Home makeovers: Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash
Part of owning a home is breathing fresh life into it every now and then. Maybe you just bought a new place, and the previous owners or developer has a different aesthetic from yours. Maybe you have had the same wall décor for the past ten years now. Either way, the question remains the same: how can you change the look of your home without shelling out big bucks? Never fear! Here we have 5 ideas for stylish home makeovers that will not break the bank!
1. Add Greenery
A tried and tested way of livening up a home is to introduce some indoor plants. Both flowering and non-flowering plants are great options to brighten up a living room or any other space. For potting options, you need not be stuck with run of the mill terracotta pots; you can just as easily get plants to thrive in hanging baskets, window planters, or even buckets and basins. Want to be practical? Try spicing up your kitchen with a mini herb garden that will supply you with some of your culinary needs.
2. Light It Up…Differently
Lighting can make or break a room, or in this case, an entire home. Banish the flat, glaring illumination from boring fluorescent fixtures and switch to fixtures that give a softer glow. Try LED lights, floor and table lamps, or even colored spotlights. Creativity is the limit when it comes to lighting options: you can go classic vintage with lava lamps or capiz-shell lanterns, or quirky and edgy with neon-colored tubing and black lights. Got a smart home? Program your new settings into the home assistant and you are good to go!
3. Spruce Up the Soft Stuff
Chances are, your sofa is more than just a comfy piece of furniture. It’s probably among the first things your guests notice when they enter your space. Play up the star of your living room by kitting it out in the colors and fabrics of your dreams. It can be as simple as changing the throw pillows to more interesting designs (or even just adding throw pillows to begin with) to as thorough as ordering new seat covers and cushioning. You can do the same with armchairs, chaises, and other soft furnishings. Want a new accent piece? Consider breaking up the living room into small nooks with creative seating arrangements such as a hammock or hanging chair beside a table of easy reading books.
4. Jazz Up the Walls
Who says that you must stare at a blank wall every time you are home? Make the use of this expanse of space by adding shelves that will display your treasured collections of books, records, prints, or whatever other knickknacks you are itching to exhibit. Not into displaying your stuff? Consider covering the walls with fabric (all you need is a staple gun or good adhesive), or with pieces of art. A bonus to picking art is its value as an investment; you never know when that abstract painting from a new artist will shoot up in value!
5. Strip and Refinish
If you have a little more money to spare, one other aesthetic change and investment you should make to your home is to redo the finishing on countertops, cabinets, and even the bathroom. Take the time and money to hire someone to strip away the old varnishing, paints, and tiling, before you install something new. Tired of wood finishing? Redo everything in metal or chrome. Want something more natural? Try marble countertops alongside natural stained and water-sealed wood cabinets. Freshening up the finishing on your surfaces also extends their life and helps protect them from damage due to water, heat, or being subject to heavy falling objects. This is important if you intend to rent out or even sell your home down the road.
Improving and making over your home is more than just a personal project for you and your family’s comfort. It can also help reduce costs due to constant repairs or fixing damage from unfortunate events. Home makeovers also increase your property’s value, making it attractive for renting or selling. With that, we wish you luck and happy doing over!