If your tired at looking at the same old thing in your home, don't paint...accessorize!
We know how easily home owners can get bored with their furniture, paint color or layout. But instead of wasting cash on new furniture or spending hours prepping and painting your home, we've compiled a few design suggestions to help you freshen up your space without a major financial or time commitment.
1. USE POPS OF COLOR INSTEAD OF BRIGHT PAINT
In our experience, bright wall colors, such as red or yellow, are typically in style for 3 years or less. When you tire of seeing such bold colors in your home or they go out of style, it takes a TON of primer, paint and energy to tone them down a bit. Plus, if you live in a housing cooperative like ours, and choose to sell your home, bright colors can not only deter buyers, but can require you to have to paint on your way out.
Instead, choose a neutral paint color from the beginning and focus your attention on small pops of color throughout the rooms using accessories such as rugs, curtains, pillows, pictures or blankets. A bright red set of pillows on a tan colored couch with cream colored walls will bring your eyes right to the pop of color. Add a Southwest-themed throw blanket and your room will be glowing in color. And when you get tired of seeing those red pillows, donate them and grab a fresh new color to give your room a totally new look. By choosing room accents instead of paint to add pops of color to your space, you can easily switch up your bright, bold style without breaking the bank or committing to a design concept long term.
2. REARRANGE YOUR FURNITURE
This is such as easy fix to give your whole home a new feel. Even if you only rearrange your living room or dining room, the small (or sometimes huge) difference can be just the change you need to keep from going stir crazy! Experts recommend doing it once in the spring and once in the fall to align yourself with the changing of the seasons.
This can also be a great time to do some deep cleaning and de-cluttering. Might-as-well, you've already moved the couch, now wash the baseboards and windows and clean out that end table drawer you've been meaning to do for months now. Spend just one weekend working on doing this and you are sure to come home feeling refreshed and renewed in the same old space.
3. BUY NEW CURTAINS
While buying new curtains can be more of an expense that buying a throw pillow, the results are even more dramatic. You may be surprised at what a large difference new curtains or blinds can make on the overall feel and look of your home, especially in the winter time when curtains are closed more often then in the summer time. Choose a soft sheer curtain or find a funky bright pattern or buy a crisp white set of curtains and watch as the room transforms. To really enhance your space, learn about how color can effect your mood and choose a color based on how you want to feel coming home.
4. BUY HOUSE PLANTS
Even a small pop of green can improve the look and feel of a home quickly. House plants are an inexpensive way to give your house a natural, earthy vibe without breaking the bank. Get a few and place them throughout your home to add a pop of green in what might have been a boring corner of your home. In addition to adding color to your space, plants also improve the air quality by providing much needed oxygen and help eliminate airborne toxins. Most are fairly easy to maintain, needing only weekly watering, yearly fertilizing and the occasional pruning.
Using the recommendations above can really help you enhance your home's interior without spending too much time or money on improvements. It truly is the little things that can be done to spruce up your house and give your place a whole new feel. If you have any ideas on cheap, easy ways to add pops of color, a fresh new look or a new feel to a home, please, comment below!