Easy Decor Ideas That Make a Big Difference
Changing seasons can fuel the desire for something new in your environment, from tidying up to freshening the decor in your house. It’s easy to swap out a few pieces or paint a wall to try and make things look different, but making the right impact is important. Here are some inspiring ideas that can refresh your space with style.
Ditch Table Lamps for Bedside Pendants
A smart space-saving idea is to swap bedside lamps for hanging pendant lights. They can be suspended low enough that they provide enough light for bedtime reading. Using pendants instead of bedside table lamps does a few things: It frees up a lot of space on the nightstand and it also pulls the eye upward. These pendants by Casalife are more for ambient light rather than the type that is directed downward.
Add a Flameless Fireplace
Whether or not you live in a cold climate, there are times you want the coy feeling that a fireplace provides. Thanks to new technologies that use LED lights and water vapor or new types of fuel that don’t require the ventilation of traditional gas fires, you can have a fireplace installed anywhere.
From the bathroom to the bedroom or the main living space, a flameless fireplace adds the ambiance without adding heat at the flip of a switch. The best thing may be that you can enjoy it for a few minutes or for hours – whenever you want.
Incorporate Something Humorous
Adding a cheeky element or two somewhere in your home can help lighten the mood and bring some whimsy into everyday life. An easy way to do this is with a light fixture. LZF’s elephant floor lamp is a prime example. Park him in the corner of the living room to keep the family company or install him in the entryway to make guests smile when they enter the home.
Pick Something Colorful
If you tend to stick to neutrals in your interiors, the fastest way to update hour home décor is to add a pop of color. Pick a chair, some cushions or a rug to shake things up without a lot of effort. This chair from Moroso is cheerful and can be used indoors or out. The same indoor décor concepts can be used for your outdoor space: If you have basic, out-of-the-box patio furniture in a neutral color, add a piece that livens things up!
Upgrade Basic Hardware for Artsy Styles
Details make the difference and nowhere is that more evident than when it comes to hardware. It’s rather well known that swapping out the knobs and pulls on any cabinetry in a room can totally change the vibe, but choosing an artsy style can make a spectacular difference.
Look beyond the big box store to find distinctive hardware in designs that express your personality or help highlight a certain aspect of your space. Try this trick for furniture as well as for built-in cabinets to turn a nice piece into a showstopper, just like this cabinet by OakDesign.
Create a Spot Made for Lounging
Especially with an open plan living space, it’s important to create separate seating that feels intimate. And, if you’re lucky enough to have a little-used corner somewhere, it’s the perfect opportunity to design a cozy spot just for lounging. Whether it; used for reading or for sipping tea and enjoying the view, a private little area made for comfort is always a worthy upgrade of your living space.
Turn your Closet into a Showcase
Stop daydreaming about a show-worthy closet and create one to significantly upgrade your bedroom space.. Take a hint from the fashion professionals and pare down your wardrobe to the pieces you really wear and enjoy. Then, give them the care they deserve – with a good dose of design style. Enhance the closet’s design and function with well-placed lighting under the shelves and inside the cubbyholes. The gorgeous closet here is by Former/Bushell.
Strategically Plan Lighting
A well-lighted space is all about more than just stylish fixtures. Where you place the lighting elements and what type of light they provide are key. It’s always best to plan ahead and lay out the types of lighting that you would like to have and where it will go. Just as you layer pieces of clothing to achieve an enviable outfit, you should aim to layer the lighting in any room so that it’s pleasing as well as functional.
Pick a Massive Mirror
Mirrors are a go-to piece for making a stand-out statement, especially when they are oversized. This is true for small and large spaces alike. Not only is a mirror a large wall decor piece, but it also can make a room feel larger.
The reflective properties make a dark space feel a little brighter too. To make a big impact, a mirror doesn’t have to include a huge expanse of glass. Choosing one that has a hefty, substantial or unusually decorative frame makes it an art piece too.
If the space is more modern and clean-lined, a large mirror with a narrow frame is the best choice. In this setting, the huge round version is ideal for the mid-century modern furnishings. This example is striking also for the mirror’s placement.
The automatic reaction is to center a mirror above the sofa. Here, the massive piece is hung not only off center but partially behind the sofa. This type of placement is not something that automatically comes to mind, but on the list of home decorating ideas, it’s a definite winner.
Choose Unique Lighting
Lighting doesn’t have to be standard, no matter what the style of the room. Often, mass-produced industrial style lighting fixtures have a rather homogenous look that is meant to go with the overly neutral interiors of recent years.
Instead, try choosing unique pieces that feature upcycled elements and a rougher exterior. This kind of look will make people contemplate what the previous life of the piece might have been. It’s also a far more interesting choice than a standard table lamp.
At the other end of the design spectrum, a more glamorous room needs a really standout lighting fixture to keep pace with the other dramatic elements. The backlit shelving is so striking that a floor lamp or modest ceiling fixture would fade into the background and be lost.
Instead, this room has a very impressive chandelier hung over the coffee table, which is an unexpected place for a big hanging fixture. Together, the distinctive fixture and focal placement give it huge impact.
Create a Collection
Small accessories are great, but if they are placed individually in random places, they can look cluttered. Instead, create groupings of complementary accessories which will make more of a visual impact. This is a great way to display a collection of favorite items — vases, statues or other accessories that you have gathered over time.
This is one the popular home decorating ideas that don’t even require making a purchase. Just shop your own house to make up a grouping and see how it looks.
Add Something Shiny
A little bling goes a long way, so a room doesn’t need to look like disco-central for shiny things to have a big impact. This living room is overwhelmingly neutral, except for the subtle pink lampshade. Even though it’s a luxurious space, what really makes it pop is the reflective part of the smaller side table and the lamp base. The pair of side tables themselves have an interesting design that is emphasized by the metallic finish.
Change Up the Bedding
Most bedding looks pretty standard no matter what the style, but this ensemble shows how to make some big changes in the bedroom that won’t necessarily cost big bucks. While a new headboard can be a pricey proposition, it’s possible to dramatically alter the look with just the pillows and bed cover.
Here, throw pillows stand in for the standard shams and a cozy faux-fur throw covers most of the bedspread that matched the upholstered headboard. Best of all, when the cold weather is over, just pack away the fur.
Unify A Space With Common Elements
Open plan layouts are great, but it can be a challenge to define the various living spaces and keep them from looking like a jumble. One of the good decorating ideas for this type of area is to use one element repeated in different forms, which helps pull the look together. Here, the living and dining areas both have lighting fixtures from the same collection which provides a cohesive element.
Try Unusual Shelving
Wall shelving like this serves both purposes, being a decorative wall element as well as a functional piece. The long and random construction spans the two types of wall finishes and emphasizes the breadth of the space. A darker neutral gray also unifies the wood and the concrete. This is far more interesting than just a bookcase placed against the wall.
Add A Separate Seating Area
One of the best home decorating ideas is to add a separate seating area, no matter if the space in question is a bedroom, home office or living room. Tucked into the corner of a room, a seating area offers separation from whatever is going on in the rest of the space.
It’s an ideal place for reading or relaxing. When planning this type of spot, remember to incorporate some lighting and a side table — no matter how small — so there’s a place to set down a cup, book or another small item.
Add Comfy Chairs
Every living room or family room needs some comfortable chairs in addition to a sofa. More than just added seating for guests, chairs that are placed across from the sofa encourage conversation and interaction.
They need to be super comfortable so that people will feel at home and want to linger. That said, they do not need to be matching chairs. This setting shows how different colors and upholstery choices can go together, as long as the styles are from the same decor genre.
Focus on the Coffee Table
After the sofa, the coffee table is probably the second most prominent piece of furniture in a living room. Rather than choosing something mundane, make this a standout piece by opting for a special finish or material for the table top, like marble.
Even more, make sure that the accessories on the table are neat and well planned. Styling the coffee table is just as important because too many accessories or those that are poorly arranged will make the room look cluttered.
Another alternative home decorating idea is to use a coffee table where you might normally just have a side table. Here, a stylish — and large — coffee table is paired with an occasional table that under normal circumstances would have been used by itself. This is a great idea for a room where there is not enough space for a sofa because it makes the setting seem more substantial.
Opt for a Desk With Style
Often times, the home office ends up being a mishmash of inexpensive furnishings or cast-offs from other rooms. This is short-changing the person who works in the space because the atmosphere is very important for productivity.
Even if the space is small and can’t fit much furniture, focus on having a stylish desk that is appealing and comfortable because it will be the dominant element.
Focus on Seating for Outdoor Spaces
No doubt, this is a very big sofa, but when furnishing an outdoor space, the key element is seating. Let’s face it, the reason for an outdoor living space is to enjoy being outside, so there have to be plenty of places for people to sit. Rather than clutter up a patio or deck with loads of chairs, stick to a streamlined yet comfortable sofa for optimum usages as well as style.