Nothing beats the feeling of walking into a home and finding it always fresh and welcoming. However, ask anyone who has been through the pains of redecorating one, and you will realize that it is not an easy task. Apart from the disruption to the daily schedule, there are mounting costs to be considered as well.
Here are five secrets shared by interior designers, that will make your house appear straight out of a glossy decor magazine, without a massive budget!
GIVE THE PAINTWORK A LIFT
A fresh coat of paint can easily update and refresh a tired looking room in no time. However, what happens when this lovely paint job is not in your budget? Do not despair, as there are other economical ways to give your paintwork a lift without applying the actual coat.
Cleaning the walls, instead, can make a room look fresh and bright without incurring expense on a new paint job. Remove all wall hangings and move the furniture out of the way. Once these things are no more a hindrance, run a vacuum cleaner or a broom to remove the cobwebs and dust.
Take an old white tee-shirt and dip in a bucket of warm water mixed with a detergent and a splash of vinegar. Wash the walls with the soapy water and dry with a towel to remove extra moisture. Not only you will get a free work out, but soon your walls will look fresh and newly painted.
USE GREAT TOWELS
Towels send a message of cleanliness, warmth, and comfort just as bedsheets do. Old stained and discolored towels make the home look cheap and dirty. Using crisp and colorful towels, the ones that come straight out of a fancy spa will instantly trigger a feeling of luxury.
So swap your old towels with lovely fluffy ones, at least once a week to send out a positive message. Towels made of strong Egyptian cotton fibers are soft, naturally strong, and absorbent. These are not only set to international environmental safety standards but will uplift the look of the entire house with their elegance.
You can even pull out your sewing machine, select a suitable colored ribbon, and add little DIY details that showcases your signature style.
ADD ART TO YOUR WALLS
Having an impressive framed photo collection on the walls can generate that extra feeling of peacefulness which occupants long for. This easy and cost-effective idea can do wonders to the interiors of your living room or bedroom. Family portraits, unique art pieces, and pictures depicting good scenery are some of the decor ideas which can be used to adorn the home.
Proper care should be taken by the homeowners, prior to hanging the photos, for a suitable location and the right method to be adopted when nailing them. Just make sure that the frames are of the correct size taking the dimensions of the wall into consideration.
Remember don’t just put frames on all the empty spaces. Be a bit creative and try and make your own inexpensive designs, rather than spending big money in the galleries. Your local craft department store will have all the material to make a DIY beautiful canvas painting or framed custom artworks.
Painting the wall on which you hang your designs is another brilliant idea to instantly give the entire room a facelift. Bright colors like red, green, and other contrasts from the other three walls, will look excellent.
KEEP THE HOUSE SPIC AND SPAN
One of the most basic tips of interior designing is, less is always more. Clear all the clutter and find a home for all the eyesores by trying these effortless things to do every day.
- The bed is a focal point of everyone’s bedroom. Keep it from dissolving it into disarray by making it up each morning.
- Don’t wait to throw the trash out or put clothes in the hamper. Decisions put off or minor jobs left unattended are the cause of clutter. Clean tiny bits immediately instead of waiting for them to build up.
- Don’t dump things on the table, dresser, or counter. Flat surfaces act as a magnet for objects and create the maximum mess. Find a permanent place for your appliances to get rid of the clutter.
- Put your dirty plates straight into the dishwasher to keep them from piling up. A big stack of dirty dishes gives an extremely ugly look to the kitchen. If possible, clean them straight away and put them on the shelf.
- Trash unnecessary magazines and newspapers to avoid the piling up of huge stacks. Create space in the home by clipping out any article you may need and discard the rest as soon as possible.
- People tend to just drop clothes on the bed or over the back of chairs. This makes the room look unorganized and disorderly. Put dirty items for washing and clean ones on a hanger where they belong.
MOVE THE FURNITURE AROUND
Rearranging the furniture changes the look of a room dramatically. If you find the sofa blocking your way, moving it across to the opposite side may make the area seem more inviting and spacious.
Sometimes you may find your old furniture to be an eyesore, but that does not mean you will rush to the market to buy a new set. Try shopping inside your house because what you are looking for maybe already sitting in a corner of another room.
In some cases, you may find there is surplus furniture and you may need to take pieces out. Move the unwanted items to another room or give them away. Instead of buying new items, rearranging the rooms should be the main focus of decoration. Create beautiful spaces, room after room to transform them from cluttered and drab to elegant and cozy. The best bit of rearranging and reusing is that it doesn’t cost a thing.
STYLE ON A BUDGET
Sprucing up the house at regular intervals, not only makes an impact and improves the well being, but it also helps in saving a lot of money in the long run. While spending thousands on a renovation can add value to the home, even small inexpensive adjustments can give your cherished abode a fresh look. Your aim should be to find ways to make your old stuff look new by using things you have or can purchase cheaply on your own, rather than end up paying a ransom to an interior designer.
Jyotsna Ramani is a digital nomad who loves exploring offbeat places and brining tales of nature, wildlife and the great outdoors to her blog – WanderWithJo. You can follow her escapades through photos on her Instagram to see where her love for travel has taken her so far.