In this fast-paced world we live in, everything is set on a super-duper warp speed, immediate results button. Being in the business I’m in, I understand this even more so in a design realm because once someone has made the decision they want to update a room, the process begins, and they want to see some immediate results in order to keep the momentum of the change, and the FEELING they have about it. These feelings actually do effect people right away, in their whole spirit, so, I enjoy finding ways to help them gratify their need to make these changes quickly.
Here are a few ways to change some small places in your home — with big impact.
1. Rearrange your family room or living room furniture. Most people can not see beyond the couch up against the long wall, chair across from that and TV on opposite wall. Try and walk into your room and view it with a fresh set of eyes. What does it make you feel like? What if you took away some things that cluttered the room and turned the couch diagonally on the wall, or away from the wall with a sofa table behind it for lamps or knick knacks? Make the space work for conversation and relaxation.
2. In the bedroom, make the bed a real focal point. You can make your own headboard to really emphasize your personal style. If you like the cottage style, you could buy fence panels (available at lumber yards and Home Depots). Use a nailing cleat to secure the fence to the wall behind the bed. You can paint the fence white, yellow or have it stained. You would need to be proficient with using some tools, to trim the fence to your size and to sand it. But, mostly it is a good quick fix for a new cottage feeling bedroom.
3. For any room that is lackluster in style — draw on scenes from a favorite vacation spot or somewhere you would like to go. Get a theme going, like a Southwestern style in which you use the colors of red, yellow and blues in big bold stripes for window valances and maybe faux paint the wall for an old world feeling. Just thinking about a place that gives you a special feeling is a great incentive to put something into a room that will make you feel that way, even for a moment.
Good luck with your improvements and remember — one step at a time — hopefully, just making that first one will alone put a smile on your face!
Kristin McClellan is a professional home stager and redesigner who runs her business, HomeCharmers, with her husband, Nathaniel, a flooring expert and furniture craftsman. They work together to make people’s homes more buyer-friendly and help homeowners who are staying enjoy it more. You can reach her at 899-1239 or www.homecharmers.net.