When you look around your home or office, do you feel like your interior design is stuck somewhere in the mid-90s? We buy new clothing every year, keep up with the latest technology, but we often forget to update our mattresses, couches, and office furniture. If you still love your couch and don’t want to get rid of it, you can always reupholster it with the help of an interior design professional. There are many quick fixes that can make your living room or office look new again: you don’t have to buy expensive new furniture.
Upholstery can be a tricky weekend project, or you can hire an interior decorator to help you decide if you should buy new furniture or reupholster what you already have. Update your pattern or invest in a killer suede or leather: you’ll be glad that you did. If you’re doing your own reupholstery project, get more fabric or leather than you think you’ll need. If you make a mistake, you can avoid having to get more fabric. One fun project that you can do is to make a headboard for your bed. Grab a piece of wood that is about three feet tall and six feet wide, staple the fabric tightly around the back, and mount it above your bed.
Do-it-yourself furniture projects can also add new vibrancy to a room that has gone dull: make your own bookcase and stain it a bright color. Place it in the middle of the back wall of your living room, bedroom, or office, and get curtains that match. Sometimes, all it takes is a new curtain or rug to brighten up a boring room. Interior design is about making your preferences into reality. If you read a design magazine and you disagree with the advice that they give, then do redecorating your own way.
Some people prefer lively interiors, while others prefer quiet, almost somber, geometrically precise living arrangements. There’s a wide range of colors available in any home improvement store. You may feel most comfortable with light gray walls instead of the standard white or tan. Paint a small section of your wall before committing to repainting. A lot of interior design is about experimentation and about finding what works best for you and your family; an interior decorator is trained to help you update your home or office.
If you have a dining room but you take all of your meals in the kitchen, start thinking about other uses for the room. Maybe you would like to develop a crafting area or a staging area for outdoor gardening. Your children might enjoy having a larger place to play their video games. You can keep the table where it is, but you may want to install some bookcases or a television in a dining room that goes unused. You want to aim for having a productive space in every room of your home. If your attic is finished, you can install a sewing room or video game space up there. Likewise, if you have space in your basement, consider installing a second family room down there. Talk to an interior decorator about your budget and your family’s needs.
Interior designers want you to be happy with your home. Imagining new ways to increase rooms’ functionality and livability is a key part of the process: an interior decorator can help you experiment with new designs and color schemes, but the final decision rests with you and your family. Over the course of a few months, your entire home could go from drab to fab. Consider what you would like to change, and then slowly bring in new furniture until you’re happy. Have fun and feel free to experiment with new designs. An interior decorator will help you discover new ideas: it’s an exciting process that can revitalize any home or office decor.
