The quickest and usually cheapest way to updating any space is recovering the walls. Whether you choose paint, wallpaper or what ever you prefer. The walls (and woodwork) are the main focus in a room. So instead of replacing furniture or accessories update the background first. Updating the background (walls, floors, woodwork) can change the whole room. When that is done, look at what is left in the room. Do you need all the furniture? Is there something that can be eliminated or needs to be replaced? Is there perhaps a new layout to the room you can try. Even something like that can change the whole look and ‘feel’ of the room. Below are some images to show what a transformation a simple paint job can bring. Please do consider (if they aren’t already done) to paint all the woodwork (doors, skirting, windowsills, etc) as well. All images from Pinterest.com
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When it comes to organizing any small space it always comes down to essentials and using the space in the best possible way.
In a bedroom the main piece of furniture is, of course, the bed. This can take up a lot of floor space (especially with double beds). Placing this in the room first will give the best idea of what other usable space you have left. From here it is like a checklist. Once the bed is in you can look at things like: Bedside lockers
Once that is sorted look at wardrobes, chest of drawers.
In many bedrooms there is a chair, some say for lounging, but let’s face it, we all use it to store our worn clothing overnight. So instead of keeping a chair in the room, taking up precious floor space, how about we add hooks to the door or wall instead? In general, the more floor space you see, the bigger the room will look. So keeping that in mind look for a bed raised off the ground, so you see a little extra space underneath the bed. Curtains that hover above the floor but don’t touch it. Shelves (well organized), minimal storage yet enough so nothing is stored in view thus making the room look messy. Neutral walls, that is not to say they can’t have colour or pattern, but nothing with big bold patterns. Keep it simple, calm and clean. That will go a long way! White and Medium grey are a great base against which pretty much any other colour is going to look amazing. You can keep in kind of monochrome and add black for a stylish yet dramatic look. Wood effect or anything natural like plants will liven up the space: Gold hardware and accessories add a little luxury twist: And then there are all the colours you can possibly think of: It really depends on
All images are from Pinterest.com
When faced with limited space it is important to make the best and most use of the space you have. Identifying what you need to live comfortably, then finding a way to weave them all in a usable space is important.
For most living spaces the essentials are;
Zoning these into the studio apartment first will break up the space allowing you to find the best way of using the space so that you can still move around it comfortably. Think about how you move through your home. Do you eat at a kitchen table? or prefer to eat on the sofa? If so do you really need a table or is this something you can scale down or eliminate altogether? How much storage do you need? And how can you incorporate this into your space? Buit in units, under sofa/bed, underfloor storage. There are so many different ways to add extra storage that don’t have to take up a lot of usable space. Like a sofa and bed. A bed can take up a lot of useful space. So there are options to consider here. The space below a bed can be used as storage. A murphy bed can be a great solution. Or raising the bed higher so you are able to place a sofa or desk or kitchen underneath may be an option. A stairs can double up as a cupboard, a book shelf, reading nook, office area. My point is, look at what you need. Divide the space and see how and where you can double up or eliminate things to make the best use of the space. Tiny homes, cabins, cottages, small apartments are all great inspiration places. Then can all give you some great ideas. But ultimately it is up to you to decide how you want to use your space and for what purpose. Find a way to organize your space and possessions in a way that works for you, is easy to maintain and allows you to use and move around the space freely, while utilizing every single inch. Cozy, is feeling warm, secure, safe, comfortable, relaxed, happy, content, happy. It’s about mood lighting, texture, comfy sofa’s, intimate spaces, all those things that make you feel relaxed and at home. A little inspiration of what it could look like to me: decoration724.com decormagz.com instagram.com loombrand.com messynessychic.com onekindesign.com
Decorating a new space can indeed be a daunting feat. However you can make it easier on yourself if you take it step by step.
Breaking down the job into snackable pieces will make it easier to get it done as you simply tick off the steps you’ve finished. Watch the list shrink and shrink! The main advice I’d give you before hand is, make sure you know the purpose of the space and get it all done in one go. Select and collect everything you need. Then put it all together in one go if possible. Otherwise the project can drag on and on and become a much bigger project than it needs to be. Hopefully the list below can help you in breaking down the project. Decorating a room step by step:
There are many, many, many ways of decorating your wall. Typical wall coverings include:
If you’re looking for something different, perhaps a little out there maybe some of the following jolts some ideas. For instance instead of wallpaper cover your walls in
The list is endless! Try something a little unexpected! An organized bedroom starts with a good clean. Go through all your possessions and eliminate everything that you no longer use, have no place in the bedroom, are broken, or don’t like/wear anymore.
After this it becomes a case of giving everything in the room a place to stay. Storage is essential, however adding more wardrobes so you don’t have to get rid of items is not the solutions. The room still needs to function, and will look more organized when there are little to no items left out in view and when there is enough furniture to give a cozy feel, yet not so much that the furniture itself becomes the clutter. Built in wardrobes are a great solution as everything can be tucked away inside it. A separate walk in wardrobe is also handy, though not every home has the space to hold one. If you prefer free standing storage make sure all the separate pieces go together, and again, don’t take over the whole room. To put it in a few simple steps:
So think about it. The hallway is the first room you walk into when entering your house. It is the first thing visitors see. So what kind of impression do you want them to receive?
The hallway is probably one of the least used rooms, which gives you a chance to be a little bold. So let’s see what would be handy to have in the hallway. Coat hangers of some sort, a place for shoes, side dresser or table or board for keys. Maybe an umbrella stand? Good lighting I would say adding things like a plant, art/photographs, perhaps a bench or stool certainly make the space more personal. The size of the hallway will indicate how and what you can add to your space, some have just about enough space for the basics. If there is a little more space, add a few items that can welcome you home. Just be careful not to overcrowd the space, it must still remain functional and practical. Let’s be honest we still have to bring in bags of groceries through the same door! Let’s not make it too hard to manoeuvre. Painting your hallway a lovely inviting bright colour always makes an immediate impression. Something like yellow can give you that lovely happy sunshine feeling when coming home from long day at work. Fun, funky wallpaper does the same. It can be a little bold as you only see it as you walk in or out, but it can make you happy so why not? Have a look below at some examples. Perhaps it can give you a little inspiration! That is kind of a chicken or the egg situation. They do go hand in hand. While the colour of the walls and woodwork sets an initial mood of the room texture adds to that. It adds interest, it defines how you want to feel in the space. Shiny, glossy, hard surfaces give a sense of clinical, clean, hygienic. While fabrics, soft furnishings bring coziness.
In my eyes one can’t really stand above the other. Both need to be balanced together. Say you are thinking of redecorating your living room. You mostly use this room in the evening and want to be able to walk into a warm cozy room, where you can relax in the sofa while watching a bit of television with a cup of warm tea. Both colour and texture have work to do here. First off I probably wouldn't be painting the room white, or (too) vibrant colours. Equally I wouldn't be filling the room with shiny surfaces, tile flooring or bare windows. Instead I'd be pairing the colour and texture together. Perhaps going for more neutral, maybe even dark colours. Adding a nice rug underfoot. A lovely comfortable sofa to sink into, with easy access to a blanket to pull over your feet. A few cushions to tuck into. Great mood lighting so you can adjust it just right. Window treatments that wrap around the windows, to round it off a bit of a fire. Don't forget that even within adding texture you are also adding colour. They are not stand alone. There's texture in colour and colour in texture. |
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