You don't always need to do a full blown renovation to freshen up your home. There are plenty of cost-effective ways of brightening up and killing decor boredom that can improve the whole look and feel of your house, and maybe even make a massive difference to your mood! From adding, subtracting, colour correcting and switching around, here are few ways to help your current decor feel less tired and more inspired!
Organising
One of the first things you can easily do to make your home look more modern and airy is declutter, stocktake and get organised. Add shelving to your living room and use smart storage to hide away everything that looks out of the place. Sofas or footstools with built-in storage for throws, blankets and toys can help, but so can reducing the size of your furniture if that's what's taking up the most space. Decide if you need to add a sideboard or display cabinet to help oragnise you better, or if you need to re-arrange different pieces throughout the house - or sell, donate or toss - for better flow and new uses for existing items.
Sofa Covers
In case you don’t have the budget to replace a tired-looking couch, simply dress it with a new slip. Removable, washable sofa covers give new life to exisiting comfortable seating you don't want to part with but that make you cringe to look at! There's made-to-measure or 'standard size with ties' options in cottons, linens and an array of colours that will hide tears and stains and stretch out the use of an old favourite. Remember this tip after you've done a few of the others in this list, it might just save you a small fortune.
Area Rugs
Add style, softness, pattern or interest to your space
and cover tired flooring at the same time with an area rug or two.
Source one that speaks to the colours and design style of your interior decor and is shaped specifically for the space you're defining or hiding. New area rugs don't have to break the bank either - there are some fantastic options at Ikea for example. But there are some room-changing stunning designs these days too that can elevate everything...including envy! Think lush geometric or organic designs that will stand out and create a focal point in your modern dining room; a huge circular sisal in a coastal living room; or classic kilim runners for eclectic hallways or country galley kitchens.
Dramatic Lighting
Even if your decor is feeling fresh, a couple of lighting adjustments could still make a big impact to brighten or draw attention to certain decor features. Install hidden lighting you've always wanted in your wardrobe or pantry; find some unique lamps as a decorative and functional finishing touch to your study; or install spotlights or wall lights over art, large family photos or a gallery wall. Dramatic lighting can transform your home at night as much as it can look beautiful during the day.
Creative Room Dividers
If you're mid room-move around and some new zones need to be defined with more than just a rug, opt for a room diviner. Tall open bookshelves look great as a smart room divider because decorative items and books can be displayed and reached from either side and the open shelving lets light reach through into the next space. This might also help with the organisation part of the freshen up process as well! Screens also work well in natural bamboo, painted wood, laser-cut metal, or if you're feeling crafty, even DIY one from Balinese screens or old doors.
Paint
One of the most common renovation mistakes is biting off more than you can chew - living in a major makeover project you didn't exactly plan for. Skip the stress for now and opt for the best easy fix to lift your interiors or exterior of your home - a paint job! Do it room by room yourself, change the colour of just one room, or hire a professional team to do it while you book a room elsewhere for a few days! Whether you've bought a house whose colour choices are questionable, you brought into a trend colour and your tastes have changed, or your kids have outgrown their hot pink walls, take a minute to think classic, versatile and fresh - white and it's cousins are your friend. Don’t forget about the hallway and the ceilings; you will not believe how much difference a bright and freshly painted wall can make until you see it yourself, especially in these usually darker spaces.
Feature Walls
A tired interior booster injection of personality might be as simple as a feature wall, and I'm here to tell you that the feature wall will never really die - if it's done well.
You see, what made this one wall of colour, texture or motif so cringe-worthy was that most people would slap one up with little thought for the rest of the room, the room's purpose, or the cohesiveness of the style throughout the rest of the home.
Done well, the wall behind your fireplace focal point might benefit from some stone, wood or metalwork detailing or a slightly darker shade of paint than the rest of the room, for example. The wall that faces the front door might be the perfect spot to hang your favourite large striking piece of art to welcome people as they enter your home. From decals to canvas prints and 3 shades darker paint colours, there are plenty of cost-effective ways you can create a feature wall. Just utilise restraint and know that subtle differences can pack a punch too - albeit, a more timeless one.
Flooring
The floor you walk on is under a lot of pressure to perform and if area rugs aren't cutting it, there are other options. If you have tired-looking carpets and you love the warmth of this type of flooring get it professionally cleaned or replace it altogether with new carpet or with easily replaced carpet tiles for higher wear areas like playrooms. To get rid of bacteria and toxic materials in your existing carpet, as well as the visible stains, contact Chem-Dry and feel better about keeping it. DIY or professional sanding and resealing real wood flooring also brings up spectacular results and can make cleaning easier. And if you're feeling brave like us during our first reno, paint the timber flooring of one room completely or with a rug shape or border. We went all black in a stark white space with huge ceilings and it looked amazing!
Door Handles
If there is a budget-friendly home improvement every beginner DIYer can do it's changing out your door handles. Where once was tarnished bras, wobbly bobble handles (soooo annoying), or mismatched knobs throughout the house, can now be sleek or unique, fully functioning and uniform replacements. Just make sure you purchase those with similar screw positions or that cover the old holes. And there's more variety than you think so ask yourself if you're making a statement or making them appear seamless.
Light Switches & Plug Sockets
Another fixture with plenty more design options than you first think are plug sockets, surrounds and light switches. You can now find decorative plug and switch surrounds in almost any colour and style that will not only protect your walls, but also clean up this small feature in your home. Get a professional electrician to replace yellowed, broken, mismatched or old switches (please don't do this yourself if you are unlicensed) and wait for all your visitors to compliment them!!
When we are thinking about changing the look of our home, we often look for big changes,
but in fact, most of the time it's the little things that make a huge difference.
Consider these easy fixes before you overspend and plan a large home renovation project.
It can be so simple and fun to add value and feel excited about your space again!
What easy fix are you adopting this weekend?
x
