Oftentimes our home design choices can eventually begin to no longer align with us and our family's needs, it can feel daunting considering re-designing your entire home. Luckily, a lot can be changed with a simple home "refresh". With some simple swaps and touch-ups, you can confidently elevate your home with little interior design effort and without breaking the bank.
Here are our top 10 design hacks to bring new life to your home.
We all have those items that we are keeping for a ‘rainy day’, but how likely is it that you will ever use them? Take some time to go through your possessions, furniture, artwork, and homewares and consider if they are really an asset you want to keep, or are they simply gathering dust? It can feel really great having a good clear out, not only for your home but your mental health too!
Not to mention this is also one of the most budget-friendly options on the list! It can be great fun and nostalgic looking over old keepsakes. You’ll be surprised by how much of a difference it makes when we make space and let go of items we no longer need. Having fewer items around makes a room feel bigger and creates a more modern look. You could even consider a garage sale or charity donation so that someone else can enjoy those things you no longer need.
A great way to freshen up a space is to have plenty of flora around the home. It makes a big difference to the look and feel of a room. It adds splashes of color, such as fresh yellows, pinks, and greens, and helps to create a sense of tranquility.
Not to mention some plants can even aid in improving the air quality of your home, so it’s a great option for anyone living in congested city areas. Refresh both your home and your body with some house plants.
Creating a focal point in a room can be a really fun venture. It is a simple and cost-effective way interior design hack to transform a room. Focal points draw the attention away from the rest of the room in a clever way, concealing outdated decor without having to redecorate entirely.
This can be accomplished via plush furnishings, art, floral displays, furniture - the possibilities really are endless!
Adding some color to a room is one of the most effective and transformative tips when looking to change your interior design. Painting a wall, changing the color of your upholstered furnishings, even adding in a statement piece of bold artwork or furniture.
Add a bright chair or new cushions to your living space, or statement tableware in your dining room, or you can even consider introducing wallpaper to add a colorful accent to a wall.
The quickest way to change the energy of a room is a deep clean. Giving your home a thorough spring clean is an essential part of the design process. Over time, things get dirty without you even realizing it! Scrubbing down areas you don’t normally clean, such as under the bed, behind furniture, and inside cupboards, will lighten and brighten your rooms.
Plus, it's essentially a free interior design hack! Look into cleaning your upholstery. If you aren’t sure about this there are professionals who will be able to aid you. And don’t forget about your windows. Black mold, amongst other things, thrives in places such as windows and bathrooms. Ensure you leave no stone unturned when you deep clean your space for a gorgeous home refresh.
Bringing more light to a space is one of the oldest interior design tricks in the book. Focus on natural light first, is there any way you can let more light in? Remove anything that may block light entering a room such as heavy curtains and furniture.
Consider adding glass panels to doors to aid in light traveling through your home. Natural light creates a wholesome, healthy feel, and creates the illusion of space.
If you can’t bring in more natural light, you can introduce more in a number of ways. Using lighter-colored paints, wallpapers, and furnishings. Add more ceiling lights to brighten up dark corners, table lamps, and even standing lamps. Let your lighting choices blend in with their surroundings so that they feel less obvious and more natural.
Older cabinets in your kitchen and other living spaces will age with your home, but they can be easily updated and modernized with some simple tricks. Giving them a fresh coat of paint, for example, is a cheap and easy idea. Consider spray painting to get the best finish. Or even stripping back previously painted cabinets to their wooden base.
Think bold, light, and clean for any cupboards. You can play around with different colors to suit your taste. You can even consider changing the handles, or for a complete refresh, purchasing new doors altogether. No matter your budget and timeframe, there’s something you can do.
A little can go a long way, especially when you’re talking about simple decor changes such as rethinking furniture layouts or redressing shelving.
Where we choose to place furniture and accessories, determines the feel and function of a room. So by merely changing things up, we can totally transform a room.
Depending on your space, consider furniture placements for different seasons and functions. Rearrange sofas and armchairs, offset the coffee table, and rethink your space imaginatively.
A great way to mix things up is to literally mix things up. Change the function and feel of a room by dividing it. For open-plan living, this is a great way to refresh your space.
For example, you can create a clearly demarcated living area by placing your sofa in the center of the room facing in the opposite direction.
The same premise as your upholstery, switching rugs from room to room creates an instant mini makeover. You can even change the positioning of them within a room for a super fun interior decor look and feel. Lay your rug off-center if you have it centralized, or turn it vertically rather than horizontally to change the perspective of a room. Even just a few inches can totally change how a room looks, it’s also useful because if you don’t like it, it takes very little time to swap it back!
The best thing about small and simple interior design changes is that they don’t totally uplift your life and they are easy to change if you end up not liking them. Small design shifts are a great thing to do for anyone hoping to eventually redesign their home. You get a feel of what change is like and you can play with lots of ideas, with minimal repercussions.
If you'd prefer to work with a professional Interior Designer, let us know. We're available to help with all of your design needs for a home refresh or even a remodel.
