How to Add Spark and Elegance to Your House

Having good taste in general doesn’t always necessarily show when it comes to home styling. You could have superb taste in everything from fashion to music, yet you get stuck when it comes to making your home reflect that elegant charm. Something about taking a large space and making the colors, pieces, and overall vibe match is rather cumbersome and draining. You start thinking about getting an interior designer, but those costs a small fortune, and more times than not, their taste is over the top.

So, extravagant spending and fancy designers are not really feasible. You might just have to do it yourself, and you’d surprised how easy it actually is. You don’t need to be an architect to add some elegance and charm to your place. It just needs some careful planning and a nudge in the right direction with some preparation.

These are some tips and ideas on how to give your place a dream makeover, without necessarily having to sell a kidney to do so.

1.Know your style

In this day and age, there are thousands of different styles, colors, patterns, and prices to choose from, and the variety can be a little overwhelming. You need to choose something that expresses your personality; a style people will see and get a feeling it’s YOU. To do so, you need to first know the different styles that already exist, or as Picasso once said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

Formal

This design style boasts elegance and superb furniture pieces, and most of all it centers on symmetry. Formal décor styles almost always focus on having a symmetric layout of the place, and you can see it in windows, artwork, furniture, and even the floors. Most of these elements are arranged symmetrically around an invisible axis on the floor. They also usually add a focal point to draw gazes in the center of it all. It might be a painting, a sculpture, or a fireplace, or anything elegant and gaze-inspiring.

Formal style is often associated with fancy hotels like the Ritz, and it does have similar qualities. For example, high ceilings are often used along with tall windows. Formal style is meant to be catchy and draw people’s attention. You’ll find luxurious pieces of furniture and sparkling chandeliers, and probably a fair share of antique pieces here and there.

Casual

A casual style invites warmth and coziness, and you feel it’s just made for relaxing with friends and family. It has influences from English and Early American furniture designs. It also gives a laid back, country-like style, with rectangular elements, soft, textured furniture, and rustic wood designs. Think puppies, a warm cup of coffee, and a family flick.

Contemporary

The name says it all. This decorating style keeps it minimal and simplistic. It’s characterized by subtle sophistication and intentional usage of texture. In this style of decorating, there’s more focus on space rather than pieces. With this focus on colors, space, and design, the place always has a fresh, modern vibe to it. The colors used are often neutral, white, or black. If you see the walls painted in neutral, with black pieces of furniture grounding the place, this room is of contemporary design.

The notion of distinct, visible lines is another obvious feature of contemporary décor, whether these lines are vertical, horizontal, or even curved. The furniture pieces are often simple and grounded, yet make a bold statement at the same time. Smooth and geometric shapes are quite often used.

Traditional

This is where you most probably grew. Traditional homes are ordered and predictable, with no flamboyant pieces here or there. The furniture might sometimes even feel outdated and out of style, but that’s the beauty of this style of decoration. It gives a feeling of warmth and nostalgia. Everything goes together, and nothing feels out of place. You won’t find modern or eclectic pieces in the room that feel awkward or stand out like a sore thumb. Basically, nothing is new, just maybe revamped or conceived in a different way.

2.The influence

Knowing the general style or theme is one thing, but choosing your own is another. You’ll need to delve deeper and see photos of different styles and implementations of these general themes. A loft in Hong Kong isn’t going to look much like a beach house in Florida. Yes, each style has distinctive qualities, but it’s the small details that really make the difference. You might want to consider more detailed influences, like the Paris Style, French Country Style, Tuscan Style, and Swedish Style.

3.Tips

So, you have some knowledge of the different style and influences you could resort to if it’s a complete makeover. But what if you want to do a makeover without actually paying the price of one? You don’t need to pay much, yet you can make small changes that make a lot of difference.

Change the lighting

If that dangling lamp over your head is causing you actual physical pain from looking at it, just change it! Changing an old light for a new one does give the place a new vibe and reworks the ambiance. You might fear the thought of having to look for an expensive chandelier, but you don’t really have to. There are a few tricks you can use to get the expensive look for much less. Start looking at flea markets and second-hand stores; chances are you’ll come across a unique or an antique piece for a price you wouldn’t imagine.

Another trick you could use is adding light instead of just changing the old one. Having different lighting sources is always a good idea. So, add as many tables and floor lamps as elegantly possible, and it would revive the place completely.

Change interior doors

Who said doors have to be boring? There’s a million way you could spice things up a bit. Pocket doors are a fun place to start, and they save space and just elevate the elegance of the place.

Crown Molding

Not having crown molding gives the place a cheap vibe. The absence of any detail tying the walls to the ceiling makes the place look unfinished and carelessly designed. In case your place doesn’t have crown molding, you might want to consider adding some to live-in your space. Bonus point: it’s not expensive!

Paint

You cannot stress enough on the importance of paint and how much of a difference it could induce in a place. It’s also one of the most difficult decisions you’ll have to make when deciding to decorate a place, especially considering the furniture factor. The styles mentioned above should give you a direction in which you might want to go with the pain. In case they don’t, or you would like to keep your current paint job, there are always other options to consider. For instance, you don’t have to paint an entire space. You could just paint doors, for example, to give a more expensive feel. Black is a good option to consider in that case, and you might want to add some black accessories or textiles to match the feel of the new doors.

Work on the finishing

This is another simple and affordable trick you could resort to, and it’s relatively cheap. Coordinating finishes in your place could easily give the entire home a sparkly new vibe. Replacing bad accessories or replenishing the kitchen or bathroom broken bits are a good step towards that luxurious vibe around the place.

Hardware finishing is quite noticeable, and it just pops. True, if you walk into a store, you’ll be surrounded by knobs and drawer pulls of every sort, but you have to be clever about which ones you make. Rest assured, your guests will be using those knobs. You don’t have to go and buy expensive stuff, but you need to look a bit more diligently instead of settling on cheap accessories. Antique stores, for instance, are a perfect place to go shopping for those small pieces –– like a door knocker –– that would definitely catch the eye of anyone that comes knocking on your door.

Shutters

Fact is, window treatment is one of the most important parts of a renovated home. Without that, the house would look unfinished and rather cheap. Luckily, it’s not expensive, but does require good taste. Shutters are a good way to start the window treatment. A shutter is what gives you the privacy you need in your own home, and it’s the best way to control the sunlight. They come in different materials and colors, but you have to be careful to choose the right ones, or else you risk them looking cheap. Be smart about your choice and choose something that’s both elegant and practical. A good example of both quality and value for money is the shutters offered by UK-based company Shuttercraft. They offer a variety of materials and colors for the different parts of your home and at quite affordable prices.

Add dimension

An empty, plain wall is not a pleasant sight to behold. You can easily change that by adding narrow strips of molding –– known as picture framing. This will give the place symmetrical and eye-pleasing finish.

Accessories

Many great looking homes still give the vibe of missing something, and if you look closely, it’d probably be the accessories. They just give an elegant, sophisticated touch to the place. And you don’t really have to go over the budget to get some nice looking ones. A vase, a gold picture frame, a mirror, or even a modern looking coffee table are some of the ideas you could invest in to make the place just look a little bit chicer.

Focalize the Entry

You don’t necessarily have the money for an exterior makeover, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make any elegant changes to it. It’s very easy to improve your entryway by adding some plants on both sides for symmetry. You could also make sure there’s a contrast between your door and the rest of the house; this makes the door pop in a very pleasant manner.

Hardwood is better than carpet

No one will argue the merits of a good looking, wall-to-wall carpet, but a solid, glistening hardwood floor is something else. It just gives a classic, elegant look to the entire house, not just the floor. They’re also found at reasonable prices, and it’s a very good investment. Look out for different types of wood, as some are more expensive than others. And going with darker colors of wood gives a more luxurious sophisticated look. Be sure to add a few smaller rugs to tie the place together and even make it more elegant.

Housekeeping

This one might strike you as a little bit obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people actually miss this one. It’s probably the most affordable way to make your house look elegant; it even might be free if you’re taking it into your own hands. Getting rid of unnecessary clutter and dusting is a sure way to make your place look expensive. Cleaning the furniture and rugs is just as important; doesn’t make sense for people to find coffee stains on the couch. Also, don’t forget to clean the windows! Most forget this one, despite it being one of the most easily noticeable flaws in a place.

Your Home Should Shine

It’s not really impossible to redecorate your home in an elegant way while still sticking to a reasonable, non-Wall-Street-executive budget. Choosing the right colors, staying away from cheap looking materials and poor quality ones, and just shopping wisely is your starting point. If you find an item overly cheap, then chances are it looks that way. Take your time and give each portion of the house enough thought, and create a reasonable budget. Flea markets, second-hand shops, consignment shops, and antique stores are your best friends while redecorating. You’ll be surprised at how many beautiful and affordable pieces you can find there, without the risk of having them look cheap.