Your home is an extension of who you are and what you want to portray to the world. And just as you sometimes change your style of clothing to follow or eschew trends, or change your hairstyle, you can transform your home to reflect a whole new vibe that you want to embrace. It is easy to do, and you can start with these inspirational ideas right here.
Hang New Curtains
Curtains are fun. They do not need to be dull and boring. They can be anything you want them to be and look beautiful as well as provide function to any room. Whether they are open to let the full sun in or closed to block the world out and afford you some privacy, it is nice to know you have options.
Look for new curtains that enhance the room they will be in. Perhaps you want them to blend seamlessly into the wall surrounding them, or maybe you want your curtains to complement your favorite couch. Look for bold colors, large patterns, or dainty flowers to add a decorative influx into any room. Curtains can instantly enhance a room with their powerful design elements or add whimsy, depending on the patterns you select. Opt for something you will enjoy looking at, especially since curtains cover the windows to the world outside.
Add More Lighting
Lights are not only utilitarian and functional, but they are also essential components of any well-designed home. Yet, they are more than that. Well-placed lighting can add depth and help create the mood or vibe you want at any given time. For example, bright overhead lighting might be ideal for cooking a meal, but softer lighting is more suitable for an intimate dinner at a nearby table. Task lighting is perfect for finishing homework at a desk or reading under a lamp while sitting on a comfy chair in the corner of a room.
The best way to add more lighting to your home is to approach it as if you were creating a layered effect. Install wall sconces for mood lighting in the dining room. Add under-cabinet lights to highlight your decor and a bowl of apples. Add bright lights above your bathroom vanity and soft recessed lights on a dimmer switch for when you want to take a calming bath before bed. Install a chandelier for ambience in the foyer and an artful light above the dining room table that can be brightened when you want to put a puzzle together or dimmed for a dinner party.
Watch this helpful video to learn how to add lighting to your home without the addition of outlets, plugs, or hardwiring.
Engage Your Senses
The way your home feels involves your senses, and not just your sense of touch. The scent of your home evokes a feeling. Think about it. When you catch a whiff of vanilla, does it make you think of the smell that greeted you when you opened the door to your grandparents’ home, and freshly baked cookies were waiting for you? What about cinnamon or a woodsy scent? Perhaps you have spent a lot of time in the great outdoors throughout your life, but you currently live in an urban environment.
Specific scents can trigger memories or feelings. Bring something memorable and special into your home through the power of smell. Add reed diffusers in every room of your home. They are not only pleasant to look at, especially if you choose a pretty glass bottle and high-quality reeds to add an element of decor, but they will allow a similar scent to permeate your home and create a classic scent that people will begin to associate with you – your home’s signature scent, if you will. You can also light candles in a scent that follows the same family as your reed diffusers to layer the aroma or use an electric diffuser to push the scent further into a room.
The mood of your home can be whatever you want it to be. Consider changing it as the seasons move from one to another. Swap out one set of curtains for another just as you change your sheets from cotton to flannel when the weather cools. Install new lights throughout your home so you can choose the ambience depending on your mood and whatever you have planned. You can even move some lights from room to room. And always incorporate your favorite scents throughout your home. It will be a pleasant surprise every time you step in the door.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
