One of the major benefits of owning your own home is the ability to redesign whatever you’d like. Summer is a great time to try out some new design ideas for your home. Modern farmhouses are the biggest trend in home design right now.
Picture a hand-painted, distressed dresser being used to create a modern coffee station or a set of sliding barn doors to hide the high-end laundry room. Whether you choose to redo a whole room or update a couple of things around the house, here are a few ideas to give your home a new attitude, just in time for the warmer months.
Start outside
Your front porch is a great space to update. Adding plants, seating, and other personal accents brings your style outdoors and on display. Make use of the space if it’s going unused and you’ll add so much curb appeal to your already beautiful home.
Consider residing or painting to update the look of the house quickly. Colours can become outdated or start looking dull after a few years. Neutral tones with coloured accent doors are still very popular. Farmhouse red and peach are both trendy exterior colours for making your front porch or garage door stand out.
Replacing a few plants outside can completely change the look. Move some existing plants or buy some new ones to add to some sparse-looking areas. Small shrubs are good for lining pathways and filling in gaps under windows while tall plants should be placed at inner corners to add depth to small areas.
Up your customization game by getting or making your doormat. A cute saying or the family’s last name will bring some charm and whimsy to the front of the house.
Don’t forget the backyard
In the summertime, you’ll probably want to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Your backyard should be an extension of your home so let’s talk about a few ways you can update it.
Add some colour to the backyard by painting a rug onto your existing deck and adding some colour-coordinating flowers to your garden. Tying them both together gives your backyard a sense of cohesion.
Update any existing lighting with wifi-enabled smart lights. These are easy to install and set up. Any tech upgrade to your home will add value over time.
Plants aren’t just for your gardens anymore. Potted plants look great when they’re scattered on your deck in unique containers.
Covered decks are the best way to add some extra outdoor time to your summertime. Building out from the house or adding a separate tent gives you the right amount of shade to cool off while remaining outdoors. A pergola is another great addition. It provides style and structure to bare-looking backyards.
If you want your outside to feel like home then add a couch. Many weatherproof options are comfortable enough for an afternoon nap and look nice enough to be used indoors too!
Fix up your foyer
The foyer is usually the first part of the inside that your friends and family will see. You don’t want it looking like an outdated hotel lobby or a giant mess so try using a few of these tips to improve the area quickly and easily.
Wicker or straw storage baskets are very popular but try spraying them with a coat of spray paint to add a splash of colour. You could even do multiple colours to keep everyone’s things in the right place.
If you don’t have an existing foyer but you have a blank wall that’s looking to be transformed, use a few pieces of thin wood to create a board and batten wall. Add some chunky wood hooks and a shelf and suddenly you have a stylish storage area.
Living room
A new set of slipcovers can update the whole living room. Invest in velvet slipcovers for your furniture to create a cozier space. By changing the colour and texture of faded, outdated furniture, you can turn it into a high-quality statement piece without buying a whole new couch.
This year, plants, in general, have become immensely popular. Plants in your living room are a wonderful way to add colour and warmth. A spider plant on a shelf, a peace lily on the window sill, or a nice tall rubber tree plant in the corner makes a great addition and they are easy to care for.
Build up some bare spots by adding layers. Piles of books sorted by size with a statement vase on top will make the area look full instead of bare space. Filling bare shelves and tables with layers of items makes the entire space feel like a home.
Bedroom
There is a lot more choice in wallpaper today than when stripes and daisies were the only options. There are so many chic wallpaper styles available now that can make a huge difference in a room. An inexpensive way to create a mural in your bedroom is to cover one wall with busy wallpaper. Whether you want granite, hand-drawn flowers or giant geometric shapes, there’s a wallpaper somewhere out there that will fit your style.
Natural elements are a great way to add a touch of coziness to your bedroom. We already talked about plants but there are other natural touches you can sprinkle in. A vase of pampas grass, a wicker end table or a woven jute rug will bring a touch of the outdoors into your space.
A flat and boring bed is made more interesting by putting layers of thin blankets over it. Massive knitted roving blankets are beautiful but far too heavy and impractical for everyday use. You can create a welcoming atmosphere by using cotton, linen and other thinner fibre blankets along with various throw pillows. You will feel like crawling back into bed the moment you finish making it.
Bathroom
A new showerhead can make a huge difference in how your bathroom feels. Waterfall shower heads give you a relaxing experience, in addition to looking amazing. It varies in price, but you can usually get a good system for around $60.
If your bathroom is stiff and edgy, replace your mirror with a rounded mirror to add some curved lines. Using these will fix any space that feels crowded with a large mirror. Another option would be to place two mirrors side by side in the same space. The break between the mirrors will make the area appear larger.
Now is the perfect time to purchase a basin sink if you have ever considered it. These are stunning and take any bathroom from ordinary into the realm of luxury. It’s relatively easy to remove your existing sunken sink and replace it with a new one. There are numerous styles and prices available for sinks.
Kitchen
Add some elegance to your kitchen by turning your recessed lights into some dazzling pendant lights. The kits are incredibly easy to use and install and they’re widely available. You can choose whatever lights suit your space. If you’re replacing a few, try doing different lengths or even multiple lamp styles to create your own unique look.
Are you thinking of upgrading your kitchen appliances? You can create a seamless look in your kitchen by choosing integrated appliances. These are gorgeous and give the illusion of a fridge being a pantry or a stove being just a cabinet. For a low-cost solution, you can also paint your existing appliances in the same colour as your cabinets. The charcoal colour is very trendy for kitchens today and painting is a great way to achieve the illusion without spending a lot of money.
Countertops aren’t the only place to find marble anymore. Various faux stone tiles or wallpapers are now being used for backsplashes and walls as part of the faux stone trend. Marble always adds some elegance to a room and makes it appear brighter. You can add some marble prints to your kitchen to give it a luxurious touch.
All around the house
Transform the lighting in your home simply by replacing high-wattage bulbs with dimmer Edison-style bulbs. These are great for giving your home a cozy look without the need to replace any light fixtures. They give off an orange glow and add a vintage look. These are very trendy and should be easy to find at any hardware store.
With the weather in our area being snow one minute and sun the next, being able to control your thermostat without getting up from your couch can become invaluable. Upgrading to a smart thermostat can save you money on your hydro bill while giving you easier control through your smartphone. No more fights about the temperature when you’ve got the controls in your pocket.
Upgrade your commonly used outlets to add USB ports. These are fairly inexpensive and very easy to install. This handy upgrade will make charging your devices a breeze. They’re usually compatible with other smart products including ones that use voice activation. Anything that adds value to the home and convenience to your daily life is a good idea.
Adding a few touch-ups to your home can bring together your own style and current design trends. Colour trends for this year from Benjamin Moore’s paint are Aegean Teal, Potters Clay, and Rosey Peach. These brights are good for accent walls, furniture, doors and anything that needs to be lit up. Trendy neutrals like Kingsport Grey, Foggy Morning, and Atrium white work well on walls and large spaces. Maintaining your home’s appearance will make you feel better about your investment and make your home a place that feels catered to you.
