Life, Styled

Rebuilding Life: Changing Up Your Home After The Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly comes to an end, you may be ready to update your home and make a few changes. Perhaps being stuck inside during lockdowns gave you time to identify areas that needed cleaning, upgrading, or other home improvements. If you want to start rebuilding your house but aren’t sure how to get started, see how these tips can help, brought to you courtesy of Greenbrook Design.

Focus On The Bathroom and Kitchen

Since homeowners frequently use the kitchen and bathrooms, it makes sense to undertake some upgrades in these rooms to improve convenience and comfort levels, as well as boost the overall value of the home. For the kitchen, examine your appliances and see if any need replacing. Even if you just change out your refrigerator or dishwasher, having one up-to-date appliance can make a difference in the room’s overall efficiency. You might choose to invest in a smart refrigerator that can play TV shows or display the weather for the week.

The same goes for the bathroom. Simply putting in a roomier bathtub or a walk-in shower can give the room a brand new look and make it more enjoyable to use. If the tub or shower costs more than you can manage right now, consider a new sink, cabinets, or just replacing the mirrors. Be creative and learn to make your rooms comfortable, functional, and a joy to use.

Change Up Your Walls

According to experts, you can decorate even a large, bland wall in various ways to change the look of your home and brighten it up. If you don’t already have photos of family and other loved ones featured, now is a good time to pick out your favorites and put them on display. Collages, individual photos, and special memories or artwork are all excellent choices to hang on the wall.

If you decide you don’t want every room in the house covered in pictures, another alternative is to use wallpaper. This is an attractive way to give any room in the house a uniform look. Unlike wallpapers of the past, today’s long-lasting options include peel-and-stick products. This means you can avoid using messy paste and simply apply the wallpaper as you peel the backing off. If you don’t get it perfectly placed the first time, you can remove and reposition the piece.

You can even order wallpaper that is printed on demand. This allows you to customize your design and tailor it as you go. You can order as you need it, without worrying about the pattern going out of stock midway through a wall makeover. And if you decide to change things up and go in a different direction, you can easily start over again.

Decorate Your Yard

Although your yard is not a room in your house, it does set the tone for what’s inside. A welcoming and attractive landscape can make you feel relaxed and give you additional space to enjoy. Check your outside areas for weeds, plant flowers that thrive in the amount of sunlight available, and add other finishing touches, such as a porch swing or a few lawn decorations. You can upgrade your home just by redoing your yard in a day or two.

Changing up your home after the pandemic might seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to consume a lot of time. Determine which areas to select for your upgrades, and see how a few simple changes can make you feel like you’re living in a brand-new house.

Granite, Quartz, Marble, or Quartzite?
These are the top contenders when it comes to selecting the perfect countertop material for your kitchen or bathroom. Each one brings its own strengths, aesthetic appeal, and practical considerations—making the decision both exciting and a bit overwhelming.

Granite is a natural stone known for its durability and unique, one-of-a-kind patterns. Quartz, on the other hand, is an engineered surface that offers a wide range of color options and is prized for its low-maintenance qualities. Marble stands out for its timeless elegance and heat resistance, though it requires more upkeep. Quartzite closely resembles marble in appearance but offers greater durability and easier maintenance.

When making your selection, it’s important to consider factors such as heat and stain resistance, ease of maintenance, and of course, budget. Below, we break down the key differences, pros, and cons of each material to help you determine which surface best suits your lifestyle, design vision, and practical needs.

The kitchen pantry is often one of the most underutilized yet high-potential spaces in the home. While it can easily become a catch-all for clutter, a well-designed pantry is a true hidden gem—capable of transforming the functionality of your kitchen. From storing oversized serving pieces to housing everyday essentials, a thoughtfully planned pantry helps keep countertops clear and mealtime prep more efficient.

Whether you have a compact pull-out pantry, a spacious walk-in, or a dedicated butler’s pantry, innovative organization is key. A well-designed pantry not only maximizes storage but also supports the flow of your kitchen. Below, we’re sharing a few of our favorite design ideas and practical tips to help you better utilize your pantry space—and maybe even inspire your next kitchen upgrade.

Effortless Home Styling

Our showroom’s grand opening was the culmination of two years filled with vision, planning, and hard work—a dream brought to life through dedication and passion. Now, as we prepare to celebrate our second anniversary, we find ourselves reflecting on how quickly time has passed. It feels like only yesterday that we opened our doors and welcomed our very first clients into the space we’ve come to love so much.

Join us as we take a walk down memory lane and revisit the milestones, challenges, and moments that brought us to Uptown Shelby. This anniversary isn’t just a celebration of time—it’s a celebration of growth, community, and the relationships we’ve built along the way.

There is more to color than simply a large selection of hues. Color sends a message and can represent thought and emotion, especially in the world of design. Each year, Pantone announces its choice for the color of the year, a tradition that started in 1999, and designers everywhere eagerly await the news. Classic Blue was this year’s choice of color, a color that represents the future.

As we prepare to close the door on one decade and begin anew, many are filled with anticipation of what the coming year will bring. Blue has always been associated with stability, relaxation, and tranquility, as is seen in nature with the ocean and sky. We understand that hectic schedules and stressful office days generate a need for a place to unwind and completely relax. Here are a few ways to incorporate the color of the year into your home and give it that welcoming environment that will last throughout the coming decade and beyond.

Light is one of nature’s most captivating elements, and its presence has the power to transform a space. In the world of interior design, natural light plays a vital role—not only by enhancing aesthetics but also by elevating the overall atmosphere of a room. It can create dramatic contrasts that bring depth and interest to a space, while also highlighting architectural and design features.

Natural light, when thoughtfully incorporated, makes interiors feel larger, warmer, and more welcoming. At Greenbrook Design, we embrace a design approach known as daylighting—the intentional use of natural light to shape how a space looks and feels throughout the day. It’s one of our favorite tools in the design process.

Here are just a few reasons why we love incorporating natural light into our projects…