Everybody wants their house to look its best, after all, it’s the place we spend the most time and for most of us it’s our biggest investment. But times are hard, everything is expensive and for the vast majority, we dont have tons of money to throw at it. But you dont actually need a massive renovation budget to make your place look significantly better. Sometimes the smallest and cheapest updates trick people into thinking youve hired a professional interior designer instead of just yourself wandering around a hardware store on a Sunday afternoon!
Lighting
Under cabinet lighting is a great move in the kitchen, but it works absolutely everywhere else too. Sticking some LED strips under your living room floating shelves or inside a glass display cabinet immediately elevates the whole room. It adds depth and makes your ordinary flatpack furniture look custom built and expensive. Swap out your harsh overhead bulbs for warm white ones while youre at it. Nobody wants to relax in a living room that feels like a brightly lit supermarket aisle!
Hardware
Builders usually install the cheapest possible handles and knobs on everything because it saves them money. You can completely change the look of your bathroom vanity or bedroom dressers by unscrewing the generic metal pulls and adding something heavier. You can do this on any piece of furniture for a quick upgrade, ideally match the metal to your other hardware. So if you’re going with brass for example, switch up the doorhandles, curtain poles and even plug sockets to match for a super cohesive look.
Curtains
A lot of people hang their curtains right above the window frame and it makes the ceilings look incredibly low. Take the curtain rod down and move it up as close to the ceiling as you can get it. Let the fabric just barely touch the floor instead of hovering an inch above the carpet like high water trousers! It draws the eye upward and makes the room feel taller and much more grand. Curtains can be expensive but if you’re good with a sewing machine you could make your own. You can do it way cheaper than ready made curtains and you have more choice with the fabric you want as well.
Organisation
Visual clutter makes any space look cheap and chaotic. You cant hide everything but you can at least put the necessary ugly items into nicer containers. Put your cotton swabs in a glass jar instead of leaving the ripped plastic bag on the bathroom sink. Group your remote controls on a nice wooden tray on the coffee table so they look intentional instead of just abandoned. Put your hand soap in a proper dispenser. Small changes to how you display everyday objects make the whole house feel so much more curated.
