According to some statistical data, an average American spends nearly $800 to $1500 every year on home maintenance and repairs. It needs no saying that maintenance and repairs are important for longevity and better health of the home. However, Domain Management advises there’s one more thing that should be considered when it comes to home maintenance – the decoration.
Typically, decorations are only reserved for special occasions such as marriage or college graduation, and this is common to almost every community worldwide. That being said, the decorations are purely aesthetic and are meant to improve zest.
Apart from these special occasions, a home also needs some regular decorations that should applaud the homely feel. And luckily, this article is about those regular decor ideas.
We’ve compiled 11 home decor ideas from expert designers to help you revamp your home’s look completely. And that too without having to spend a fortune. So, without any further ado, let’s begin!
1. Make Great First Impressions
It needs no saying that the entry to your home is the very first thing that has an impression on your guests. Essentially, your front door needs to be impressive for your guests to be gazing with awe-struck eyes. And not just for your guests, but also for your own personal content, it is quite important to improve the aesthetics of your front door.
That being said, designer doors may cost you fortune in purchase and installation. Alternatively, you can choose to repaint your existing doors in fun and glossy hues. For instance, bright strawberry red gloss is quite popular these days. Or you can also choose orange and yellow hues. These stunning color palettes are gaining a huge popularity these days, especially among the artistic community.
Or there’s yet another way to improve your front door’s aesthetic appeal- you can replace the central body with glass panes. Open up to a whole new exterior view without having to open up your doors. Plus, glass doors are a mark of elegance and luxury.
2. Keep Hallways Neutral And Light
Hallways are meant to bear heavy traffic in whichever structure they are present, be it a school building, an office, or even your home. This is also the reason experts suggest that they should be kept clear of any distractions possible. In fact, keeping hallways neutral and as possibly free of clutter as possible can actually improve the overall aesthetics of the space.
The hallways are usually narrow spaces and putting up decorations or even bright colors can make the space look narrower. On the contrary, if you paint your hallways in neutral colors such as cream or pale white, it would make them look more spacious.
Color choices like beige, gray, or even dull white are some of the common choices for painting hallways. The idea is to keep the area as neutral as possible, precisely to keep the passers by from paying much heed to this area.
3. Sitting Area Should Invite Conversations
One of the important points while setting up your living room is to ensure the right arrangement of the sitting area. Essentially, a sitting area must be inviting enough for the users to start a conversation. If you consider the seating arrangements in hotel lobbies you’d precisely know what we’re talking about.
Facing your sofa and chairs in ‘H’ or ‘C’ shape is mostly referred to in such gathering places. But, you can also consider other arrangements such as ‘L’ or ‘Q’ which are suitable for seating large gatherings and are also widely popular where space is a concern.
Evidently, you need not to invest in a new sofa set or chairs, but only need to rearrange them within your seating area. Another thing to keep in mind is placing your furniture at a distance from the walls. On the contrary to the misconception that pushing furniture against the walls can make the room larger, it is perhaps the floating furniture that does the trick.
4. Install Drapes In Your Kitchen
Well, this is something that most people never think of, but indeed the kitchen is essentially one of those places in your home where meaningful conversations take place. Family dinners, budget management, and future plans for kid’s education are some of the key conversations to name. And these discussions need you to be in your best mood for fruitful decision making.
For your kitchen, the drapes should be carefully chosen to make sure they do not block out all the light. But, at the same time, the drapes should not be too inviting for the sunlight as well. Lighter shades can help keep your kitchen bright and cool at the same time.
As some say, a naked bank window is better than the one draped in heavy outdated fabrics, it is vital to make the right choice of the materials as well. Cotton, linen, and silk are some of the best choices for window drapes. The right combination of texture, design, and material will not only make your kitchen look elegant but also be functional enough to improve the ambient atmosphere inside.
5. Install Mirrors Wherever Possible
This is probably one of the smartest tricks that any interior designer can share. And this trick is not at all modern, but is being used for ages now. Mirrors are naturally good at bouncing back and scattering the light that falls on its surface.
Perhaps installing mirrors in your home can improve the aesthetics of your home, while also saving you a lot in terms of utility bills. Consider the huge sums of money you could save using the natural daylight to brighten up your space and cutting short on electricity usage.
Experts suggest that at least one mirror must be installed in every room, if not more. The mirrors should be purposely placed opposite to the windows or doorways, to let in the natural light and fall directly on the mirror.
6. Change The Vibes In Your Bedroom
Coming to the most favorite place in any house for its residents- the bedroom. Even if not the most favorite, your bedroom would still be the place where you spend most of your time, either relaxing, reading, or even spending some quality time with your partner. Perhaps, it needs to support every mood.
The paint scheme, the curtains, and even the bed in your bedroom significantly affect your perspective when you’re in there. Perhaps, choosing bright and lively colors, installing smart lights, and a beautifully designed platform bed, are in vogues these days. In fact, here is an example of some of the best platform bed designs that you have in option. Mix and match has always been an effective way to improve the quality of art in any form. And this applies to your bedroom as well. Mix colors, designs, and textures to ensure that everything compliments each other and improves the aesthetics of your bedroom, collectively.
7. Try Wall Art To Imbue Life Into Your Space
Wall art is among the most budget friendly decoratives that anyone can have in their home. In fact, from posters, to wall stickers, to wall decor and even replicas of some popular artworks such as Monalisa, are easily available in the market.
That being said, most of the people often fail to install these wall-arts correctly. Experts suggest installing paintings and wall arts at eye level. After all, paintings that are hung too high up on the wall are a pain in the neck, and neither your guests nor you would ever like to look so up high.
8. Cover Up Light For Clear Focus
This should sound a bit odd to many readers, as we’re already advising you to install mirrors for brighter interiors, naturally. Well, essentially every room must have three types of lighting- ambient, task, and accent.
The primary light is the ambient light which is either obtained naturally, such as by installing the mirrors, or is obtained from artificial fixtures such as ceiling lamps. Then comes the task light, which is supposed to be focused on the work area. For example, a reader would need the light on his book and a lamp can fulfill this need.
Lastly, it is the accent, which has a more decorative effect. For example, highlighting an artwork or a corner with trophies would usually have sconces or floor lights to highlight their presence.
9. Lay Down Plush Rugs For Softness
Placing an area rug should not be considered as an ambiguous task. There are certain rules to installing them. For starters, the rug you choose to install should neither be too short nor too long for the space. It is suggested that 2-4 inches of space must be generously left on all sides between the edges of the rug and the walls.
Apart from this, the rug must be chosen considering the purpose it needs to serve. Ideally, a rug is installed as a secondary flooring to extend the life of the primary flooring. But there are more uses to it as well, such as improving the aesthetics of the room.
Many people, especially the families with old-aged members, install rugs to keep the floors soft for the elderly. It not only provides soft floors to step on, but also minimizes the chances of injuries if they trip and fall.
10. Declutter Your Space To Make It Look Spacious
It needs no saying that overly crowded spaces make the rooms look smaller. If there’s something in your room that you don’t use anymore, it’s better to remove them. For example, you may still have your toys from your childhood, or your old coursebooks, that you don’t need anymore. It is better to either donate these things or sell them in garage sales.
Meanwhile, decluttering your room can open up the space and help you arrange your things in a sophisticated manner. Additionally, you can install racks and closets to store your things and keep the clutter clear.
11. Keep Your Personality And Install Only What You Like
Most importantly, whatever new designs you plan to implement, it is vital that you don’t lose your own touch. In other words, make sure that you only choose the designs that you like and install them only. After all, it’s your home and you’re to live there.
On this note, it is pretty obvious that home decor cannot be ignored and must not only be considered when there’s a special occasion, only.
Read More:
Setting up an outdoor kitchen, this ultimate guide can help
How to bring your living room to life with wall decorations
Wood flooring: the number one choice among homeowners
7 tips how to make a furnished apartment your own
