Have a room (or rooms) in need of a transformation, but you don’t know where to start? Look no further!
1.Declutter! Get rid of items that don’t belong in the room: mail, catalogs, coats, shoes, toys, etc. They should all have a place. File or recycle mail and other random papers. Use baskets to corral toys. Create a designated place for coats and purses. Closets are best, but hooks will do. Same for shoes. Also, be mindful of the out of hand knick-knack collections. A cluttered home is a cluttered mind.
2. Play with the arrangement of your furniture. Just because the furniture has been in the same place since you moved into your home, doesn’t mean it has to stay there. Change it up. Remove any unnecessary “extra furniture”. Especially if you don’t love it. That old table from your Aunt or your husband’s Papasan chair from college–get rid of it! You can also search your other rooms for furniture you can swap out. You want to open up the room to improve the flow and conversation areas.
3. Paint. Paint goes a long way in brightening and freshening up a room. Whether you paint the entire room, opt for only an accent wall, or even just touch up your door trims and baseboards. Painting can easily be done as a DIY project in a day or weekend. Most paint/home improvement stores offer sample size cans of paint so you can play with different colors to be sure you get the color you love without spending a lot of money. Paint sample colors on a couple of different walls in the room. The paint will look different on each wall depending on the time of day and how the light is hitting it. Also, green Frog tape is a must for sharper lines with no bleeding. Do Not use the blue painter’s tape.
4. Throw pillows and throws. Another great way to get a fresh look is with throw pillows and throws on a sofa or bed. Play with new colors combinations and/or textures. A throw can also help cover up a less than perfect sofa.
5. Lamps and lighting. A well-lit room will make a room look bigger and cleaner. Add lamps to various areas of a room in place of a single overhead fixture. You can play with different wattages and colors of bulbs to create warmth and coziness. Add a dimmer switch (Hello Youtube!) to create a variety of mood options. Replace existing lampshades with more modern shaped shades. Or, add in an accent color with a new shade.
6. Wall art. It’s a must! Think about reframing existing art with different frames or mats. Group existing pieces together to create an overall larger area of art on a wall. Use a framed mirror to help make a room look bigger. Keep a mindful eye on the scale of a piece of art in relation to what it hangs above. You need to keep a balance.
7. Window Treatments. A great way to add color and texture to a room. Hang curtains from floor to ceiling (or as close as you can get to ceiling) to make a room look bigger. Avoid heavy dark window treatments in smaller rooms. Create the illusion of a bigger window by hanging the leading edges of curtains to the outside edges of window glass using an extra-long rod.
8. Plants and flowers. Besides adding a burst of color, plants and flowers make a room come alive. Think about adding a tall indoor plant to an empty corner. Or use a smaller plant or vase of flowers to add balance to a table.
alison@amsdecor.com
Content provided by Women Belong member Alison Sideris
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