(BPT) - Looking for simple and quick ways to spruce up your home for the holiday season? Get your home looking its best before the guests arrive with some easy home improvement projects and seasonal inspirations. By making a few simple updates and adding new design pieces to your home, you can deter some of those winter blues while preparing for more time spent indoors.

Add a splash of new color

Painting is the easiest way to make a dramatic and instant impact on a room. With guests arriving soon, consider areas of your home that’ll get the most notice, like your dining room, kitchen, guest bath, foyer and even guest bedrooms. If you’re interested in a quick project, consider painting one wall of a room as an accent wall. You’ll create a new focal point for the room that can be easily achieved by going a shade darker, brighter or complementing the existing wall color.

For the best results whether you’re painting entire rooms or just couple of walls, pick up a Purdy White Dove roller cover. A high-density cover created to produce smooth and lint-free results, White Dove covers work with all latex- and oil-based paints and stains and are available in a variety of lengths and thicknesses. With a lint-free design, White Dove covers reduce the worry of shedding, while the woven Dralon fabric adds to the smooth and uniform finished appearance. Using the right tool reduces the amount of time spent painting so you'll be done with this project in a flash.

Decorate cheerfully

To quickly accent neutral- or solid-colored furniture, add colorful, patterned throws and pillows. The additional throws will provide warmth on extra chilly days and bright pillows will increase the personality of any room. Add festive, seasonal table runners, cloth napkins and placemats to dining and other tables for additional seasonal cheer.

Instead of just fresh flowers in a vase, use small branches or twigs and decorate with items that tie into the season, like acorns and leaves or candy canes and small ornaments. Use branches of varying heights and fullness to give the vase a balanced appearance. Another festive twist is to glue various sized pinecones onto the branches. Consider painting the branches silver or gold for a timeless and elegant appeal.

Brighten up

The winter months mean shorter days; consider updating your current light fixtures or bulbs to brighter ones to increase the lighting in your home – both inside and out. Adding ambient, candlelight will also make your home feel cozier for guests, helping them to relax and unwind after a long day. Candles don’t have to be limited to sitting on table tops or in hurricanes – install wall sconces and decorative wall art pieces containing tea light candles for additional style. For added safety and mobility, chose battery-operated lighting options for homes with children and pets. These not only work great during power-failures and storms, but also illuminate dark areas such as closets that may not have electrical lines for installation.

Complete it

If you’re like many people and have a lingering project or two that still needs to be completed, give yourself a deadline and stick to it. If you realize the project is too much work or you’re in over your head, consider asking for help from a friend or family member or hiring a professional to complete it before guests arrive.

By taking the proper steps to prep your home for the holidays, you’ll find more time to enjoy yourself, your guests and your home this season.