Many people think that the best — and perhaps only — way to give your home a makeover effectively is to buy new furniture. But that isn’t true. Much of your home interior’s look has to do not just with furniture but with walls, ceilings, flooring, and lighting. Don’t underestimate the transformative power of updated lighting fixtures, crown molding, or wallpaper. Here’s a list of home decorating tips that don’t involve buying new furniture pieces.
Dress your walls
Your walls occupy a significant amount of visual space, so don’t waste the opportunity they give you. There are many ways to style walls in different rooms. Here are our picks:
Install wall planks. This is a great way to cover up any holes and imperfections in your walls while also transforming them completely. The best part is that you can D.I.Y. this. There are also many materials and styles of wall planks you can use, depending on how you want your room to look. Pinewood and Barnwood wall planks give a warm, rustic feel, while wainscoting is an option for a more modern and sophisticated finish.
Repaint. When decorating a room, many people make the mistake of choosing a paint color first and then furnishing and decorating the room to complement the paint color. This is fine if you haven’t bought furniture yet, but it doesn’t always bode well if you already have furniture. Painting is easier and less expensive than furnishing, so choose your paint based on what you already have in the room. Thanks to technology, there’s a way for us to try different colors on our walls without painting them. TapPainter is a mobile app that uses augmented reality (AR) to do just that. Take a picture of the room you want to repaint and choose from the app’s wide array of color swatches.
Removable wallpaper. If you’re indecisive, scared of commitment, or living in a rented space, this is the wallpaper for you. Stick-on wallpaper makes for an easier and more low-risk application because it’s so easy to take off if you’re unsatisfied with or tired of the design.
Get artsy. A redecoration isn’t complete without placing art on your walls. This is a quick and easy way to infuse personality into your home. Try On Wall is another app that lets you plan the layout of your gallery wall. Like the other apps we’ve mentioned, all you have to do is take a picture, choose art pieces from the app and move them around to your liking.
Update your light fixtures
This can make all the difference. Lighting fixtures change the room not only because of the light that they provide but also how they look when they’re not switched on. Perhaps your chandelier or drop lights are outdated or clash with the rest of the room. Changing it to something more modern or appropriate will help tie the room together.
Recessed lighting fixtures give any room a cool and modern look. Best of all, they’re low maintenance. The light bulbs are installed inside a hollow opening, so they require little to no dusting, unlike drop lighting fixtures. If you’re going to switch from drop lighting to recessed lighting, make sure to hire the proper expert to install it for you.
Wall sconces are excellent lighting installations that are both functional and decorative.
Throw on the rugs
These are the go-to accessory for your floors, and they can cover up stains, scuff marks, and other imperfections. They’re also easier to clean and change out compared to carpeted flooring.
Install crown molding
This is an effective and underrated way to add sophistication to any interior. It’s also simple enough for you to D.I.Y. Crown molding dresses the corners found between ceilings and walls or walls and doors or windows. By picking a uniform crown molding for your interiors, you’ll give your home a cohesiveness to its look.
Hold your drapes up high
This is a trick to make your ceilings look higher. Place the curtain rod about 2 inches below the crown molding to give the illusion of higher ceilings. To make the windows look wider, extend the rod on both sides.
There are many ways to redecorate your home without buying new furniture. Planning out how your walls, floors, and lights will look is a great way to get in touch with your craftier side. The tips we’ve listed are just a few ways for you to update your home interiors without breaking the bank. Many of them are also simple enough for you to do on your own.