Home Improvement without Remodeling

Everyone loves the idea of knocking down walls and adding rooms. But, let’s face it, doing a full on remodel is cost prohibitive for most people. It’s good to know that improving your home without a full out remodel is possible. If you’re feeling like your décor is a bit drab or tired, try some of these ideas to give your home a new look without the expense or trouble of a full remodel.

Power washing

If your exterior brick or siding is looking a little haggard with years of dirt and maybe even mold, clean it. This will go such a long way in giving your home a refresher! You can use a power washer to clean most areas yourself, but if your home has years and years of stubborn dirt and mold you may want to hire a power washing company to do the job. They have more industrial strength cleaners and sprayer to really remove stubborn stains. 

Once your brick is sparkling, if you still aren’t satisfied, you can consider painting the brick. There are a few techniques that you can employ to take advantage of pretty brick color by doing a wash of color. This will transform the look of your home.

At the end of the day, simply cleaning the brick can be a part of your home improvement plan that will make more of an impact than you may imagine.

Organizing and decluttering

Organizing and decluttering your house may seem like the least sexy way to refresh your home, but it’s really not. Clutter can make the most beautiful home seem unappealing. Having pretty décor around your house gives a warm and cozy feeling; but having a ton of junk, newspapers, and magazines, not so much. You want your home to feel lived in and loved, but not cramped and messy.

Start by decluttering your house. Begin one room at a time and take an inventory of everything that you see. Decide what is essential. Do you really need that Time Magazine from February 2017? Probably not. Grab some bins and separate them by what you should keep, what you can give away or donate, and what is trash. If there are small things you want to keep, consider placing the items in totes that have lids. Store them in those totes and then take them up to the attic. That way they’ll be there if you need them, but are out of site when you don’t. 

The less clutter around a room, the clean the room will be. If you’ve already got a crowded place, even one or two additional items like pairs of shoes, or food wrappers will quickly make things look a mess. Do yourself a favor and clear the clutter.

Jazzing up your décor

You can quickly improve your interior décor by rearranging your furniture and adding a few pretty throw pillows. Consider adding fringed throw blankets to a chair or two. On your coffee table, place some kind of tray and add a small vase of flowers, a book or two, and a pretty little sign. Vignettes are a great way to add interesting décor touches to a room.  Having items grouped together gives a feeling of purpose to the items. 

Another way to add visual interest is to group a few pictures on the wall. Find items that are different sizes and include a mirror in the mix. You don’t have to do an all out gallery wall, but a simple grouping of four or five small pictures and a mirror create an interesting focal point.

Lighting

Lighting is an overlooked décor concept. Unless you’re thinking about the lighting in your office or bathroom, the lighting in our living areas is more for ambience than utility. Instead of a bright overhead light being on all the time, think about adding smaller, pretty, or quirky lamps around the room. Lamps come in every size and shape these days and can really add to the décor of your room.

Maybe have a larger light next to your sofa; one that gives ample light to see the keyboard of you laptop while you’re watching television. Maybe place a smaller lamp on the little table that’s next to an armchair. Stained glass lamps always add a gorgeous play of light on the wall and ceiling and give a warm glow.

If you have a room with lots of windows; let that natural light in. Natural light not only serves as a way to illuminate the room, it’s actually good for you. Your mood will improve in a room with natural light. Light is often used as therapy, so let the sun shine in whenever possible.

Changing your décor is an easy way to give the feeling of a home remodel that won’t break your bank. Cleaning and freshening things up are ways to accomplish home improvement without remodeling as well.