Doing a wholesome renovation is very costly and takes tons of energy and time to get done. Moving to a new home instead however is even more costly, and you would need to renovate that too anyways so this summer I have finally decided to make some of my dreams come true home-wise. I needed the change and my home badly needed some reinvention as well, especially after the toddler and kid years of my son which made almost all the walls incredibly murky. I m not rich and although I’ve been waiting for many years to FINALLY be able to save up enough money, I’ve now realized it’s just not worth the wait, it needs to be done step by step because I will probably never have the money that’s „enough” to do a wholesome renovation.
- Time to make some of your long awaited renovation dreams come true
Have you been nursing a renovation dream for years but there was just no way, occasion, money to make it come true? Now, it’s time to do it. Either it’s to see the room in a different color or get a new kitchen counter or shelves in the loo/storage room ( just like in my case) make the decision to make at least a few of them come true. You will instantly feel happier, fulfilled because it’s a special feeling to make something you wanted, especially if you did for long, come true. It’s a great way to realize you can indeed reach your goals.
- Make SPACE!
If you haven’t yet read my blogs on decluttering and the clothes us girls should really get rid of, then you should head over there, alongside my moving/renovating tips, in order to see how much sh*t one has to go through if they decide to go for a renovation. But after a few weeks’ time, you will see it’s so much worth it. After getting rid of lots of things, you will finally find the one thing you may have longed for a while SPACE!
- Start with the wall color
It’s a universal law of interior design that if you want a big change to your environment the one thing you ought to start with is the color of the walls. The other is the arrangement but more on that later.
You won’t believe how much the color of the walls can change a room until the point you actually try it. This is however not something to be too hasty about. Big and light rooms are fine with darker shades while smaller rooms should stick with lighter shades, unless you can operate there with white or light wooden furniture. Nowadays it’s so easy to choose a wall color and there are tons of stores where all you need to do is to show the shade, get the one nearest to it ( or exactly that) and you will get it. I personally had mine mixed but I know shades keep on changing from supplier to supplier. If you don’t know Pinterest now it’s high time to visit it, it hosts a huge collection of attractive wall colors.
Only make sure the new color is in sync with your actual furniture ( or with the planned pieces ) and it’s is in sync with the rest of your home too. If you go for changing the colors of multiple rooms, make sure you choose the shades which look good together. Try not to go for the same color or if you do be extremely careful of the shades. Learn the rule of pairing up warm colors with cold colors. With other words if the wall color is cold ( blue, grey etc) you ought to pair it up with warm colors ( wooden furniture looks the BEST) and vice versa.
Remember! You don’t have to get ALL the walls painted to one color. You can make drastic changes by changing colors of a single wall or specific walls.
- Throw out ( or sell) unwanted furniture and get one or two new pieces
We all have some pieces of furniture we keep and we are not even sure what for. I ended up packing tons of furniture from my flat and it felt SO good, especially in the case of large bulky pieces which were there occupying the space that’s so valuable to me, as my apartment is not large at all. After furniture is gone, it’s time to bring in something which simply looks better, it’s more useful and which simply brings a change to the room’s whole character. Just like the yellow armchair I will possibly get from IKEA soon. Try to stick with stuff that’s easy to carry ( or relatively) and try to get furniture which go well with each other or with other words they are compatible with the old furniture ( this is a general problems many people commit ).
- Change your room’s character with rearrangement
Even if you do not get new furniture or even if you don’t even get rid of any of your old furniture, start thinking what differences of furniture arrangement would change the room’s character, what would look better, how can you win more space and how best would it be to rearrange the room. Sometimes even a slight change can bring so much of a positive change and the good old „ how come I haven’t thought ot this before?” moment. Try color schemes to reinvent the look and feel of your room, they can be a great help and inspiration. You can also create your own color scheme.
- Get MORE LIGHTS, new lights, different lights
You won’t believe how much different or added lighting can change a room’s overall character, feel and even the size. Also a lamp or two doesn’t cost too much money either. In my case I boughr fairy lights and they look stunning! Made one of my room corners „woken up” and shows the room in a much more different lighting
- Some accessories do real wonders
A new picture on the wall, a new set of curtains a different color of bedcloth or cover or a new carpet can already change the appearance of your room for the better. Accessories do great too, however, if you are someone who has a reputation of being an accessory hoarder, then take great care of what you buy and especially if you will be able to use that specific item for anything in particular.
- Do not lose your focus
Start the whole by setting up the exact goals on what you would like to definitely change and then finish the whole off with all the optional stuff, after the important part is all done. Renovation, design cost a lot of money and accessories are some of the biggest money eaters of all time.
- Book painters/ carpenters right on time -or try it yourself
As we mostly renovate during the summer, it’s all natural all the renovation firms are also the busiest in this period. That’s why it’s wise to book everything well in advance. This way you can set a date and be ready with all the packing, decluttering by then Let it be a month before the day you book. If you won’t believe this time will barely be enough, you better do so..packing , decluttering takes literally sh*tloads of time, especially when it involves taking furniture away too. If you feel adventurous or got only a smaller area to paint, give it a try! It’s cheaper and you will feel fantastic being able to do it. Make sure you don’t paint on a wall which is too dirty/damaged/wet or otherwise unfit for regular paint to stay on without any prior wall treatments.
- Call plants for help to spice up the room! ( can be fake ones if you are not a good gardener)
Believe it or not, plants can change the look of a room drastically. Their beautiful green can look amazing with most wall colors, be it white, warm tone or a cold tone. They can brighten up any room instantly, no matter their size. If you are not a good gardener, buy something which doesn’t really need much water, such as cacti or succulents, if you are keen on gardening and love the feel and look of plants go for something bigger like a Yucca, palm tree or banana tree. There are literally thosands of plants many of which can get on well in a room ( however keep asking around what they like and what they don’t).
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