Tired and Outdated Style to Fresh and Trendy

Looking around your living space, does it seem a bit tired and outdated?   Perhaps you’re just weary of a 10-year or older decor style and you are at a loss at where to start updating. Your stagnant style isn’t a terminal condition, but rather a fertile ground for reinvention.

• Elevate your décor style from boring to any level of luxury that refreshes and updates your space, using fresh paint, decluttering, simple decor accents, and statement wall art.

• Play to subtle shifts in light, the exchange of textures on pillows and throw blankets set against curtain patterns framing the windows.
• Become aware of the sights and sounds around you that stimulate your interests. Let those cues foster a style of refined taste and design

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Keep Projects In Perspective

Home improvement programs make style transformations look easy and fast, blurring the reality that it takes time, money, and hard work.  I mean, do they ever show more than five seconds of contractors ripping out floors or walls?

Taking on too much at once is one of the first rookie mistakes we make. It can lead to a lot of disappointments that eventually end at a failed plan of action.  Your best avenue of success is to take one area at a time.  Bringing it to completion will fill you with pride and the motivation to move to the next project.

Where To Begin

The first impression on visitors to your interior is the front of your house.  It sets the mood of anticipation or anxiety.  The aesthetic choices for our yard and front porch are not merely cosmetic but rather invoke subconscious emotions that also form an image of the internal space to greet them. If well-manicured and tidy, the mindset could imagine an interior cultivated with the same care.  

Let’s dive into budget-friendly ways to refresh the first impression.

• For the easiest upgrade, manicure the lawn. Trim shrubbery and rid flower beds of dead foliage and tired pots or statuary. Coming home to a house and yard having obvious attention paid to the outside indicates that the inside is equally attended.
• Replace bleached out or add, where nonexistent, landscape mulch.  Many home improvement stores have mulch and wood chips on sale every week.  Budget-friendly, landscape wood chips give definition and an upscale look.
• Place solar lights near steps and/or line the flower beds with lighting.  Many discount stores have types available for one dollar.  At that price, they’re easy to change out when their solar battery span (about 12 months) is over.

• Banish the threadbare welcome matt.  Prices vary for different designs and materials but look for coupons and sales at craft supply stores and discount stores in early spring or late summer.
• Sweep the stoop regularly to avoid an accumulation of dirt, leaves, and dead bugs.
• If room allows, add a potted plant or two.  Silk varieties are an option if you’re not the gardening type.  Keep them dusted or rinsed off and they’ll look fresh for a very long time.
• A simple cleaning of the front door with some added wood conditioner will revive its condition.
• When the budget and time allow, repaint the front door a contrasting color to the shade your house is painted.  Red, hunter green, gray, and navy blue are all very welcoming colors.  Polish or replace door knockers and doorknobs.  Add a brass kick plate for a more refined image.

A warm welcome to the front door both sets a welcoming mood to visitors and instills pride and a sense of accomplishment which entices us to take action on other improvements and upkeep.

Past the Threshold

Step inside, and let the foyer, front hall, or front room set the emotional stage for your guest. Low maintenance is key to mental comfort for you and your guests. Humans are gatherers by nature, but we fall short of resisting the urge to show all our collectibles at once! Switch out your belongings every season, even more often if you wish. The mental effect of a change of scenery is positive and uplifting.

Foyer:  The lighting of a chandelier suited to the size of the area diffuses the glow from the bulb into the facets of each crystal emitting rainbows of light into every corner.  The mood is regal and expectant with a wash of glam. Space permitting, place a console table adorned with a Venetian mirror of antique provenance, or a contemporary all-glass mirror to serve as a stage for objects d’art and buffet lamps for added ambiance. These first pieces of statuary will be the opening act to your décor style.

Resist the urge to provide a space for hanging hats, or coats on the wall.  Place those items around the corner, in the hall, or keep the hall closet cleared, providing space for your needs and guests’ use.

Shoes. Shoe clutter at the door promotes a feeling of confusion.  If it is necessary to have shoes at the door, provide a large basket, a bench with inside storage, or a visibly pleasing rack for shoes; even an over-the-door shoe storage hanger inside the hall closet will keep the entrance clutter-free.

Place a large rug inside the door to lessen the echo of a bare floor.  Nowadays the choices for patterns and materials are endless and inexpensive enough to change out every few years.  Classic patterns such as those found on oriental rugs are timeless for décor purposes.  Trendy patterns tend to age faster, though trendy is fine if your aesthetic is a long-term trend style.

Entering the Great Room

Long ago, the term for a formal living room was the Great Room.  Used only for important occasions, this room conveyed the status of a person of means versus a person of meager wealth.

As time marched on, the phrase great room, and the room itself was phased out and the living room became the term for the room used most often to entertain visitors. Nevertheless, the appearance of this room still lends an impression of a sense of style.  Therefore, simple principles can keep it fresh and welcoming.

Refreshing Made Simple

1. Clean. Start with one room at a time so as not to get overwhelmed.
   • Put all decor items in tubs out of harms way.
   • Move the furniture to the center of the room and vacuum under the cushions.
   • Clean the floors to get to the baseboards and ready them for painting.
   • Remove the window dressings and clean the sills and panes.
2. Paint. Use a brand of paint that requires only one coat to cover. This saves you time and money.
3. Clear the Clutter. Old magazines, dusty memorabilia, shoe piles, unfolded blankets, and hobby materials and toys are the most obvious culprits.  Furniture that doubles as storage is affordable and items can be quickly stowed when company arrives. 
4. Remove the Tattered. Soiled, ripped, threadbare, and tattered pillows, rugs, curtains, and lampshades are the easiest to replace.  Throw those items away; no need to keep or pass on damaged items to a donation organization. Pillows, lamp shades, and other replacements are very affordable and fun to buy!
5. Update the Art and Deco Items.  Outdated, faded, and time-ravaged trinkets say you don’t care about your surroundings.  The truth is that you are comfortable with them, see plenty of life left in them and they cost money to replace.  The other truth is that you deserve to change your style and you deserve new things.  Collectibles of value can be stored, then brought back out occasionally to serve as décor for a short time.  Home décor is available at all price ranges.  Don’t be afraid of change.
6. Replace Struggling or Dying Plants.  If your trailing ivy is mostly stalk, it is struggling and needs to go.  Pothos, common house ivy, is widely available and inexpensive as well.  Silk varieties are always an option, but they must be dusted regularly to avoid an accumulation of grime.

7. Add or Update Wall Art. Wall art doesn’t have to be pictures only.  A collage of different but related objects can make a great impression.  A tapestry hung over a sofa or a decorative rug can serve as an art piece.  Posters are inexpensive and frames for them can be purchased at discount and hobby stores easily.

These are simple projects that can be completed in a weekend and do not take a lot of physical or mental effort.  Opulence is not about excess, but about intentionality. Every detail, from the grain of wood in the furniture to the scent of the diffuser, must play in harmony with the overall composition.

Declutter ruthlessly, discarding the banal and the disposable. Let space, and the natural flow of light and shadow that plays within it, become a character in your narrative.

Finally, infuse your sanctuary with your artistic spirit. Arrange collections with an eye for the unexpected. Most importantly, embrace the joy of living with artistry and intention by curating an experience – a mingling of the senses, a stage for the drama of everyday life.

With a discerning eye, a touch of audacity, and a commitment to beauty in all its forms, you can transform your home from a mere dwelling into a fresh and lively living.