Is your home dated, and in desperate need of a complete makeover? Do you wish you could give your home’s interior a fresh look without taking on a complete overhaul? If so, you’re certainly not alone. Life happens, and all too easily, home decorating can be put on the back burner. And then, when you finally have time to slow down, it hits you: your home decor is a decade or so behind the times.
The good news is that you can bring it all forward into the 21st century without it turning into a huge renovation. With paint and some new or refreshed furnishings, you can have a home that’s beautiful, and more importantly, current.
To help put this into perspective, let’s take a look at a couple of images — a before and after of a living room — and compare them.
Paint
Paint is the most powerful weapon you have against a dated home. And walls are just the beginning! Paint can transform so many other items in your home into a much more modern version of their older self. Kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, doors, baseboards and trim, built-ins, furniture, door hardware, fireplaces, light fixtures, and even countertops and tile can benefit from a fresh coat of paint.
As you can see in the picture, softening up the paint throughout the entire space and choosing a single color really made it feel bright and cohesive. This is especially important in open floor plans such as this.
Window Treatments
Nothing dates a room faster than dated window treatments.
Go back and look at the pictures of the room. See how changing the heavy-looking patterned drapes for light-colored ones allows more natural light to come in? This really makes the space feel bigger than it actually is.
There are so many directions you can go with window treatments. Current trends favor layering, which makes windows look even more interesting. Something like simple drapery panels can be layered with various other options including wood (real or faux) blinds, bamboo shades, or Roman shades.
To get a truly stylish and unique look, personally choose your fabrics and have your window treatments made. Again, doing so gives you so much flexibility when it comes to color, pattern, and texture. Replacing your dated window treatments really is an investment worth making.
Lighting
Light fixtures have come a long way. In fact, lighting can be found in just about any shape, size, and finish, making it really simple to make a big impact.
In the living room featured in the picture, you can see that they swapped out the lampshade chandelier for a more modern hanging light. They also added a couple of new floor lamps. This definitely suits the updated style a lot more!
A good starting place for light fixture replacement is to focus on the lights that are seen more often, such as outdated entry lights, dining room chandeliers, and bathroom vanity lights. Once you’re done with those, consider changing out your flush-mount ceiling lights, especially if they’re the ones commonly referred to as “boob lights.” While this style of light is incredibly affordable, there are definitely much better replacement options in both flush and semi-flush styles at a comparable price point.
Looking for a fresh new lamp? We have several that will work beautifully within your home.
Flooring
When it comes to flooring, hardwood or luxury vinyl are the two best options for the freshest look. With that said, keeping the carpet in your home is perfectly fine — as long as it doesn’t exceed its average life span which is 10-15 years. Any older, and it’s time to reconsider your options and preferences.
In the featured living room, the tile was exchanged for hardwood in a soft gray. Both are easy to clean, but the hardwood grounds the space better and gives it a warmer feel. Going with a light gray, it’s a choice that will look great now and in the future.
Whatever type of flooring you choose, be sure to incorporate a beautiful area rug or two into the decorating scheme. Even on carpet, an area rug can add color, depth, and personality to the space.
Furniture
Furniture is a big investment, so when deciding on what pieces to use for your home, it’s important to choose carefully. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find good-quality pieces that truly reflect your personal style. This is why it’s always a good idea to consider looking beyond the home decor websites or furniture store showrooms.
If your furniture has good bones, consider having it reupholstered. New fabric can do wonders for dated pieces! If you need to buy some new pieces, consider investing in ones that are custom-made. Choosing your preferred style of furniture and fabrics is a game-changer when it comes to updating your home. Not only do you end up with better quality, but you also get a wider selection of patterns, colors, and textures — both of which, makes it possible to curate furniture pieces that will look good for multiple decades.
A good rule of thumb is to anchor the room with a large solid piece, such as the sofa, and then incorporate your favorite patterns through smaller accents and accessories (think an accent chair, ottoman, and throw pillows). This makes it much easier to refresh the space again when the time comes.
In this particular living room, they opted for solid, streamlined furniture — a much better choice than the wicker-and-plaid they had going on. Varying the fabric colors keeps it interesting as does the use of bright and fun colors on the pillows. Again, the solid color choices offer longevity and flexibility. When the time comes, it’ll be easy to change out the accent pillows for a new or seasonal look.
Be sure to browse our custom pieces that include sofas, chairs, ottomans, headboards, and accessories.
Accessories
The last way to make your home decor look more current is to replace decorative accessories. In addition to area rugs, which we already mentioned, focus on items like wall art, mirrors, and faux floral arrangements.
Notice in the pictures how the wall art and floral arrangements were changed out. The choices look fresher, especially with the new fabrics and paint color. Also, check out the mirror. Upon closer inspection, you can see the new mirror, although similar, is smaller, creating the illusion of a higher ceiling.
Be sure to stop by or browse online to see our selection of accessories that include mirrors, clocks, wall art, and forever florals.
Other Swaps for a Quick Update
In addition to what’s listed above, here are a few other things you can swap out or add to make your home look and feel a bit more current:
- Outlets, switchplates, and thermostat. A subtle change from ivory to white can make a big difference. Also, digital thermostats can result in bigger savings.
- Faucets. Faucets are an easy DIY update (no plumbers needed), and they really make a big difference in the overall look of the bathroom.
- Molding. Adding crown molding, trim, and wainscotting can really amplify the look of your home’s interior. If you already have these details, see if they need a fresh coat of paint.
- Hardware. Updating cabinet knobs and pulls is a simple and inexpensive fix. Window treatment hardware is worth updating, too!
When you’re ready to refresh your home, we’re here to help with our wide selection of fabrics, accessories, lighting, and custom furniture. Stop by one of our showrooms or browse online to see all the beautiful items we have to offer.
