Home renovation platform Houzz suggests that Americans are fixing up their properties in record numbers, based on a survey of more than 70,000 people. It means that the pandemic lockdowns and lack of activities made people invest in makeover projects. According to Houzz, 53% of surveyed homeowners reported renovating their houses or apartments and most of their work focused on kitchens, office spaces, and outdoor areas.

In 2020, people spent 15% more on renovation projects. This could have something to do with people being able to save more money as well as an increase in the price of labor and materials. Travel restrictions and business shutdowns that happened during the pandemic caused shortages in many fields and the costs just skyrocketed.

36% of respondents said it was because they finally had the financial means to move forward and 44% said they moved ahead because they actually had the time to do them.

If you wish to make a change to your surroundings, there's quite a few things to consider. As Lindsay T. Graham, a researcher at the Center for the Built Environment in UC Berkeley, said, “Our homes can be incredibly important tools for shaping our daily experiences.” So first, you should think about what you like and don't like about your place. Graham mentioned that the way our homes are organized, decorated, and furnished can evoke a varied palette of feelings.

Secondly, see if you have too much clutter in your home. It can increase your stress levels so you should try to get it under control. It's a visual reminder of the things you still have to do, so decluttering will help you feel more at ease at the end of the day.

Also, color therapy can affect your mood and physical health. While reds and oranges might require your eye to adjust and help boost your energy, blues and greens require very little adjustment and are considered more restful. As Graham explained, you can “level out” the energy in your house accordingly, but keep in mind that everyone finds different tones soothing.

We spend so much time in our homes that we can forget the kind of impact it has on our mindset. There's a new trend that's taken the interior design world by storm and it's called comfort decorating. It's all about choosing furniture, artwork, and the basic feel of your place based on coziness and familiarity, not on aesthetics.

According to Apartment Therapy, the past years have changed the way people see their living spaces and they advise to look inward for decorating inspiration. Grace Dowd, an Austin-based therapist said that “it’s more important than ever to fill your space with things that make you feel like yourself, even if they’re not ‘Insta-worthy.’”

Whether it's an old teddy bear, a family heirloom or a seashell you brought back from your vacation, it's important that it would remind you who you are. As you can guess, nostalgia is one of the key aspects of comfort decorating. If you choose objects that evoke feelings rather than look good, it gives your surroundings meaning and lets you get away from the difficult reality we have today.

But comfort decorating should not be only about nostalgia. If a thing makes you feel good or brings pleasure to the five senses, it's reason enough to keep it: “Running your fingers along that tattered quilt or even smelling it can ground you in the present moment, which can help to alleviate anxiety about the past or future,” says Dowd.

So if you didn't even start renovating but already feel overwhelmed, Before&After Design is a great place to look for inspiration. And just remember, in the end, your room does not have to be unrealistically perfect, it should be filled with things that make you feel good about yourself.