You’ve been recording your favourite home reno shows, you’ve scoured the pages of home décor magazines and you’ve bookmarked countless websites that all have qualities of your dream home. Your house is feeling lack lustre and in desperate need of a makeover. So why not renovate? For some, the answer is easy. Renovating is a big step. From hiring a contractor to tearing up flooring and moving plumbing, making big changes to your humble abode is definitely a daunting task. And while you may know what you want, having the funds and resources to complete a project is not always feasible for the average homeowner.
When it comes to renovating your home, the budget doesn’t always allow for a complete redo but that doesn’t mean an impressive change isn’t possible. Updating your home in smaller ways can provide the necessary impact to spicing up your space without breaking the bank. Breaking down the changes into more manageable cosmetic updates can often increase the value of your home for just a fraction of the cost of a home renovation. Each room provides several possibilities for a fresh facelift and can together create a more cohesive and appealing home.
It may be daunting deciding where to start, especially if budget constraints are stopping you from a complete overhaul, but identifying where you spend the most time and what spaces are your favourites will help determine what should take priority. “Smaller spaces are more affordable to redecorate, but make sure you are choosing an area that is used often. Spending money on a space that is larger and used more often would be wiser than spending money on a smaller one that is not” says Clara Wu, assistant manager of 18Karat, a Vancouver-based design, import and retail company specializing in contemporary interior design accessories and furniture.
An outdated kitchen can be a complete eyesore for any homeowner, who has spent too many mornings making breakfast in an uninspired space. With a kitchen renovation adding more value to your home than any other room in a house, but potentially costing more than any other home improvement, making small changes at an affordable price will benefit your bank account in more ways than one.
With cabinets tending to take up the majority of a kitchen, refinished exteriors can appear as though you’ve spent thousands of dollars on a new kitchen. Instead of dishing out the dough to tear out the old and install new, repainting old kitchen cabinets can breathe new life into an old facade. An even easier way to update cabinets is by changing the hardware to a more modern pull or bold coloured knob. It’s a great place to start for those concerned with too much change.
If the cabinets are still easy on the eyes, a new backsplash combined with the perfect paint can provide that pop of pattern or colour that may have been lacking. Covering less surface area, the backsplash is a definite do-it-yourself project that can become a powerful focal point of any kitchen. Buying new appliances may be too much money but purchasing sleek faucets or a unique sink will make doing dishes more enjoyable.
Just like kitchens, bathroom renovations can be costly and time consuming if you dream of giving the space a complete renovation. By painting cabinets, changing hardware or updating tiles, a bathroom can transform without being torn down. Purchasing a new vanity can turn a bathroom into a different and much more modern space. Changing the toilet seat, sink, faucets or shower curtain may seem like small alterations but can often delay the need for any larger updates. Re-grouting tiling or re-glazing a tub is a bigger commitment but both make old pieces suddenly feel new.
While kitchens and bathrooms can become focal points, Clara Wu, along with the staff at 18Karat, suggest taking a look at a part of the house homeowners often neglect. “The front door entry area is often overlooked. It is the starting and end point of your home, where guests come and go, so make an impact.” By painting your front door, updating your gardens and finding storage solutions for shoes and coats, both the exterior and interior of your entranceway can set the tone for the rest of your home.
Any space can be instantly refreshed by adding colour. The 18Karat staff thinks it’s the simplest way to make a statement. “The key is colour. A fresh coat of paint, perhaps just a feature wall, can really change the look of a space. The same with accessories; if you have neutral wall colours and furniture, changing these can make a big impact,” adds Wu.
Whether you’re painting one wall or all four, changing wall colours can make an old room feel instantly new again. Colours can be responsible for evoking emotions or creating moods and colour scheme changes can be uplifting, inviting and often the only change needed to make an impact. By adding throw pillows in new colours or swapping the curtains to a more current pattern, rooms can instantly be transformed. Accessories offer an opportunity to add colours or patterns without committing to more permanent changes. For homeowners holding back from huge modifications, a neutral backdrop and pops of colour provided by vases, artwork and other affordable accessories is an easy way to keep a home fresh and feeling new.
Without majorly changing a room’s walls, floors or lighting, some rooms just need to be de-cluttered. By re-evaluating what is necessary in a room and reorganizing items such as pots and pans, books or any countertop clutter, a tidy room appears new in no time.
Similarly, a room may seem in need of a makeover but by moving furniture and finding a fresh layout, the look of a remodel can be achieved without any cost or the use of any tools. Creating a more inviting environment or enhancing the functionality can increase the enjoyment of a room for homeowners and visitors alike.
A room can appear redone by something as simple as cleaning the carpets or adding an area rug. New linens, including bedding, towels or window treatments can create a whole new look. Often, a good cleaning, and potentially purging, is enough to make a noticeable change. Old furniture can be updated by painting the legs bright colours, a living room can become a focal point by retiling a fireplace and a backyard can be useful again by staining a deck. Breaking down a room into its many parts makes home decorating much more achievable.
If picking paint or looking at lighting is too much for the time being, the quickest fix can be created by placing fresh flowers around the house. Enough to brighten any room, plants and flowers are inviting additions that make a house look more like a home. While it may seem too simple to have an impact, greenery can change the feel of a space just as much as adding exciting accessories.
A home renovation might not be feasible in the near future but that doesn’t mean that dreams of updating a drab interior have to be dashed. There are simple ways to make a big impact that any homeowner can achieve without an overactive budget. By reusing what already exists in your home, decorating can be done on a budget yet still make a big impact and provide a look you love. Prioritizing your favourite spaces and refinishing, redoing or redecorating can achieve the same refreshing result as a more costly renovation.