Nope, not that kind of remi-remi-remix! Haha! That was my attempt at onomatopoeia in case you couldn’t tell, lol…
If you’ve been an HGTV fan for a couple of decades you may remember a little show called Design Remix. I loved this show, and I love the concept: updating your home by reusing things you already have in a new way to make a space look completely different, awake and rejuvenated!
I’m always doing little remixes around the house. It’s a great way to revive a tired space or to just get a new look! Maybe you’re bored of seeing the same things in the same place. Maybe you’ve done all your big projects, love your space but are still itching to do something else! As the official start of spring quickly approaches, and the fun/dreaded task of spring cleaning gets underway (lol), it’s the perfect time to do a quick little remix while you’re at it!
A remix can fall into one of two categories: small or large, simple or complex.
Simple Remixes
You can achieve a pretty dramatic effect just by moving little things around your home. When you have color schemes that play well with each other, it’s easy to mix and match small accessories without having to repaint walls or do anything major. You can swap out pillows, throw blankets, curtains, and even small area rugs if the size is right. Artwork can find a new home on another wall or in another room.
More neutral items like woven baskets or storage boxes go with any color palette and can be relocated in a pinch. Plants can be rearranged if you have a similarly lit new home for them (or if they’re faux, then they can move anywhere!)
With the exceptions of some area rugs, these simple changes can be done in five minute bursts and can make a big difference in how a room feels.
Complex Remixes
The word “complex” makes this type of remix sound scary, but it really isn’t. It just requires more effort, measuring and some brawn. And possibly bribing strong friends with pizza and beer, lol. As you might imagine, while a simple remix is achieved by moving small items around, a complex remix consists of moving bigger pieces (aka furniture). This can be within a single room, rearranging things to give the space a better flow or new look and feel. Or it could be moving a dresser, a desk, a coffee table, shelving unit, etcetera, to an entirely new space.
Here’s a peek at the way my upstairs office/studio USED to look (tour of it’s current status coming soon!). This space has gone through MANY remixes, lol. I originally bought that leaning bookcase for this space, but you may recall from my Entry, Kitchen and Dining tour (HERE) that it now lives in my dining area as part of my coffee and tea station.
This piece used to be my bar “cart”
…and now it lives in my kitchen, housing cookbooks and other food/prep items.
Assisted Remixes
Sometimes larger remixes might go hand in hand with the purchase of a new piece of furniture. I call this an assisted remix. Essentially you’re adding a new piece into the mix, and in the process you’ve given yourself the ability to do a remix.
Maybe you had a temporary piece in place and have been saving up for a replacement. Maybe you just want a fresh look, but you don’t have a piece to swap out and your current furniture is in good shape and can be used somewhere else. So you buy a new piece to add into the mix and then rotate things around. I’ve done this on a couple of occasions and have another one planned in my study (if you missed my redesign plans, you can view them HERE), where I’ll be remixing one of my bookcases.
When I first moved into my house, I didn’t have a TV console (or a TV for that matter! Thanks Mom and Dad for gifting me yours when you got a new one!) so I repurposed the EXPEDIT unit I had in my room at my parent’s house. Eventually I invested in a new unit for the TV, but the white cube shelving was still in good shape and I knew it could be put to use somewhere else. And now it has a new home in my bedroom closet. In this case I purchased a new console, but if you have a piece of furniture in another room that you can just swap, or three pieces that you can rotate, you can get a whole new look for zero buckaroos!
Bonus points if you can spot a couple of other remixed items from these photos!