By Chloe Taylor of Smooth Decorator
At one point or another, we all start wondering how we can make our living space feel newer and fresher. While remodelling and renovating are some of the first things that spring to mind, they’re not always affordable or practical.
Sometimes, making a room feel livelier is simply a matter of following basic home decorating rules and making small changes to your home design.
Below, a list of six tiny tweaks you can make to breathe life into every room in your home.
Create a welcoming entryway with lively greenery
Want a cheap upgrade that will make a big change in your entryway? One word: plants! Greenery can boost the look of any space and breathe life (literally) into a design. The best part? Plants work with pretty much every aesthetic, and there are a number of ways to style them and create a welcoming atmosphere.
Empty corners? Add a large floor plant. Open shelving that feels incomplete? Pepper in some low-maintenance succulents. Blank wall? Create your own little herb garden or add a living wall. When it comes to greening up your interiors, the options are pretty much endless.
Create conversation areas in your living room
As one of the rooms where we spend most of our time, the living room should feel warm and welcoming while also being practical. After all, it is a multi-functional area where we socialize, entertain, study, and play, and as such, it could benefit from a couple of upgrades as well.
Rather than heading to a furniture store and bringing in new pieces, making an impact in your living room is often a matter of rearranging the furniture and creating conversation areas. Rely on decor elements such as rugs, lighting, and accessories to create “zones'', and make sure to create a focal point in your lounge room. Finally, pay attention to visual weight and aim to create balance by adding pieces of a similar size on each side of the living room.
Reupholster your dining room chairs
If you’re in for some DIY projects and have little bit of time on your hands, reupholstering dining chairs could be the perfect way to breathe new life into your dining room. Rather than switching your chairs for a set of new ones, you can simply add new fabric and give them a simple yet effective makeover.
This is also where you can get really creative and have some fun. You can use vintage fabrics or even old shirt materials to give an old chair a new life. It sounds simple, but you’d be amazed at what big of a change you can achieve by simply switching up a piece of fabric. Plus, by choosing to upcycle instead of buying new, you’d also be doing Mother Nature a giant favor.
Switch up the textiles in your bedroom
There’s a reason why textiles are the ones that get swapped when we want to decorate for a specific season. From throw pillows and blankets to bedding and curtains, textiles are easy and inexpensive to replace, yet they can make a world of difference.
To change up your bedroom space, start with replacing the duvet cover and bedding accessories such as pillows and throw blankets. Vary the colors, textures, and fabrics to add texture and enhance visual interest, and consider replacing the window treatments as well for a complete makeover.
Upgrade your kitchen accessories for a brand-new look
The heart of the home, your kitchen deserves some upgrade as well. That said, bringing life to your kitchen space doesn’t necessarily call for an extensive (and expensive) remodeling project.
Even something as simple as switching up your old faucet and sink and upgrading to sparkling new kitchen accessories can go a long way in bringing your kitchen up to date. Black taps and sinks are especially effective if you want to modernize your kitchen space and add a dash of drama, while chrome and stainless steel are perfect for achieving a classic, timeless look. When combined with effective glass splash backs and cabinet handles, these upgrades can make your kitchen feel brand new – with minimal effort and without breaking the bank.
Give your bathroom a spa-like feel
Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re at a spa salon whenever they head for a bath or a shower? To recreate that spa-like feel in your bathroom, bring in some candles, upgrade dispensers, and add a couple of plants. Install shelving to keep clutter at bay.
Got a bathtub? Bring in a bathtub caddy if you haven’t already, and be sure to invest in some fancy towels as well. With stylish updates like these, you’ll manage to bring some spa vibes into your bathroom and create a perfectly calming retreat at the end of the day.
Falling in love with your home over and over again is a matter of keeping it feeling fresh and lively, and it doesn’t necessarily mean switching up everything from top to bottom. In fact, it is often those simple tweaks and updates that can help you completely transform a room.
Remember, it’s not about how much you decide to splurge, but what you choose to spend your attention, effort, and money on. With these couple of tips in mind, you should have no trouble upgrading your home and giving it the TLC it deserves.
