So you don't have a few extra thousand dollars hanging out in your bank account, earmarked for indulgent home decor purchases. Hey, don't worry about it. You can do a quickie overhaul by adding a few new touches and still have money left over to pay off that bar tab you have been meaning to get to (hopefully, it's not in the thousands, but who am I to judge). First of all, grab yourself a gallon of paint.  Painting a new color in a room can set a completely new tone. If you are sick of the sunny yellow color that is on your walls now, try a new blue to change it up, but still keep some personality. Or try a shade of gray for a sleek, sophisticated look. We chose to replace a dark red with a sexy shade of gray in our main bathroom that is used by guests. My bathroom immediately went from looking like my teenage daughter's bath (I don't actually have said teenage daughter) to a boutique hotel feel for my guests. Well, hopefully it did! 

See, this space went from Girl Next Door to Sultry Vixen. 

Change the lighting. Be it replacing that outdated torcheir lamp, or adding some great task lighting in the office; adding stylish lamps and updating fixtures are great ways to bring more personality to your space. Plus, you don't have to go to designer stores to find some really chic pieces. Places like Target and Ikea have wonderful selections, and thrift stores, second-hand shops and estate sales are fabulous places to find lamps full of personality and charm.  

From College Fun to Chic Adult (at least the lighting)

It's in the Details. Remember those light fixtures we were just talking about? Well, don't forget your plumbing fixtures and your cabinet hardware (not just on your kitchen cabinets, but on doors, dressers, vanities, medicine cabinets, desks, etc.).  Updating your kitchen faucet or your bathroom sink faucets from your 1982 standard brass to a clean chrome or brushed nickel is always a good bet. Then, find some great new handles for everything at places like Lowe's, Home Depot, Ikea, Target, and Anthropologie.  Your space will seem new and refreshed and looking like you spent thousands when you only spent hundreds.

Bring in new life with original art. I promise this one is a wonderful way to define your style. Bringing more independent art into your house is important for a couple of reasons. 1) You are supporting those artists and 2) you are buying a piece that only a limited number of people have which appears more thoughtful to those in your space. The best part about new/independent art is that it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Go shopping at places like etsy or yarart and find some interesting works.  Now stop putting off working on your house because you can't get that amazing designer armoire. News flash... you probably won't  anytime soon unless you hit the jackpot.. Start doing what you can and start appreciating your space for what it is.

Tags: accessories, art, Interior Design, lighting, paint

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under Interior Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.