DIY projects? Maybe later, right? Look, even the most astute, on-top-of-it NYC apartment dweller slacks off every once in a while when it comes to home upkeep. Sometimes you know that you can do things to make your home look better and work better for you, but the very idea of having to actually do the work makes you want to grab your coat and escape into the night.

The thing is, you don’t have to do it all at once. Refreshing your home with DIY projects that you can do on an ongoing basis will still help update the look and feel of your NYC home, even if they take you a couple of weeks here and there to get it all done.

Change the Lighting in Your Home

Image Source: Flickr/Stacie

Home lighting shouldn’t simply be functional; when it’s beautiful, it can have an astounding effect on how a room looks and feels. Unfortunately, it’s probably one of the key areas of the home that is routinely neglected. Add “upgrading your lighting” to this season’s home improvement/DIY list. Go through one room at a time, and once you’re done, you’ll seriously feel like you’re in a new home.

• Take note of all of the lighting in your home. Many people don’t realize that they don’t have enough lighting. Insufficient lighting can make a home seem less spacious and gloomy. Ideally, you’ll want to have overhead, ambient, and task lighting in each room.
• Add beautiful lighting room by room. Have you ever seen the way that a room is transformed just by changing out a boring overhead light for something more spectacular? The effect is similar to the way you’d react to someone putting on a stunningly beautiful piece of jewelry. Give your rooms some earrings!

Paint Every Room

Image Source: Flickr/Patrick Stahl

Nothing changes the look of a home like a fresh coat of paint. People don’t realize it until they do it, and then they’re floored by what an impact it makes. There are plenty of cheap paints on the market, but do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the best paint you can buy. Cheap paint may be a good temporary cover-up, but it doesn’t last. If you can afford the extra dollars, spring for higher-end paints like Farrow & Ball or Benjamin Moore Aura. If you have a rental and you really have an issue with doling out top dollar for a rental you’ll only be in for a short time, at least use a mid-range paint. Tackle a room a weekend until your whole space is glowing.

Organize Your Kitchen

Image Source: Flickr/Charles & Hudson

It’s hard to get excited about cooking in a kitchen that is poorly organized. With silverware stuffed into drawers and cupboards unable to close because of overstuffing, a kitchen can feel tight and claustrophobic instead of open and welcoming. Fixing it could take just a couple of weekends. If you do one job per weekend, you’ll end up with a kitchen you’ll love.

• Invest in a good pot rack, and hang your most frequently used pans there. You’ll free up under-cabinet space that can be used for storing items like small appliances.
• Install a Lazy Susan in your kitchen cabinets. They’re easy to install and they’re priceless when it comes to freeing up space and putting frequently used items within easy reach. You can use them to organize everything from pots to spices. If you’re willing to spend extra bucks, invest in pull-out closet organizers; they can transform even small cabinet spaces.

Main Image Source: Flickr/Wendy Harman

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