If you’ve been looking to give your house a makeover, and you’re on a budget, you might not need as much money as you think. More often than not, there are small things that make our houses look dated.
For example, rather than going for new doors, changing the handle fixtures, and giving your door a good coat of polish can have them looking new in no time.
Remember that less is more. You don’t have to go over your budget to make your house look up to date.
So, if you’ve come across this article looking for ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Here mentioned below are five things that can make your house look dated and that you should change.
Wood paneling:
Wood paneling in your home will bring you right back to the 60s or the 70s, and not in the right way. It makes your house look dated because you have too much of one material, and it can make it look dark, oppressive, and not up to date.
Rather than that, you can go for painted panel walls that are nowadays. Therefore, rather than getting rid of the paneling, you can paint the panels.
You go with white as it is always a fresh look; you can also go with charcoal, dark blue, or even black. The vertical lines can bring out a fantastic texture. However, if you go with dark colors, try to brighten it up with contrasting light colors such as beige, half white, white, eggshell, etc.
If you don’t want to remove the paneling, you should go with white furniture and lots of plants. This way, you can get a chic and modern look while being environmentally friendly.
Light fixtures:
If you’ve got generic light fixtures changing them will give your home a chic and modern look almost immediately. You can either go for a statement piece or change it out with something plain and simple.
Know that clean and simple is trending nowadays, and you can never go wrong with that. Rather than going all out on light fixtures, you should save money and try something less flashy.
Know that you don’t have to buy light fixtures from high priced stores to ensure that your house looks modern. There are many places where you can find light fixtures that are low key and give your house a whole new vibe.
For example, Home depot has a great variety of light fixtures that you can choose from.
Toilet problems:
Whether its glass block windows in the bathroom or a toilet that isn’t environmentally friendly can give your house a vibe, you aren’t going for.
Know that environmental consciousness is a productive trend that you should certainly follow. However, if you don’t want to change the whole toilet, you can update your toilet fill valves. It will get the job done and its financially savvy option to go for.
Other than that, it would be best if you tried to replace block glass windows with skylights.
Make sure that your bathroom isn’t cluttered. If you need extra storage space, try adding a cabinet or a shelf that you can put your things on rather than the countertop.
Tacky blinds and drapes:
The modern trend in interior design is more concerned with functionality rather than tacky and overpriced things.
If you want to make your space look modern, then the first thing that you need to get rid of is vertical blinds. They are not from this era of interior design. You cannot make them look chic, so this is one of the things I recommend that you get rid of.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that over the top drapes might look good in movies, but they certainly aren’t modern, especially in a space for a middle-class household. If you’ve got limited space, you recommend that you go for lightweight curtains that are functional.
Try not to go for the overpriced silk and velvet drapes, as they can ruin the place’s whole aesthetic. Make functionality your priority, and you can never go wrong.
Outdated fixtures and paints:
Brass doorknobs and hinges can also make your house look dated. As minuscule as it may seem, it can destroy the vibe that you’re going for.
So, this is an easy and affordable way to make your house look chic. Try replacing your brass hardware with bronze ones. Remember, if you go for bronze door knobs, you should also invest in bronze drapery rods. You can easily find them at any hardware store, and once you’re done, you’ll see the difference that they make.
Apart from that, try painting over walls that are too bold or aggressive. Granted that different colors work for different people if you think that the paint you already have in your room isn’t the right color for you, changing it will make a huge difference.
Try going with modern and chic colors. Even if you want a dark-colored wall, try using lighter colors to balance it out.
While most people recommend that you go for the paint towards the end, so you know where you stand with the furniture choice, it’s okay to paint first. Just make sure that you have a color scheme in mind to have an idea of the vibe you’re going for.
Final thoughts:
As mentioned earlier, if you’ve gone through the list, you now know how you can make a difference by focusing on the little things that have a more significant impact on making your house look dated.
I’ve seen people spend a lot of money making high-end changes and regretting it later on. Rather than blow out all your hard-earned money, try starting from the little things and see where that leads you. Rather than investing time and money, you should go for the quickest to make the most significant impact.
Author’s bio:
Andrea Smith writes this post. She loves traveling, home decorating, and hanging out with her friends. She is currently a student of Interior Designing at the California Arts School. She regularly writes blogs at https://homeaddons.com/.