If you feel like your home could use a touch of elegance, or you find yourself walking around wondering how to make your home less drab, here are some easy and affordable changes to make.
1. Get an Electric Fireplace
Fireplaces have a special way of making any home feel more elegant, but not everyone has the room or ability to install a real fireplace. That’s okay because you can go all-electric and get just about the same effect.
Free-standing electric fireplaces look somewhat real, and you can even get an insert for your wall to make it look like a genuine fireplace. It will be pretty obvious once someone takes a closer look, but an electric fireplace will add elegance and class to your living room.
Additionally, it’s easy to upgrade your bedroom with an electric fireplace. They come in a variety of sizes and some have wheels so you can move them anywhere you wish. The top can also serve as a shelf for books, candle holders, or any other items you want to have on display.
2. Change Your Wallpaper and Paint
The color, design, and texture of every room in your house plays a role in how it makes you feel. By simply getting a professional paint job or applying special wallpaper, you can create a feeling of elegance in every room if you wish.
Color has the power to elicit emotions from people, and the right color combination can make you feel like you’ve just upgraded your home. Which colors are right for you will depend on your personal preferences. For instance, some people love black and gold, but others prefer brighter colors like blue and white.
There’s no one right way to design a new color scheme for your house, but it does help to get a general idea of how your chosen colors might impact you before committing to anything.
When it comes to wallpaper, it’s a little easier since you can hold it up to the wall before applying it to make sure you have the right design. Most manufacturers also offer samples, but sometimes you need to see how a full strip will look. Either way, wallpaper is cheap and easy, and you don’t have to use paste. There are wallpaper options with an adhesive backing that will stick to the wall and in most cases, won’t do any damage if you need to peel it off at some point in the future.
If there’s a chance you might not like your original choice, self-adhesive wallpaper is better than paint because it’s cheaper, easier to replace, and faster to install.
3. Get a Few Elegant Pieces of Furniture
One beautiful, high-end piece of furniture can influence the perception of an entire room. If you can’t afford to replace all of your furniture with more elegant pieces, then start with just one or two.
In your bedroom, find a beautiful night stand or dresser, perhaps with a marble top and carved sides. For the living room, get a luxurious couch and coffee table. If you prefer starting with the kitchen, go for your dream kitchen table and chairs.
For secondary living rooms, try a comfortable, leather recliner, or even a new entertainment center. Choose the item that you find most appealing and add new pieces of furniture periodically as your budget allows.
4. Perfect Your Overhead Lighting
Lighting plays a crucial role in how rooms are perceived, and it’s actually quite a big business. It takes time to develop lighting expertise, and the way a professional can transform your space is unbeatable.
If you don’t have good overhead lighting, you’re probably relying on floor lamps for everything. No matter what lamp you buy, no floor lamp can beat the power of an elegant overhead light. It doesn’t produce the same level of light, and it also doesn’t look as good. Floor lamps are great for reading and decoration, but they don’t do much to create ambiance in a room.
Getting great lighting requires more than installing ceiling lights, upgrading your bulbs, or adding strip lights everywhere. It truly takes skill to determine what fixtures will suit your room best, along with where they should be placed. The end result can be absolutely glamorous and make you feel great.
Make your home elegant in small steps
Start creating a little more elegance in small stages. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a home. Begin with the room most important to you, like your living room or bathroom, and go from there until you have the elegant home you’ve always wanted.
