How often have you walked into a room in your home and felt it ‘needed something’ to make it look fresher? Right off the bat you see the clutter that you overlooked and added to all winter long, and you know that you have to begin by de-cluttering the room. After the clutter is gone, there are several very simple modifications you can do that will make the room fresher, brighter and more inviting.
If the walls look dingy or if the color is no longer pleasing to you, a fresh coat of paint on the walls and trim will work wonders for a tired, drab room. You can paint the room a single color, paint an accent wall in a complementary shade to the main color, or you can be creative with faux finishes and/or wallpaper on one or more walls or within frames created with attractive moulding.
If you have a hardwood or tile floor and there are no area rugs in the room, add one in the center of the room to help frame the layout of the furniture. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting and you know there is a hardwood floor underneath in reasonably good condition, remove the rug, polish up the floor, and add one or more area rugs ~ placing them, again, to help frame the layout of the furniture.
The room will take on quite a different look simply by replacing light fixtures and/or lamp shades. Wall sconces can be installed in the living room, dining room, or bedroom for a subtle lighting effect that will change th
e overall atmosphere of the room when lit.
Fresh-cut flowers and well-tended plants are always pleasing to the eye and can add freshness to any room in the house. If you want to achieve a tranquil effect in the room, a small tabletop water fountain is a nice addition.
New window treatments not only brighten a room, but can give a dramatically different effect if they are totally different than what was there before. Removing draperies and replacing them with 2” horizontal wooden blinds or with shutters creates an astonishingly different look. In the same regard, taking down the blinds and replacing them with draperies or Roman shades can also achieve this effect.
Rearrange the pictures on the walls and the accent pieces in the room. These are very subtle changes that will make others wonder just what is different in the room, without being able to quite put their finger on it.
So when you feel you need to freshen up a room but don’t want to go through the time and expense of a complete overhaul, these very simple modifications will do the trick. For minimal labor and expense, you can transform your old, drabby room into a fresher, brighter and more inviting room for others to see and, most importantly, for you to enjoy.