ingredients to make guests drinks, craft your morning latte, and even house your collection of wine with a wine rack. Here, you can store your wine carrier, cork removers, garnishes, and set up an area for guests to help themselves to drinks. Oftentimes, these bar carts are mobile, meaning you can change the design of the room by moving it wherever it works best.

4. Bring In Natural Light 

One must when it comes to a winter renovation is upgrading to energy-efficient windows. This will keep your home toasty warm in the winter and is a quick and easy replacement. It’ll also equate to a lower energy bill for your home when it matters most, as opposed to waiting to replace them during the springtime. Luckily for you, if this is an improvement you’re leaning towards, you may be able to get a tax credit for your energy-efficient replacements. As of January 1st, 2023, if you update your windows, doors, and even some skylights, you may be eligible for tax credits of up to $600.

While replacing the windows in your home, you may want to consider adding more areas of natural light such as skylights. Skylights are a wonderful addition to bring natural light into the home, another combat to the winter blues. Some of our favorite areas of the home to bring natural light to are the bathroom, bedroom, and hallways. You want your home to feel as spacious as possible, and skylights are the perfect addition without having to renovate the room and expand. In addition, the enhancement of a few skylights will boost your home’s value, as it’s considered a unique and luxurious addition to your average home.

5. Keep Clean in Small Spaces

Designing a multi-functional room is a smart way to save space if you don’t have it. A popular combination is creating a laundry room/mudroom to store coats, jackets, shoes, and other outerwear that clutters up your home. This way, you’re consolidating where dirt and mud is tracked through your home, and you can shed wet shoes and muddy clothes right where the laundry is.

By expanding one part of your home to create a mudroom, you’re freeing up other closet space for storage of seasonal decorations, extra furniture, and personal clutter to free up bedrooms. When working with a smaller space, it’s essential to make the most of what you have and minimize clutter. Adding shelving and folding storage bins can create organization solutions for your mudroom. You can even choose between sizes, such as mini, medium, or large depending on your family’s needs.

To make your mudroom that much more amazing, stackable washers and dryers will be your best friend. They’re becoming increasingly popular because they make small spaces more functional. They stack on top of each other, not taking up too much room, allowing you to have a laundry room even if it has to be combined with the bathroom or mudroom.

By creating such a space, you’ll be prepared when spring rolls around and everything is defrosting from winter. This is a simple renovation to complete now because you won’t have to be outdoors, and you’re preventing your family from bringing the winter weather inside with them.

Determine Financing 

These types of renovations may be a more costly option for your home, however, the value they bring is undeniable. For many, money may be tight right after the holidays, and financing updates in your home for the new year may seem unattainable. If you’ve got the money to spend, but don’t want to use your savings, finding an alternative route for funds may be the solution for you.

For some homeowners, a home equity line of credit option can help them afford renovations such as these. This option provides funds as needed for a variety of things, not just home improvements, but the interest becomes tax-deductible once used for upgrades to your home. You’re essentially borrowing the amount you’ll need from the equity you’ve already built in your home. Alternatively, you could fall back on a cash-out-refinance by taking out a new mortgage, paying off your old one, and cashing out the extra funds. If money is tight, you can rely on these options to create the space you enjoy in your home.

Whatever you decide is the best route to take for updating your home this winter, be smart about it. If your energy bills are historically high during the chilly winter months, opt for replacing your home’s drafty windows to bring that bill down and add comfort to your space. If you have a busy family, you may want to set yourself up for success by expanding your mudroom and maximizing laundry space. The important thing about renovating your home is that your updates will make your life easier, and your home more functional. Take the start of 2023 as your opportunity to make your home a space you love even more.

Get your life organized with meori.com! We create classy storage bags and bins to make your house a happy home. Check out the full meori blog , “Organize Life” including specific ideas on how to organize your home room by room.