Your home should be the place where you feel the happiest and most comfortable. You should be able to get home after a hard day’s work or a long night with friends and just relax in your very own sanctuary. But sometimes it can feel like the moment you step through the door, your mood just drops. It's never fun when it feels like simply being at home is bringing you down and make it that much harder to feel comfortable. Fortunately, you don't need to up sticks and move somewhere new! There are a lot of much smaller, simpler and (most importantly) cheaper ways to bring some life back to your home. Here are a few ways that your home might be bringing down your mood and what you can do about it.

Lighting

It really can't be overstated just how much of a difference lighting can make in a room. It doesn't matter how big, open or spacious a room is if it's dark and poorly lit then it's going to feel cramped, small and dingy. The best thing that you can do is to make sure the room is getting as much natural light as possible. And when the evening rolls around, things like lamps places around the room can create a warm, cozy atmosphere without letting the room get dark and gloomy. It's a quick and simple fix, but it really will make a world of difference.

Outdated furnishings

Ever walked into a room and just felt like you've stepped back in time? And not in the fun, classic retro design sort of way. Instead, it feels like you've gone back into an age before people figured out how to properly furnish and decorate a room. By bringing a room up to date, it will become far more pleasant to be in. Kitchens can be the worst offenders here. It's easy for a kitchen to look drab, outdated and dull. Bright contemporary kitchens can have a huge impact on the general feeling of a home, making it a much more pleasant place to be.

Clutter

Look, we all like our stuff. It's just a natural part of human nature to enjoy your belongings. The problem is that you don't always have the room to accommodate all the of junk that can accumulate in your home over time. This leads to spaces becoming cluttered and overly busy. This is a seriously effective way to make your home feel less relaxed and much smaller. It's time to be brutal. Box up knick knacks that you don't need. You can store them in the attic or throw them away; it's up to you. But the important thing is that you get them out of the way. You'll be amazed at how much more space you'll feel like there is in a room when you clear out some of the junk. Of course, you shouldn't get rid of everything. Showing off your personality and memories is a fantastic way to make your house really feel like your home.