Rearranging Your Home Won’t Solve Everything, But It Can Make You Smile

You’ve already rearranged your furniture—it’s time to think small. Maybe it’s the messy bookshelf you’ve been meaning to sort through or the empty mantel you’ve been staring at for months. Whatever it is, accomplishing a mini project is a great non–screen-related distraction, and that’s exactly the thought process behind Colin King’s newest Instagram posts. 

“For a social creature like myself, being alone at home has been challenging and put me face-to-face with how I was living my life at an unsustainable pace in terms of the amount of time I was trying to fit into one day,” the stylist explains. His solution? Dedicating a few moments to arranging little still lifes around his home. He’s sharing his favorites (“Foraging encouraged!” he writes), and now his followers are doing the same: The hashtag #StayHomeStillLife has 268 posts and counting. 

Think of it as an opportunity to play with what existing decor you do have and see how you can give it new life. Choose an unloved surface—whether it’s a coffee table, a shelf, or even a nightstand—and spruce it up using found items from your personal treasure trove. 

Pull together an assortment of vases, candlesticks, and branches for a mixed-medium corner (or just a freshly styled end table). 

Alternatively, focus your creativity on a larger space. Be it an office newly adorned with sentimental books and imagery or a kitchen counter full of your favorite ceramics. If it’s the little things that truly spark joy, why not put them front and center? 

See more ways to make your home happier:  How 9 Creatives Are Making Their Homes Extra-Cozy Right Now 15 Luxurious Ways to Make Your Time Indoors a Little More Special This Simple Curtain Trick Is an Instant Mood Booster