Some Tips on improving the look of your home
For all of us, home is the most comfortable and coziest place on earth. After a long day of work when you get back to your own place all that you want to do is to unwind and relax. Walking into a clean, organized and clutter free home lifts your spirit . Most of us have to live on a budget. Paying for necessities such as the rent or mortgage, food, clothing, electricity and transportation leaves most of us little room in our bank accounts for expensive furnishings and makeovers.
You don’t need to have expensive gadgets ,furnishings or decor to make your home look attractive. What is far more important is imagination and some good ideas. The living room is usually the first room that your guests see when they come into your home and it needs to look inviting! One Really important thing to remember is "less is more" like anywhere else in life, so better to go slowly, and think carefully about what each space needs and buy accordingly! You can definitely get much more out of your house however small it may be by creating an illusion of space. This can easily be done by making a few simple and practical changes and additions within your home.
Here are 25 tips to improve the look of your home
1, It doesn't take a lot of money to make people feel comfortable in a home but it does take a little bit of elbow grease and lots of imagination to give your home a new look. Interiors is all about smart use of colors and space.
2, A fresh coat of paint does a lot to improve the look of a house. Have pastel shades for wall (I love pearl white, Off white, buttermilk, almond and such other light shades) and contrast it with one wall ,especially any corner you want to highlight. You can either have some bright and fiery colors like Orange, Yellow or cool colors like Green, Aqua or Blue depending on what look you want to create.
3, When you have to work within a budget but at the same time need some furniture , go in for collapsible furniture like dining table and chairs that fold, study table and if possible bed ( buy the bare minimum that is required) to be space smart and later, add on more sturdy pieces one at a time. Cane furniture besides looking elegant and light to handle are also relatively inexpensive and great as starter furniture .
4, When you make curtains buy some extra material, so that part of the curtain material or left over material can be used to make a couple of cushion covers and quilt covers, including small table clothe etc. This gives a uniform look through the room that looks attractive. Try and have similar curtains for the entire house, if not the same color, at least stick to one theme .Like for example having a certan color scheme in the bedroom, hall , sitting room etc..
5, As far as possible, try and have large windows and ventilators for natural light which lets in fresh draft as well. Try to keep the windows and doors free of too many patterns that attract dirt and grease and are difficult to clean.
6, If you have old doors that are sturdy but have old fashioned dumpy and unattractive looking door knobs and other fittings, do change the fittings and get the door painted in an eye catching attractive color that matches the wall paint and other furnishing .
7, When you have a small place and you don’t want to spend too much on decorating the house, go in for a wall art and side tables and an all purpose couch. With a couple of book shelves and a few cushions thrown around the room you can have a lovely little place that has not made a hole in your pocket. Little things like this totally tie a room together.
8, I like posters and some of them are really nice and colorful and framing some of those posters make it look classy. You don’t have to spend a ton on a frame. You’d be stunned by the difference it makes to your bare looking wall and the entire look of the room.
9, A decent-looking garbage bin can make all the difference to the way your kitchen looks , most people tend to have overflowing messy ones that look disgusting. Kitchen needs to be maintained as well as other rooms in the house and should be neat and tidy all the time.it is after all the nerve center of the house where food is prepared for the entire family which in turn reflects in the good health of the members .
10, Buy some blooming, potted plants to frame your front door. If you have the knack to do so, try landscaping your property (particularly the front yard), which is bound to yield great returns in home value and looks great too! A couple of artistically arranged rocks and a few potted plants can do the trick if you don't have the time.
11, Buy a colorful, sturdy new welcome mat for your front door. Also be sure that your doorbell works. Having an attractive potted plant at the entrance or an earthenware pot filled with leaves and petals floating in water gives a welcoming touch.
12, Make sure that your home smells good all the time. Adding a few drops of scented floor cleaning liquid while swabbing the floor takes care of any foul smell that might be lingering.You can also keep some scented potpourri in an attractive container on a corner table in the hall and in the bathroom.
13, Put vases of flowers or bowls of mixed fruit or lemons throughout the house, in the kitchen or on the dining room table, on small side tables etc to give a fresh clean look to your place.You don't need to spend a fortune on buying flowers, instead you can pick a few nice looking foliage and a couple of flowers from your own garden and arrange them in a vase.
14, Keep your bathrooms absolutely clean because that's what a person notices first, a clean smelling bathroom gives a favorable impression of the owner. Invest in some new towels. Plush, freshly folded towels in the bathroom add an irresistible note of luxury especially when you have guests visiting you.
15, Sometimes small changes like changing the floor tiles can give an entirely new look to the interiors. You don't need to go in for expensive variety of tiles, even black or red oxide floor can look good when you combine it with matching wall paint, curtains and soft furnishing material like cushion covers and upholstery .
16,You can may think of buying some nice artwork or prints to hang up on your wall as well. But again here don't overdo it, covering every single wall with some decoration or the other can tire your eyes since you need to gaze at them day in and day out. However, one or two carefully selected artwork or paintings definitely add aesthetic value to the room and the interior.
17, Rearranging furniture is also a good idea. Go for a spring cleaning of the entire house and while putting back the furniture try out something different. being rigid never help, so try out different combinations and see what suits best.
18, Cushions in various sizes and shapes arranged on a divan is very comfortable and serves dual purpose of seating and as an extra bed when guests drop in for an overnight stay. Divan, according to me is an extremely useful furniture to have around a smaller house because of its versatility .
19,The right kind of lighting (natural or store bought) can create an inviting atmosphere. If done correctly, you can create an open space using a mixture of natural and conventional lighting sources.
20, Flowers and plants bring a much needed natural element to any room besides adding warmth to any interior space . The more colorful the better. Purchasing a colorful potted plant is wiser because it will last most of the year while cut flowers will last for about a week. Indoor plants last for years when proper care is taken ,and they get adjusted to a certain spot within a room.
21, In my opinion never get rid of any old furniture even if it is worn and broken. Get a good carpenter to look at the possibilities and come up with something new. Like for example we had a long book shelf which had sturdy frame but the back had become weak. Our carpenter remodeled it into a wall mounted show case which looks absolutely new and different now. So, never throw away old furniture unless it is completely useless to you.
22, If you visit old furniture shops and second hand furniture shops you get many bargains and you may end up finding some unusual pieces of furniture that may enhance the look of your home. Buying brand new shiny furniture need not necessarily improve the look of your home.
23, A neat and tidy garden that is well cared for is very inviting and pleasing to the eye. Even if you have only a small balcony space where you can afford to have only a few potted plants, arrange them to their best advantage , because greenery and green space is always eye catching and inviting.
24, Don't be rigid with your ideas of decoration. You can be creative and use the so-called mismatched things to best advantage by being innovative. Some items don't always have to be used for the purpose they are intended for. Just keep that in mind when looking for items as well, think about how else you can use it to make it more interesting within your home. Inexpensive items can turn into the most talked about objects in your home.
25, More than anything let your home be a comfortable and safe place for the family to relax instead of making you wary each time you touch something, fearing whether it would fall or you are messing up the neat folds of the sofa covers and cushions.
Conclusions
A home reflects the owners personality to a great extent, but let this fact not obsess you to the extent that you work towards projecting a perfectly turned out house all the time. I have seen many such houses which put you on guard instead of making you feel at home .
Be practical and remember that what you need is a clean comfortable place to relax in and not a show piece that impresses others. Once we are sure about our needs and also know the kind of look we want for our home, it is easy to work towards it without having to spend a lot of money or time. Making you home attractive and presentable should be a pleasant experience for all the mebers of thee family !
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