Warm, sunlit room with modern, welcoming home decor

Over the past year, home design has become a trending topic due to the change in lifestyle, work, and travel that many individuals faced. If you were never one to take much pride in your home decor or aesthetics, you may have experienced a change of heart due to an adjusted lifestyle or simply with more time spent in your home. Whether that may be the case, or you’re someone who is always interested in keeping your home updated with the latest trends, look no further. Below, we’re talking about some of the ways to upgrade the look, and even more importantly, the feel of your home to ensure it’s the most comfortable place to be.

 

Create a Theme for Each Room

When developing an overall theme, it’s important to create a cohesive style using decor, colors, and furniture. It’s helpful to think about how you spend your time in each room and how you like to feel when you’re in those areas. Color is an important factor that can make or break designing a complementary home. Exploring color palette options can act as a guide and help highlight various colors that can work in accordance with one another. Whether you want a warm and welcoming feel or a natural earthy feel, selecting a color palette can also assist when it comes to decorating within the scheme. Once you’ve selected the color of the room, you can accent it with pillows, rugs, lighting, wall art, and similar features to tie the look altogether with complementary colors.

Be Bold With Furniture Arrangements

When it comes to furniture, it’s often a decision of preference and livability. The way you arrange furniture, rugs, and tables can completely change the feel of a room. For example, you’ll want to ensure your living room is cozy and welcoming for guests by having enough comfortable seating, tables to put drinks, soft blankets, and adjustable lighting. When comparing this to a dining room, you might gravitate towards more formal furniture and decors such as a long table for gathering, elegant photos, candles, fine dish ware, table runners, and a chandelier. 

Don’t be afraid to spice up a room by rearranging the furniture. Making adjustments can truly improve it for the better without costing you an entirely new furniture set. If you’re the type of person who prefers to update your home decor regularly, this is a great alternative.



Utilize Your Walls to Show Personality 

You can probably recall the feeling of neutral, bare walls when you moved into your home or new space. A great way to create a stylish appeal to any room while showcasing your personality is by refinishing your walls. There are a few ways you can do this, but a highly sought after, affordable trend these days uses whitewashed, wood shiplap to create dimension and life. This design style can easily be customized to your specific needs. Now, if you like this look but are feeling unsure where to incorporate shiplap in your home, there are dozens of unique shiplap wall ideas that can appeal to various styles and tastes. Laundry rooms and bathrooms for example are perfect spots to add some life and texture while remaining neutral and clean. If you prefer a more casual farmhouse-style dining room, a shiplap wall could be the perfect do-it-yourself update to give the room character and allow for customization with art or family photos.

Consider Soundproof Options

Depending on where you live, how you work, if you have a family; you may have considered soundproofing solutions in the past. Soundproofing generally means either reducing the sounds that come into your home or absorbing the sounds that already occur in your home. Taking into consideration your lifestyle and especially if someone in your family works from home, the cost of soundproofing windows might just be worth it. Not only does it make for a more comfortable working environment, but it can also provide others in your home more freedom and flexibility knowing they are not being disruptive, and they can go on with their usual activities. Similarly, if you live near a busy highway or in a bustling city, soundproof windows and curtains can change the game for both working and relaxation hours.


Modern kitchen with floating shelves, plant & three colors of dish ware, following the rule of three

Follow the Rule of Three 

The rule of three is a concept often applied by professional interior designers when decorating a home. This ensures there’s a healthy balance of colors, styles, and a variety of object sizes within a room. The idea doesn’t need to be taken too literally, rather it’s a useful guide when experimenting with new styles and decor without overdoing it. Even if you consider yourself to be a minimalist decorator, you can incorporate the rule of three when selecting how many wall lights to hang, coffee mugs to display, or ultimately creating general balance. Not sure where to start? Try applying three straightforward textures to a room such as a wood table, linen furniture, and accents of steel light fixtures.

Update Appliances and Fixtures  

Especially during seasonal transitions, it’s important that your home is operating efficiently for both your comfort and wallet. Making updates to your windows, insulation, flooring, and heating systems can all provide you with optimal comfortability and ensure that you aren’t overspending. If you live in a climate that endures all seasons, then you know that extreme temperature highs and lows can impact your home’s appliances, livability, and expenses. Winter can be especially trying on your finances if your windows, doors, and insulation are not doing their job properly. An easy fix to save some heat and money is to seal windows for the winter months. Window inserts are lifesavers when it comes time for negative temperatures, reducing draft, noise, and heating costs. Additionally, it might be worth having a professional check the effectiveness of your heating system, boiler, and insulation for increased comfort.

 
Laundry room with washer & dryer incorporated in with decor & room aesthetic

Finding the time and inspiration to update or change your home can feel overwhelming at times without the necessary information and tools. While there is a lot to consider, this list can help get you started on projects that will make a difference in your home and will be worth the investment. By narrowing your focus room by room and making small upgrades, you can create a stylish and comfortable environment you look forward to coming home to each day.