Home is where the heart is, but for most of us, it’s also where most of our paycheck goes. Having a living space that reflects our personal style means comfort at the end of a long workday.
Despite what you see in magazines, home interior design does not have to be a million dollar project to look great.
Follow these interior design tips to revamp your home without breaking the bank.
Window Treatments
Add window treatments to bring instant style to a room. No matter what color you choose, window treatments have a way of making a room feel new. Choose from blinds or curtains based on the window you want to cover.
Blinds are great for functional spaces like garage entryways. Choose floor-length drapes for a dining room or formal living room. The impact is much bigger and faster than painting or moving furniture.
Solid neutral colored curtains work best in rooms where lots of patterns exist. Bright patterns are best in rooms where the color scheme is monochrome or all one color.
Consider the amount of natural light in a room before choosing a style of curtain. Rooms with low light benefit from light filtering sheer curtains or blinds. Heavy curtains are best in rooms with large windows.
Artwork
Large pieces of art bring personality to a space but at a premium cost. Think of bringing together smaller pieces in a gallery wall instead. Gallery walls cluster small frames or items together in a pattern.
A vintage wall mirror or handmade items are an ideal place to start as they have a unique style that resembles art.
Always mix sizes, finishes, and colors to avoid a stale look. The gallery gets its interest from the contrasting visual textures.
Paint
Paint colors are a great way to refresh rooms when you can’t afford to upgrade your furniture. Cool colors are the best choices for bedrooms, while neutrals go a long way in common areas.
Paint can also be applied as a refresh to furniture. Painting wood furniture for a dining room or living room is an easy solution when using wood. For lacquer and stone, the process may require the help of a professional.
Change Hardware
Kitchen remodels are expensive. More expensive than most other home repairs including a roof replacement or refinishing wood floors.
Instead of replacing cabinetry in your kitchen, try adding new hardware instead. Cabinet and drawer hardware includes hinges, handles, and knobs.
Hardware upgrades the room to match reflect the style you choose. Long black handles modernize spaces while ornate colorful knobs appear whimsical.
Most wood cabinets allow you to easily change out the hardware. Always remove the door before adding or removing knobs and hinges.
Reupholster Furniture
Furniture reupholstery renews your sofa by changing its fabric and cushions. Depending on your budget, you might ask for professional help to repair any wear and tear to the frame.
Reupholstery may seem like an easy DIY project, but it’s time-consuming. Practice on a smaller piece before moving on to large furniture. The process of removing the fabric can take hours or days.
For complex or fragile pieces, always hire a professional. The cost is still cheaper than splurging on a new sofa but offers you the flexibility of getting the exact fabric you want to complement your room. Choose durable fabrics that can sustain years of wear and tear.
Accent Furniture
It’s not always necessary to make a major change to furniture to enhance the look of a space. Adding in an interesting piece can tie together existing pieces. Choose a vintage accent chair or handmade ottoman.
These add-ons liven up your space in an effortless way. Accent furniture that contrasts the rest of the furniture looks collected rather than like a model home. This is true no matter the overall style of your home.
Modern homes can use pops of brightly colored tables or chairs to draw an eye to an unused corner of the room. Traditional homes might opt for a sculptured chair to arrange the room for more conversational seating.
Install New Lighting
Lighting highlights all the design choices you make within a space. Bad lighting makes your space look drab. Good lighting makes even basic design schemes appear classy and planned.
No need to renovate your home to achieve a good lighting style. The key to good lighting is by combining many different types of lighting. Common types of lighting include ambient, task, and accent.
Ambient lighting sets the overall mood for the space. Think of overhead lighting fixtures designed to fill an entire room with light. These lights should always be the correct size to reach all four corners of a room when possible.
Task lighting is important for small tasks like reading or writing. You see task lighting most often on table tops or desks. A floor lamp is an easy way to add task lighting to a room.
Accent lighting complements ambient lighting by adding dimension to a space. Consider a room with a built-in bookcase.
The shelves are dark until you add accent lighting to highlight the rows of books on shelves. The accent lights added draws attention to the bookcase inviting you to come over and grab a book.
Revamp Color
Swap out the color scheme in a room to bring it new life. Opt for monochrome instead of a room filled with color or add wild patterns and shapes to a beige room.
You have to live there so don’t stray too far from your personal style. There are ways to cheat a color swap so that it doesn’t feel too overwhelming.
For example, animal print toss pillows in a beige living room add a little adventure without making the room appear busy.
A busy room can be toned down without losing personality by placing complex patterns in unused corners instead of allowing them to be the focal point of the space.
Mix Old & New
Layering is a design technique that calls for bringing together different items on different planes. A rug beneath a table with a lamp and photos on top is an example of layering.
With layers, each piece helps accent the other piece to make a room look lived in. Mix old and new items to make sure your house doesn’t look like a model home after being decorated.
Area Rugs
Area rugs are great for pulling together furniture. This is especially true in living rooms and dining rooms where you want to lure guests to a certain area of the space.
Living rooms might have several seating areas for guests to choose from. Use a rug to pull together a couch and two chairs. Traffic usually flows to the areas that seem intentionally set up for lounging.
Budget Home Interior Design
One of the best things about home interior design is that it’s subjective. Only your opinion matters in the long run. With these tips, you can gradually add style to your home without having to take out an expensive loan.
Follow these steps and your home will reflect a happy design style that best represents you. For more home improvement and lifestyle tips, visit our website.