Unlike fashion, home trends often come with big challenges and even larger price tags. It requires a rather substantial investment of time, money and effort to keep up to date with the latest styles. On the other hand, your home reflects your lifestyle and personality, so it might not be such a bad idea to do a few minor improvements to upgrade your personal sanctuary. Here are a few tiny tweaks to help you refresh your abode quickly and on a budget.
Neutral and earthy tones such as muted browns and greys are design must-haves. Not only do they help tie a room together and help your accents pop, they also never go out of style. As a rule of thumb, anything expensive that you plan on using for the next 10 years should be in a neutral shade, this includes your flooring, anchor furniture and appliances.
If you want your home to look up-to-date for less, limit your purchase to accent pieces that incorporate the current trends. They’re easily replaceable but they give your guests something to look at. You don’t really need an entire set of the latest styles of furniture or decors, a few will do. Just make sure they’re accents and not anchor pieces like upholstered furniture.
There’s a reason some of these vintage furniture and decors were able withstand the test of time. They make great conversation starters and they help pull off that collected, designer look. Upcycling old items into timeless furniture may require some degree of skill, however, if done correctly they can turn your dull living room into a trendy relaxing mecca. If you think DIY upcycling is a stretch you can always head to your local flea market to find some repurposed items for a fraction of the price of new ones.
While it’s true that even the most current styles will, in time, start looking out of date, but this rings more true to items that are overly ornate. Think of a cabinet with intricate inlays and designs that reflect the era in which it was made, now imagine that that era was the 1970’s. That cabinet will look more dated compared to one created the same year but with a more classic style. That’s because simpler designs last longer. Also, keep in mind, it’s much easier to repaint or refinish a piece instead of altering its design.
When styling our homes we often think in terms of color palettes and patterns, often forgetting to utilize another design feature--texture. Textured pieces can add some unique qualities to your space in that it can be trendy, but can last much longer style-wise. An old textured piece like a fur rug or a cowhide ottoman would still fit in quite well with today’s current styles. On the other hand, the hottest color and pattern trends from 10 years ago have already gone passe.
Choose furniture and decors that you like and that reflect your individual style. It doesn’t matter if you like something that designers have deemed out of date. If it’s a piece that you truly love and something that you think just works for you and your personality, then that piece will never go out of style. The goal of improving your home shouldn’t be about trying to impress the neighbors, it should be about creating a space that makes you happy. Because, no matter what other people say, you’re the one who has to live in it, not them.