If you had a shot at making your home The One that will go viral on social media, what would you do to change it? What do you have to do get some attention on Pinterest? The purpose of these questions is to spur your imagination with some blue sky thinking.
As you click through social media links that send you to online articles filled with pictures of gorgeous homes, you might feel that your checkbook isn’t big enough to cover the expense of designing a single room, let alone the rest of the house. Still, you might be surprised at some of the things you can do with your available budget.
Photo by shadowfirearts via pixabay.
With that in mind, here are a few ideas to design rooms that deliver just the right aesthetic using one or two pivotal ideas that you can then build upon:
- Ideas for the Living Room
You don’t have to invest in the exquisite, Italian leather sofas that you might see in the photo shoot of a movie star’s home. A Bernhardt sofa will be more than enough to take your visitor’s breath away and make your living room look luxurious, bright, and comfortable. As far back as 1889, John Mathias Bernhardt started making furniture in Lenoir, NC, out of native white oak. It set a standard in the industry on how to craft fine furniture. The fact that his furniture is still going strong now in the second decade of the 21st century is testimony to his enduring vision. With the right sofa as your statement piece, build out the rest of your living room – adding mirrors, nesting tables, elegant light fixtures, and so on.
- Ideas for the Dining Room
Painting your walls a subtle shade will set the look-and-feel of the room, and you can make it more interesting by adding a striped paint treatment. Also, go all out with lighting to create just the right ambiance. If your chairs look tired, add slipcovers. Display a collection of antique dishes inside cabinets or a large amphora in the corner; in other words, think of small touches to add around the room to create an old world atmosphere.
- Ideas for the Kitchen
Besides the idea of beautiful cabinets and counters, useful touch faucets and quality appliances, what else can you do to make your kitchen stand out? An island with stools will usually do the trick. It will not only add a touch of class, but it’s highly functional, too. You can use it for prep work or for some casual kitchen dining.
- Ideas for the Bedroom
What you’re aiming for in a bedroom is not stunning design, but just the opposite—a calming, soothing atmosphere. One way to create this mood is to use dark colors from the walls to the fabrics. Think of sensual, moody, calming, and dark colors.
5 Ideas for the Bathrooms
More primal type materials and colors work well in bathrooms. Best bathroom colors lean toward earth tone palettes. Prefer rounded surfaces over sharp edges because you want to design your bathroom around the idea of soft colors and sleek lines.
- Ideas for Landscaping
Since there is so much you could do with landscaping, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you’re a little too creative, you can add too much, creating a busy look. You would do better if you strove for bold interest, using the same plant spread over a wider area. For instance, plant blue fescue in combination with golden creeping Jenny, which will add mass.
- Ideas for the Party deck
How do you deck out a party deck? You’ll need one for your graduation, anniversary, birthday bashes. And it would be nice for backyard barbecues.
Focus on safety, weather, and comfort:
- * Safety: All sorts of accidents happen on a party deck because of wood splinters, protruding nails, uneven boards, and so on. So use building materials and equipment that reduces the possibilities of accidents and that can also be easily cleaned after spilling food and drinks or dropping grilling equipment.
- * Weather: Use coverage against wind, rain, and sun like a pergola extending from the house, making the deck look a little like an outdoor room.
- * Comfort: Choose furniture that is comfortable, durable, and versatile. Usually, the best pieces are made from composite materials.
When you think about it, all it takes to completely transform your home and stun your mother-in-law into silence is to make a few of the right design choices.