Are you bored with your current house and longing for greener pastures? Don’t feel alone. A 2021 survey shows that on average 27 million Americans relocate every year and 15% of them did so because they wanted better or newer living spaces.
There’s no doubt that moving is stressful, so don’t do it. Give your old house a new lease on life with these top decorating tips to transform your home from so-so to spectacular.
Read more after the jump:
1. Change Things Up
Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery and rearranging your home decor is a quick fix when it comes to that. The first step is to de-clutter and tidy things up. The best way to do this is to remove everything you can from the room and start from scratch. Identify a focal point for the room and place that piece first. A focal point can be anything that catches the eye, like a colorful painting or an oversized piece of furniture. Next, place the rest of your furnishings back in the room in a new, more attractive configuration. Rearrange your existing furniture and artworks so that your focal point is the center of attention.
Pack any unnecessary loose items away. If you find that some items of furniture don’t fit in with your new layout, move them to another room, or the garage.
2. Add Some Color
Paint is the quickest and easiest way to breathe new life into tired spaces. You can pick a new color to enhance your space, refresh the existing paint job, or paint a feature wall. A splash of paint and new blockout curtains can go a long way. One of the best-known interior design tips is that darker colors will add a cozy ambiance to your living spaces. Cool, lighter colors make a small room look larger. If you’re going to stick to white paint, be sure to liven things up with art, plants, and contrasting soft furnishings. Adding wallpaper with an unusual design or pasting it in an unexpected place can also give your room character and charm.
3. Accessorize It
Plants give any room an instant lift. They bring cheer to small awkward spaces and add texture to your interior design. Plants with large variegated leaves add a tropical feel to your living room and look great when placed in woven baskets.
Potted herbs in the kitchen are useful as well as decorative and a great fix for awkward high shelves and bare window sills.
4. Kitchen Decorating Tips to Transform Your Home
The kitchen is the busiest room in the house and always the first place to descend into chaos. Look for areas where you can install extra storage to keep everything under wraps. Alternatively, put up some floating shelves to display pretty items that don’t deserve a storage spot behind closed doors. Get rid of duplicates and broken appliances. You really don’t need three potato peelers and you know you’re never going to repair that old toaster.
Kitchen cabinet painting is a super quick fix that can change the whole look of your kitchen in an instant. Upgrading your taps or installing new counters is another option if you’ve got the cash to spare.
5. Open Up to Change
Introduce some light into the room by moving large pieces of furniture away from the windows.
Replacing your heavy drapes with lighter ones will let the sunshine in. Install some trendy blinds or shutters to maximize window space. Floor-length lace curtains can disguise a small window, especially if you pair them with drapes of a corresponding length.
Installing French doors out onto your garden is the ultimate way to let nature into your living room. It also opens up a new world of outdoor entertainment on your doorstep.
6. Refresh Dated Furnishings
Re-upholstering your furniture is an excellent step towards a fresh start.
If you can’t afford to re-do them, invest in some colorful throws to hide faded upholstery, frayed edges, and 10-year-old stains. New covers for your throw cushions are another quick fix for a tired look, as are new statement rugs.
Plain-colored cushion covers are easy to dye in colors to match your new design ideas or you can make your own from small pieces of fabric.
Often, getting your furniture and carpet professionally cleaned can restore these to their former glory too.
Re-painting wooden furniture and replacing old fashioned drawer pulls gives old pieces a dramatic lift.
7. Get Arty
There’s a place for art in every area of your home. Even the smallest room in the house can benefit from a few eclectic pieces. Also, almost anything counts as art. Mirrors fall into this category and family photo’s do too.
Follow this decorating advice when using art in your home:
• Don’t place small artworks on large bare walls
• Keep it at eye level
• Do group artworks together
• Don’t go solo when hanging artworks, you need a helping hand to keep things level
• Do get photo’s enlarged and mount them on a piece of foam core
• Don’t think you have to buy expensive pieces
Look for bargains at thrift stores and charity shops. You could find some unique and interesting pieces. These outlets often have a variety of cheap frames for sale too.
8. Lighten Up
If you’re running out of decorating ideas for your home, you need a literal lightbulb moment. Changing your light fittings can alter the whole look of a room.
Consider fitting a modern chandelier or pendant lights over your dining table. Bring in standing and table lamps to illuminate dark corners, or create a reading nook. You can also use lighting to emphasize focal points or artworks.
Even easier, upgrading your lightbulbs to a higher wattage will brighten things up a lot while a lower wattage can tone things down for a cozier feel.
Get Inspired
Your imagination and not your checkbook is the only limitation when it comes to revamping your living spaces.
Keep reading our blog for more home decor ideas, affordable renovation inspiration, and easy decorating tips to transform your home to its beautiful best.
