5 Back-to-School Home Improvement Projects

Back-to-school is a time for a reset, ushering in a new season of growth and development for kids. But it’s also a time for parents to assess their living spaces and make changes that will improve the whole family’s ability to enjoy the home.

With virtual and hybrid schooling becoming more prevalent and long hours of homework after school, children need at-home study spaces that work for them. If they’re spending more time at home, they also need fun and enjoyable places to relax and be creative. These five back-to-school home improvement projects will help enhance the functionality and livability of your home for kids and parents.

How to Improve Your Kitchen

If you’re thinking of starting some home renovation projects to help improve your child’s academic performance, start with the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the family home. Whether your kids are going back to school full-time, partaking in at-home education or engaging in a hybrid learning environment, a functional family home needs a welcoming kitchen where everyone can enjoy a meal and come together.

With busy schedules, parents and students need a space that encourages healthy living and improves studying. We all know kids can’t study and learn on an empty stomach. An updated kitchen emphasizes the value of nutrition and well-being, giving students the energy they need to succeed.

Updated, functional kitchens also help parents streamline their schedules and make the everyday jobs of cooking and cleaning much more enjoyable. Disorganized, cramped and nonfunctional kitchens can be demotivating, making cooking more of a hassle than it needs to be.

If you’re considering a kitchen upgrade this fall, here are some of the best renovations you can make to improve your family’s quality of life:

• Add more cupboard space: One of the major challenges in family homes is the constant cluttering of counter space with appliances, utensils and pantry items. You can free up precious counter space by building additional cupboards or shelving along an open wall or by bringing shelves right up the ceiling.
• Optimize existing storage space: Families often underutilize corner cabinets, leaving a massive amount of vertical space remaining. Installing a two-tiered carousel in your corner cabinets will increase your storage capacity, freeing up other cupboards or drawers for other household items. You can even store study materials and school supplies with the extra space, giving your children easy access to these items while they wait for dinner.
• Build an island: Kitchen islands are hugely desirable features as they facilitate family gatherings and provide more storage and counter space. They also provide a space for kids to sit, charge their devices or work on some homework while parents have ample space to cook dinner.
• Update pantry doors: While making improvements to your kitchen’s functionality, consider improving its aesthetic. Bifold or sliding pantry doors often wear out over time with repetitive use. Enhance the look of your kitchen with high-quality pantry door hardware and rollers that are built to last.

Make your kitchen a luxurious oasis with premium door handles and hinges. You need durable hardware in your kitchen that will last and continue to function optimally after repetitive use.

Ways to Improve Your Bedroom

Sleep is crucial to children’s ability to retain information and integrate what they’re learning in school. Without enough sleep, students lose focus and motivation, leading them to feel frustrated or disengaged with school. Creating a space that’s conducive to rest can encourage children to get enough sleep and maintain a healthy sleep schedule.

One of the most common challenges in designing bedrooms kids will enjoy is creating a place they feel drawn to. Kids’ bedrooms need to reflect their personal style, making it a room they feel content in. Another challenge with children’s bedrooms is that they tend to get cluttered easily. These issues can prevent kids from feeling relaxed in their space, which can impede their sleep quality.

To help your children get the best sleep quality possible, here are a few bedroom renovations to consider:

• Refresh paint and trim: One of the best ways to instantly refresh your child’s bedroom is with a new coat of paint and a trim upgrade. Have your children select a paint color palette that reflects their style and will make the space feel like their own. In addition to sprucing up the wall color, replace old or worn-out trim, including window casings, crown molding or baseboards.
• Upgrade windows: Children will enjoy spending more time in their bedrooms if their space is inviting and warm, letting in lots of natural light. New energy-efficient windows prevent condensation so mold doesn’t grow along the window sill. Other window updates you can make include replacing old screens and adding new window treatments, including safe cordless blinds.
• Swap out lighting: Indoor lighting is important for ergonomic health, especially for children studying or reading at night in bed. Replace outdated light fixtures with modern and fun new styles. Add additional lighting to improve the brightness in the room so it’s a better environment for reading. You may also want to opt for warmer lighting rather than cool. Blue light stimulates brain activity and suppresses melatonin — the key hormone necessary for a good night’s sleep.
• Maximize storage: Another essential home improvement for children’s bedrooms is to increase the amount of functional storage. Since kids tend to clutter their rooms with toys, games and clothes, having an easy-to-use storage system is important. Add storage solutions like bookcases, armoires or bins. You can also optimize existing closet space by investing in built-in shelving and organizational systems.

When updating the look of kids’ bedrooms, remember that even small changes can make the space feel more elevated. By simply adding new doorknobs to the main doors and closet doors, you can create a more luxurious feel across all bedrooms in the house.

How to Improve Your Study Space

Whether your kids will be attending school virtually or in the classroom, your home needs a dedicated study space for them to complete their work with focus. A study space should encourage concentration and be an area in the home that’s free from distractions. Study spaces also need to be organized since cluttered spaces can also clutter the mind.

When improving your child’s study space, it’s important to maximize whatever square footage you have. Some homes will have an entire office available for kids to use as their study space. In other homes, parents will need to carve out a study space in an existing room, such as in their bedrooms, the kitchen or the living room.

Below are some ways to improve your child’s study space:

• Set up an ergonomic workspace: A study space needs to promote good posture while working. Set up workspaces at the right height for your child for the best ergonomic benefits. Adjust both the desk and the chair to the appropriate height. If you have more than one child sharing the space, ensure you have monitor risers for your taller children.
• Organize their supplies: Make staying organized a breeze by installing bins, shelves and containers labeled by type of supply. This can encourage your children to keep their workspaces tidy and make sure they have everything they need for a successful study session.
• Add decorative flair: When setting up a study space in your home, it’s important to create a place your kids will actually want to use. By adding fun and functional decor, such as chalkboard paint, posters or artwork, children will feel more inclined to study and inspired to learn.
• Save space: If you have limited space, try some creative space-saving solutions. Wall-mounted desks reduce the bulkiness of traditional desks. Corner desks and fold-out desks are also minimalist solutions that can help you convert a small area of your home into a functional learning station for your kids. There are also clever ways to partition off these areas, such as with a bookshelf that acts as a room divider.

When you convert an area of your home into a study space, it can often seem out of place. To prevent interrupting the flow of the room, add cohesive design items throughout to tie the style together. Little touches, like premium door and window hardware, can help make a busy room feel more put together.

Ways to Improve a Game Room

With kids spending more time at home, it’s good to have a dedicated area for them to play. Game rooms provide kids a space to blow off steam, which is essential after a long day of learning. There are endless possibilities with game rooms to make them an enjoyable place for kids to have fun.

For parents, game rooms also help to maintain kids’ toys to one specific area, freeing up other space in the house for adults to use. Game rooms can also act as an entertainment space for the whole family. As your children grow up, the space can evolve into more than just a play area, such as a spot for social gatherings and entertaining.

Here are some ideas for how to improve your game room this fall:

• Choose a theme: A game room should be a fun, magical place for children, and selecting a theme can help bring it to life. The theme you choose will depend on your children and their unique preferences. Whether it’s based on nature or their favorite sports, a game room theme will make the space more enjoyable.
• Create different stations: Your game room can be divided into different stations based on activity. You’ll want one area specifically for games, including board games. In one corner, you might have a digital station for TVs and devices. Another station can house your arts and crafts supplies. Another corner of the room might be dedicated to certain kinds of toys or a nook for reading.
• Keep games organized: Use a closet or an armoire to organize your board games, video games or any other game-related items. Get storage bins for consoles, controllers and remotes, and use shelving to stack games neatly.

Combine child-like creativity with grown-up luxury by adding styling details to your game room that reflect the overall style of your home. Pull in upscale hardware for your doors and windows to keep your stylish interior design.

Ways You Can Improve Your Storage Room

The last back-to-school home improvement project to consider is your storage room, basement or anywhere else stored items tend to collect. As your kids go through the school year, you know how school supplies, projects and materials start adding up. Save the headache of constant clutter by investing in ample storage space for your kids.

Having a school storage space prevents items from piling up and taking over other common areas like the kitchen and living room. Adequate storage can greatly improve the functionality of a home and make it more livable and enjoyable, especially for parents who work from home.

Here are some ideas for maximizing a back-to-school storage space:

• Install wall-mounted shelving: Keep all your children’s school supplies, books and materials in one easy-to-access location by installing wall-mounted shelves. Install as many rows of shelving as you need to accommodate the growing amount of materials that accumulate over the school year. Wall-mounted shelving is ideal for kids because you can adjust the height to their needs, as opposed to tall bookcases, which are difficult and unsafe for kids to access.
• Use rolling carts: If you have limited wall space for shelving, try rolling carts instead. Rolling carts are shelving on wheels, allowing you to store all your supplies and materials and move them about to different study areas throughout the house. You can buy rolling carts in different colors, which can help kids identify which cart is theirs.
• Convert an existing closet: Rework some of your existing closet space by consolidating items and freeing up an entire closet dedicated to kids’ storage. Add in some shelving or organizers and label different sections for each child to make it easy for your kids to access what they need when they need it. Choose a closet that’s closest to their study area for easy access.

When converting your closet into a school storage space, don’t forget that it needs to be easy for kids to open and close. Switch out your outdated closet door rollers for premium door rollers that make it smooth and safe for children to use.

Choose Premium Hardware for Back-to-School Home Improvements

Back-to-school season is an exciting time of year, but it can also be stressful. With so many things to consider, it can be difficult to stay organized. Keeping an organized home while kids are in school can help improve your home’s livability, so it can be a place for relaxation and growth. By improving your home in both big and small ways, you can make every space in your home more functional and enjoyable.

Upgrade your home in time for going back to school with Premium Hardware residential door hardware. Our products are designed to last, even in busy households with growing children. We offer functional, reliable and stylish hardware products that enhance your home’s aesthetic. Browse our premium residential door hardware to see our selection of door handles and hinges that can improve your home today. For more information, contact us online or call 510-296-5584.