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Home improvement pros and DIYers tout a fresh coat of paint as a favorite among low-cost home upgrades that can make a huge impact. But what else can you do to accessorize and decorate? Sometimes the little things can make a bigger difference than you’d think.
Professionals share the following easy and low-cost home upgrades to add a designer’s touch all around the house. These projects may even help increase your home’s perceived value.
That edgeless, builder-grade mirror hanging above the bathroom vanity may be prime for an update. I suggest using DIY frame kits from Amazon. Measure the mirror and choose from numerous frame styles and materials, like wooden walnut or shiny brass. The frame kit includes clips and metal strips to attach to the existing mirror.
Simply adding greenery can liven up bathroom spaces and soften harsh lines from all the heavy fixtures. Try a statement plant on the floor, like the vertical sword-shaped leaves of a snake plant or the feathery foliage from a bird’s nest fern. Or you could incorporate smaller plants, like a mini aloe in a white ceramic planter or an iron fern in a rounded marble vase.
Many renovators say they’re incorporating greenery to update their bathrooms for aesthetics, air purification, and odor-fighting abilities. Tight on space? I suggest topping a shelf or vanity counter with an air-purifying indoor plant on a natural tray (for texture) along with a favorite candle.
Just swapping out the faucets and drawer pulls is a small home upgrade that can refresh an outdated bathroom. Try trendy gold or black cabinet pulls or a modern boxy-style faucet.
Wall sconces can warm up the bathroom lighting, says interior designer. I suggest wall sconces hung on each side of the vanity mirror in a black, brass, or chrome finish. The bulb color’s temperature is important. I prefer a crisp but warm white light.
Installing molding on the walls behind the bed is an impressive home upgrade. I recently used black molding zigzagged across a wall to dress up a white, blank slate behind the bed frame. Also, designers and woodworking artists are readily available on sites like Etsy.com (search under “professionally designed custom dimensional accent wall”). They will custom design a 3D digital model of the molding to fit your wall and provide an instruction packet, shopping list, and cutting and installation instructions so you can DIY.
I love adding a statement wall mirror to a bedroom. I suggest hanging a new mirror above a nightstand, dresser, chest, or bed. Try a mirror in an unusual shape, like a diamond, hexagon, or square silhouette. For the Living Room
A room can appear one-dimensional when it’s missing texture. Designers may add texture by incorporating dressers with fluted designs, chunky knit throws, velvet ottomans, or leather accent chairs. You can adapt that idea by scoping out items from other rooms in your house that you can mix in the living room to add texture and depth. Or shop secondhand stores for small items you can refinish, repurpose, or re-cover. For example, re-covered accent pillows are an affordable way to add texture to your furniture.
For homeowners who may be too timid to jump on the wallpaper comeback trend, try it in small doses and with less commitment (especially when using a removable peel-and-stick type). Add wallpaper to the inside back of a bookcase or other shelving unit to dress it up.
Don’t let an all-white kitchen become boring! Add industrial or contemporary black hardware and lighting to make a kitchen look more chic. Gold is trendy; or chrome, nickel, brushed silver, and stainless steel hardware and lighting are always safe bets. I like sites such as Overstock.com, Wayfair.com, or Amazon.com for affordable, stylish mid-century mod, industrial, or futuristic pendant lighting options.
For example, she used shiny gold canned pendants in an otherwise all-white kitchen to highlight the island. Even just changing out one main fixture or series of pendants above a kitchen island can change the whole look of a room instantly without having to renovate the entire kitchen,.
Pantries have emerged as a kitchen favorite, so they’re a good choice for a home upgrade. They’re rated as essential or desirable by at least 80% of home shoppers, according to the National Association of Home Builders “What Home Buyers Really Want” consumer survey. Retailers such as the Container Store, Ikea, and Dollar General offer baskets and glass jars in all shapes and sizes.
Invest in a label maker and go to town organizing your pantry so everything matches and looks almost decorative or too pretty to take snacks from. This helps create visual order in the space too.” For example, stow pasta in a glass container, put the packaged bread and other products in shelf-sized baskets, and color coordinate the canned goods.
Boxes filled with flowers along the bottom ledge of your outside windows can enhance your home’s architecture and colors. Fill them all year-round. I suggest using three different types of flowers (for example, greenery, a taller plant in the center, and a colorful accent flower).
The size, proportion, and positioning of flower boxes are important; don’t overdo it, she adds. Not every window needs one. Maybe it’s just the large picture window or the windows on a second story. To test placement, duct taping cardboard cutouts to the windows to view the possibilities before drilling any holes.
Bring in a statement light above the front door for a functional and dramatic home upgrade. A hanging pendant or chandelier on the front porch isn’t just for extra illumination. It can enhance curb appeal. I suggest a fixture that’s about one-third or one-fourth the size of the front door (including the trim) and having it hang about 66 inches from the ground. The lights on the exterior should be your jewelry — your ‘wow.’”
If there’s no place for a pendant, upgrade the lights to the side of the door, such as with boxed lanterns in a black or antique bronze.
13. Oversize the House Numbers
The home’s address numbers may seem insignificant for the outside design, but it is one of my favorite inexpensive home upgrades. Large format, sleek black address numbers can add a modern vibe to a homeHouse numbers are like adding a statement watch to your outfit. It pulls it all together
The numbers can be in all-black or in colors, like even pink or teal, depending on the home’s style. The placement varies too, from the side of the front door to above the garage or anywhere along the front. These can become a focal point and add some flair.
I hope this information helps you sell your home fast! If you are in need of a Realtor, please contact me:
shaelanay.the.realtor@gmail.com
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