Decorating Tips – Customizing Your Home
By Michelle Samar
Since many of us live in a community where our neighbors have the same floor plan as we do, we need to take a few steps to define it, make it our own, to customize it, The following are just a few suggestions.
Paint It’s cheap, it’s easy and it sends a message the minute you open the door. Even painting halls and “public spaces” a neutral tan, taupe or yellow will make it much more inviting than sterile white. People who are afraid to paint believe that color on a wall will visually shrink the space. This is untrue. Paint will make the room feel cozier and send an overall feeling of cohesiveness to your home.
Remember, if you hate a color you’ve just brought home, it is easily corrected, just paint over it and try again. Be sure you try 2-3 different colors and paint 3 foot squares in various areas of the room and observe the color at different times of the day to make sure you love it before committing to a whole room of that shade. (buy quarts).
Replacing Fixtures Bathroom light fixtures can easily replaced with little electrical know-how or money. You can go to any home improvement store and find wonderful designs to replace the builders’ standard you are stuck with now. You can even go to Target and find great Pottery Barn knock-offs at great prices.
Window Treatments Most people believe once they have installed blinds, shutters, or tropicals that they are finished with their window dressings. Now it’s time to add the finishing touch. Soften the windows by adding panels or valances in fabrics that coordinate with your furniture. Even if you want a clean, contemporary look, simple white panels on the sides of your window will make your space seem more approachable and comfortable. Drapes also have a way of adding height to a room because the vertical line brings your eye towards the ceiling.
Adding Molding Crown molding always makes a dramatic impact especially when use in an entry or a formal front room. Consider using chair rail in bedrooms as an easy way to create a dividing line between contrasting colors . Replacing baseboards with the wider, more impressive size is a highly effective way of adding architectural interest. Using stock moldings at the local home improvement store is an easy way to “panel” a room or increase the size of a picture without having to re-matt and re-frame.
Accessories These are the “personality” of the room. Make sure they all have some common thread ie; theme, color, or construction. When displaying collections of related items in clusters, remember that odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye as is “pyramiding” your pieces. Think about starting a “family portrait wall” down a hallway or in a powder room. Try and keep all pictures in similarly colors frames to prevent a “too-busy” look.
Recycle Reusing what you already have can as exciting as buying something new. Give old furniture a new look with store bought slipcovers, or refinishing an old piece with stain or distressing or even a coat of paint . Using craft paint to update accessories is also a wonderful way to customize your home. Remember, right now the “old world” look is in, so the more worn the item , the better!
