Updating your home doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With these simple ideas, you can enhance your home’s look without spending a lot of time or money.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to change the look of a room is with paint. For about $30 a gallon, you can paint a room a new color that will set the tone.
Also, if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, try different paint techniques. Experiment with a suede finish or color washing to give the walls a custom look. Several paint or home improvement stores offer weekend classes or would be happy to teach you the techniques.
Another idea is to give existing mirror frames, chandeliers, picture frames and even cabinetry hardware a face-lift with spray paint to change the finish. Spray paints now come in a variety of colors and textures for almost any surface. There is also paint that bonds easily to most plastics, PVC, resin and more without any sanding or priming.
Window treatments are an additional way to make a bold, dramatic statement in a room. Custom-designed window treatments can be expensive, but there are several local retailers that offer both drapery hardware and ready-made panels in a variety of colors and sizes.
Change the mood of a room in seconds by switching the shades on your lamps. New lamp shades are an ideal way to add a splash of color, provide a fresh accent to a room or help tie the décor together. For a normal table lamp, the diameter of the base of the lamp shade should be within 2 inches of the height of the lamp measured from the base to the bottom of the bulb fitting.
Reupholstering dining room chair cushions or adding accent pillows to a sofa can freshen up a room.
The general rule of thumb is a half-yard of fabric for 14- to 18-inch pillows, and 1 yard for 19- to 24-inch pillows. If you’re going to add trim, remember that more fabric will be needed. For the average dining room chair seat, 3/4 yard to 1 yard of 54-inch-wide fabric typically is enough to recover two standard chair seats. Eight chair seats will require 3 yards of fabric. If the repeat is large or a pattern has to be centered, you may need more fabric. Look in the remnants sections of fabric stores for fabulous finds.
— Deena Hetfield is the owner of Innovative Interiors, an interior design firm, and an in-house interior designer for Machin and Associates. For information about local resources or to schedule a free design consultation, contact her at 805.455.1015 or deena@i2interiors.com.