It is hard to believe, but we are not too far from that holiday time of the year! Many of us look forward to entertaining family and friends at home, so you might wonder if there is still time in the next couple of months to make some changes to your home to be more presentable when those guests arrive.

There is plenty of time to  work on the exterior appearance of your home. A well-manicured lawn planted with fall/winter annual flowers makes a great first impression. Add landscaping lights for an elegant look and wash the coach light and lightbulbs to brighten up the front door area. Place large pots of plants on your porch or at the front door and add a decorative wreath to the front door.

Inside, you can still freshen the walls with new paint in the rooms and  on the ceilings. Did you know that white ceilings open up the room so that it looks like it has more volume? Lighter and brighter! Many people are changing out their floors and at the same time, removing the old baseboards and trim,  and installing new wider or taller ones. When you paint it the perfect time since your painter can do the walls and the trim at the same time. If you have flat panel interior doors, don’t change the doors, just add trim and paint them. They will look brand new!

You can also remove old countertops and backsplash and select a new surface to update your kitchen! Granite or quartz are great additions and definitely add a more sophisticated look to any kitchen. If you like glass or natural stone, change out your backsplash with one of the new options that are shown everywhere today. If your sink or faucet is dated, this is the perfect time to make those changes as well. Add lighting to brighten the kitchen and change out the old box ceiling fixture with new pendant lights. New updated kitchen by Christmas!

Take a look at Cultivate.com for all types of kitchen ideas and Houzz.com for great rooms to inspire you!