One of the most common questions I get from people seeking decorating advice is how they can make easy updates to a space so it feels more warm, inviting and homey. Here are my top 5 tips for quick and affordable home updates that will transform a lackluster space into a cozy and stylish home you’ll love coming home to every day.
A fresh and vibrant coral colored living room by Jay Jeffers.
1. Paint! It’s the cheapest way to spruce up your space and will instantly make your home feel more “decorated.” If you’re a renter, most buildings will allow you to paint as long as you either paint the walls back to the original color or cover the cost of repainting when you move out. Do it. It’s totally worth it.
A Nate Berkus Designed space as featured in Elle Decor. Photo: William Waldron.
2. Dress your walls. There’s nothing more boring than bare walls so buys some inexpensive artwork whether it be a painting, photographs or any other art that suits your taste. You can find inexpensive art on the street, in flea markets and even at big box stores like Ikea. There are also great online resources like 20×200 and Zatista which I highly recommend.
Jenna Lyons’ colorful Olatz bedding instantly brightens up her room. Photo: Melanie Acevedo
3. Buy nice bedding. Beautiful bedding will instantly make your bedroom feel more “dressed up.” I’m a fan of crisp white bedding which is what you always find in luxury hotels. And white bedding doesn’t have to be boring either. Take a cue from Jenna Lyons and choose an option with bright punch of color.
Designer Vicente Wolf uses a large mirror to maximize the space in his Montauk Living room. Photo: Patrick Cline for Lonny
4. Maximize with Mirrors. If you have a small space, incorporating large mirrors into your decor will create the illusion of a larger room and will also reflect more light which will make your space look and feel larger. It’s a tried and true decorator’s trick!
A vignette in LA designer Windsor Smith’s home features an array of collected treasures. Photo: Miguel Flores-Vianna
5. Surround yourself with things you love. Whether it be your favorite color, family photos, a stack of your favorite books or souvenirs from your travels, surrounding your self with things that have personal meaning that you love will instantly make your house feel more like home.
10 Comments
Great tips! Love them all.
Loved your guest post at Brooklyn Limestone.
These are some fabulous ideas! I’m painting right now…What a change it makes!
It’s official. I want to be Jenna Lyons.
Gorgeous!!!!!….Can’t wait to decorate my new home..!!!!
Thanks everyone!
I completely agree with all of these steps! Excellent advice!
I would add to the “Dress Your Walls” that you can create your own art with your own photography- and I am not talking about displaying 83 pictures of yourself… instead use some of your more artistic photos. I just posted about this: http://northonharper.com/2010/09/the-big-picture/
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Love all the suggestions
Love this post 🙂 What is the name of the color for the sofa in the first picture please?
Hi There! Looks like dark coral color!