If you’ve recently bought a house, you might find that it doesn’t quite feel like home. It can feel like an empty shell or, if someone else has lived in it for a while before you moved in, it can even feel like you’re a guest in someone else’s house. This is why it’s important to be able to put your own stamp on your property.
While big renovations will absolutely do this for you, you can make a significant difference with just a few smaller changes. These allow you to decorate your home and make it feel like yours, all without breaking the bank or putting up with your house being in disrepair for a long time.
Necessary Repairs
Before you make tweaks and decorative changes, it’s important to make a list of the “must-do” jobs. These are repairs that will make your home safer, more economical, and more pleasant to live in overall. These can range from minor fixes to more urgent repairs.
The more urgent repairs might include structural damage, like cracks in your walls or damp proofing if you get damp in your home. These are often on the more expensive and time-consuming side of the scale, but they also need to be done sooner rather than later. Damage to the roof should also be dealt with quickly, because it can cause leaks and water damage.
Other bigger jobs might include getting new doors and windows, especially if your house is drafty or gets leaks from these areas. While this does cost money in the short term, the savings you will make on utility bills will pay dividends.
From there, move on to smaller repairs, like peeling paint and wallpaper, broken or stiff door handles, and smaller leaks and plumbing issues. This will all make your house look better and feel more comfortable to live in.
Flooring Changes
Next, another change that might be more significant than others is the flooring. The most obvious and extreme way to refresh the flooring in your home is to replace it with something new. While this is a good option, it’s not the only thing you can do.
Some types of flooring can be refreshed with a deep clean. This works well for carpets, and you might be surprised at how different they look afterwards. Hard floors can be refreshed with a deep clean as well. Wooden floors can be sanded down and refinished or polished for a fresher look, and in some cases, you can even paint the floors.
If the flooring itself is fine, but you want to make it look cozier and less bare, a simple change like adding a rug can make a massive difference.
Better Storage Solutions
One thing that can make your home look cluttered, untidy, and distracting to live in, is stuff. Too much stuff and clutter everywhere can turn a stunning home into a place that’s a lot more cramped, more difficult to clean, and in some cases, stressful.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have ornaments or decorative items. Some people really like the slightly cluttered farmhouse look, where you display the things you love in your home. But there are also plenty of things that shouldn’t be kept on show all the time.
In this case, smart storage can be an ideal solution.
For example, good kitchen storage will keep your counters clear at all times. You can put small appliances, cutlery, and crockery, all tucked away where it’s easy to access, but not right in front of your face. This makes your kitchen more usable, and it looks much nicer.
Smart Lighting
The lighting in your home can have a surprising effect on how it feels. Brighter and cooler lights can make a room feel cold and business-like, but they’re also much better for practical use, as you can see what you’re doing more clearly. On the other hand, dimmer and warmer lighting is ideal when you want to relax without a harsh light making you feel more alert.
You can put different types of lights in different rooms to make sure that the lighting is best for your needs. Workspaces, like the kitchen or the office, will benefit from brighter lighting, while bedrooms and living rooms might prefer a warmer light.
Dimmer switches can be another option, as these, as well as smart lights or even color-changing lights, allow you to change the lighting in the room at the touch of a button.
Soft Furnishings
Soft furnishings and touches add a lot of warmth and character to a room. Cushions can make your couch more comfortable, and they’re really easy to customize with different cushion covers. You can also add throws or blankets onto your couches to make them feel more cozy and, on colder winter nights, give yourself an option to warm up.
Curtains, rugs, couch covers, and other soft furnishings all add to a more cozy feeling in your home.
Brass Detailing
One great way to add some small details to your property is with brass detailing. Shop Corston online store offers some great options for door handles, light switches, and other finishing touches that can make a massive difference to how your house looks and feels.
Brass is a great material for these features because it’s sleek and attractive. It works well in modern homes and older homes alike, and it’s also easy to keep clean and hygienic.
Wall Art and Ornaments
Finally, you can add a touch of your style by finishing off your home with wall art and decorative ornaments. These are a wonderful way to express yourself and make a home look less like a show house and more like a lived-in area.
While you can absolutely follow trends with your wall art, you mostly want to focus on the things you love. Create themes in your home by matching colors and subjects in each room, and feel free to move them around.
