September has always been a transitional month to me. Perhaps it harks back to school days with a fresh set of pencils, a new Trapper Keeper (does anyone else remember those?) and a few new clothes to start off the school year. Despite no longer having 6 or so weeks off (I wish!), that feeling of September being a new beginning has never left. The turn of the leaves, the slightly cooler breeze were always to me a signal of change.

The fact that this week is meant to be a scorcher hasn’t dissuaded me from making a few small changes in my living room. I’m not one to change my home to reflect every season but I realised that my living room hadn’t really changed much since early summer and I just wanted to bring a little bit of warmth back into the space.

The best thing about these kinds of updates is that you don’t actually have to spend a lot of money – or any at all if you don’t want to. So to give this room a little bit of a refresh for the new year, I simply did one thing: I shopped my house.

What do I mean by this? I essentially wander around my house, grabbing cushions, plants and flowers, small accessories – whatever catches my eye really – and see if they may work in new surroundings.

On the sofa, a goats hair throw that had been put away for summer came back out and draped over the back of the sofa. I swapped the cushions that were there and used my DIY bolster cushion from my bed to add some pattern.

For the chairs, a second goats hair rug was thrown on the back. The gold sequin cushions were swapped with these leopard print ones that you may recall from my summer dining table with Halsted Designs. The greens and pinks pick up the colours in the wallpaper.

My maidenhair fern was moved to the kitchen windowsill (it was desperate for a bit more sun) and so in it’s place, I chose this leafy clusia for my coffee table. They need a bit more light so I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it here (!) but I like it in this spot for now. I changed out the stack of books as well, swapping a few for the ones on the smaller table between the hoop chairs.

It’s such a tiny change that it’s probably not noticeable to anyone but myself and adding a few more green plants always makes this room feel a bit more alive.

For the chest of drawers, I added another plant (I think it’s a Kalanchoe pumila but not entirely sure if anyone can confirm or deny, that’d be great!) and swapped the plant that was here with one of the faux floral bouquets that were in my dining room. The only thing I bought for the room was that sweet hammered gold pot from Not on the High Street.

These tiny changes may seen insignificant and in pictures, perhaps it doesn’t look much different in your eyes than what I’ve shared before. But the truth is, that I notice the changes, that the room feels a bit different, a bit more fresh. After a while, I believe you stop seeing your decor when you are staring at it day after day and making tiny changes can make a big difference to enjoying a space again.

Want to make other changes? Consider swapping a rug from one room to the other or changing out your curtains. Small tables can be changed out for ones in other rooms, framed artwork can instantly update a space just by moving it from one room to another. Throws, cushions and books are all really easy swaps. Accessories too. You can do the whole update in less than an hour and who doesn’t like quick, easy and cheap?

So next time you want to give your space a refresh, why not shop the rest of your home?

On Wednesday, I’m going to be sharing a little before and after of this space – not from this year but from 6 years ago when we first moved in! The small changes I’ve made over the years have really added up and I think you’ll be shocked at how different it all looks now! I’m also going to share the sources for getting my “Eclectic Boho Glam” look.

Do you shop your home when you want a little refresh?