Judie Docs, Executive Officer, North Coast Building Industry Association (NCBIA), CSP, MCSP, CGP, CMP, MIRM
Spend lazy Saturday afternoons browsing the pages of Architectural Digest or Dwell, wishing you had the budget to hire an interior designer to replicate their artistic interiors? Well-designed rooms don’t always have to come with a huge price tag; in fact, designing on a budget may be easier than you think. Many times, by changing small elements, you can give a room an entirely new personality. Sometimes adding a few colorful pillows or picking up a paintbrush is all you need to do to make your room look like something out of the pages of a magazine.
One of the most common fixes for a boring room is color – – it is easy to do and inexpensive.
Updating the color of just one wall in any room will give it an entirely new feel. Painting, when approached correctly, can be an enjoyable experience with instant rewards. Warmer colors can make a room feel cozier and more inviting. Cooler colors like grey or “stark white,” on the other hand, may give a room a more industrial feeling. Light airy colors open up a space, while deep, darker colors can make a room appear smaller.
Adding accents to pieces you already own can also make a large difference. For instance, if your couch is not as exciting as it once was, try throwing a few fun accent pillows on it. Remember, throws and cushions, when selected as accents, can really bring new life to a tired piece of furniture. The use of pillows, throws and draperies in living spaces enhances a room in many ways. Fabrics also can add beautiful softness to a room and allow additional patterns and textures to be brought into a room.
Another budget-friendly change is to rotate the artwork in a room. Using the same frames but changing the images can easily create a new theme or mood and combining several different frames in different finishes and sizes can achieve different looks.
Often overlooked but strikingly effective, updated lighting can work wonders. Lighting will dramatically change the mood of a room. Try installing a new fixture or simply swapping out the shades on current fixtures. Installing dimmer switches can also make for an interesting change.
Get excited and have fun with updating your home. Take it one step at a time, soon you will continue to do-it-yourself.
The North Coast Building Industry Association is your local not-for-profit trade association representing member companies involved in all aspects of home building, remodeling, and other aspects of services available to help you in the future as well as more information on the above topic. So, you can see it is for your protection that you use a NCBIA member. If you are unsure that your contractor is a member of the NCBIA or you are looking for a list of NCBIA members, you can visit our website at www.ncbia.com or call 440-934-1090. We also have a job posting board (under the Industry tab).
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