Are you looking for ideas to transform the look and feel of your home? If you don’t want to do a complete makeover, you can make small changes that will drastically change the mood in any room just by getting new furniture and décor.
When you need to start small, the key is to choose your items intentionally. Then, even the smallest changes will have a major impact.
Here are some ideas to explore.
1. Get space-saving furniture
One of the best ways to transform the feeling of your home is to create more open space. This can be a challenge when you live in a small space, like an apartment. However, it’s not impossible. All you need to do is reduce the amount of space your furniture takes up in each room.
Space-saving furniture is a blessing when you want to create open space in your home. If low-profile isn’t enough, you can find furniture that folds up against and into the wall, like beds and desks. For example, you’re probably familiar with murphy beds, but there are other stylish options, like the Penelope sofa that transforms into a queen bed.
Take inventory of the furniture you have and see if you can swap anything out for something with a smaller profile. Opening up the space in your rooms by slimming down your furniture will make your home feel more free, open, and inviting. It’s truly the best place to start when you live in a small space.
2. Add some bright colors
Your home’s décor can influence your mood more than you think. Professional interior designers know this and use it when designing spaces. The difficulty of designing a space is using the right colors (and the right hues, tints, and shades) to create the intended mood.
For example, you might want to feel calm in your office, but excited in the kitchen. In that case, blue would be a good choice for your office while warm colors, like red and orange, are ideal for the kitchen.
There are endless articles written about color psychology that you can study to find the right colors for each of your rooms. If you can paint the walls, that would be ideal. However, if you can’t paint, just add décor where possible and try hanging artwork on the wall with frames in your desired color(s).
3. Darken your floors
You might be surprised to learn that dark floors can positively impact your mood. You don’t need to transform your home into a cave with solid black carpet if that’s not your style.
Dark doesn’t necessarily mean black. For instance, you can add a light or dark gray area rug to your bedroom right over your existing carpet. You can also add a dark chocolate brown area rug to your living room under your coffee table.
4. Use room dividers as wall decor
Room dividers are intended to divide large living spaces into smaller spaces, but they also make excellent wall décor. Placed right up against a wall, perhaps behind an armchair, a decorative room divider can add character to a room. It can also change the dynamics of how light bounces around the room, which can alter the ambiance.
Do you have a specific décor style you prefer? You can probably find a room divider in that style. For instance, there are dividers made with traditional Japanese art, solid colors, patterns, and all types of art. If you’re creative, you can even get a blank divider and paint it yourself.
5. Hire a lighting professional
Lighting has the ultimate power to change the mood in your home. There’s a reason professional lighting crews are hired for concerts and cinematography projects. It’s not something you can do on the fly. In fact, it takes years to master the basics of lighting a room.
For the best results in transforming the feel of your home, hire an interior designer and a lighting pro to work together. It’s worth the investment because in the end, you’ll feel comfortable in your space.
6. Add tall, wide bookshelves
Nothing makes a space feel good like full bookshelves. Shelves full of books double as convenient access and décor.
If the sight of books makes you feel good, add some tall, wide bookshelves to your home. You’ll love being able to access all of your favorite books that you may have kept in boxes before.
Create your ideal living space by changing your décor
If you’re tired of feeling “blah” in your home, it’s time to redesign your living space in a way that makes you feel great.
When you do, your home will feel cozier to you and anyone you invite over.
