How to update your room 
from an article by Polly Dickens (Creative Director of Habitat)


Invigorate your creativity: being aware of trends in interior design doesn't mean throwing away all your possessions and starting again.  Use the trends as a starting point, as it's this inspiration and creativity that will keep your space alive and fresh.  
Layer in new pieces that you enjoy,which say something about you and function for your lifestyle.
A trend at the moment is bulky-topped products with skinny legs, which are practical for small spaces as the slender supports allow more light into the room and don't overcrowd it.  
Most importantly, your home should be a reflection of you and should be relevant to how you live your life.  As situations change, such as having children, working from home - or even retiring - so too will what you require from your space.

Rearrange to refocus:  start with the room where you spend most time.  Arrange your functional objects, such as plates and glasses, so they become objects in their own right and central to the decor.  Their shapes and colours can change the look of the room.
A wall of family photos - or scenes from one of your holidays - can make an interesting focus which can easily be changed.  You could even put postcards or wallpaper samples in these frames for a different effect and update with the seasons.
Rearranging your belongings can dramatically alter how you make your space work - and to declutter.

Ramp up your accessories: there's nothing more satisfying than updating a room with a clever use of accessories.  Lighting and textiles can be cheap and easy options that add a sense of newness.
A rug can immediately change the feel of a room, and it doesn't have to be expensive.  A cotton rug in emerald green or sunshine yellow will add a bold block of colour to brighten an old sofa.
Cushions are the simplest affordable way to update a sitting-room or bedroom with texture and colour.
Lighting has a big impact on a room too.  Table and floor lamps create mood lighting, while a statement pendant light will instantly become the focus point in a room.

Experiment with colour: to update a space with colourful statement pieces you need to start with a simple framework.  Decorate your room in a base palette or neutral colours, such as off-white, cream or grey.  
Then choose two or three contrasting colours for your new pieces.  This season's key colours are strong, unusual shades, including azure, terracotta, emerald and plaster pink.  
Don't be scared to experiment with paint.  For an immediate update, use it on surfaces such as a chest of drawers, skirting boards, chimney breasts or floor board (when property varnished).
You can also build on colours already in the room.  Pick a shade from a painting, fireplace or sofa and purchase some smaller accessories in complementary colours.

This is very inspiring - I'm now away to start sorting and arranging our rooms, perhaps starting with the living room.  This room already has the starting point of rather nice green curtains and a feature fireplace wall in green, mushroom and off-white.  So it shouldn't be too difficult to make this a comfortable area for us to retreat to on the dark winter evenings which are now upon us.

Good decluttering site: 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/how-to-de-clutter-your-entire-life?sub=2335183_1790786#.mwaXO2W7a