Moved into your new home and now trying to figure out how to make it “your own“? Putting your home on the market and trying to figure out how to make it “not your own“?

Explore basic elements of design that will either make your home your own OR that will neutralize it so it’s appealing to prospective buyers. Either way, your design must make an appealing and desirable statement!

Things to consider:

Color Scheme…Neutral does NOT mean white or beige. There are a plethora of color options these days that can change the most modest home into wow spaces! Take the time to review current home decor magazines and even brochures available at paint stores. If you’re decorating for yourself, don’t be afraid to be brave! Go ahead and paint that wall black or purple or whatever makes you or your family happy. You can always change paint if you decide it’s out of your comfort zone. Here’s the thing, sometimes getting out of your comfort zone via your home decor is a great first step toward doing the same in other parts of your life!

Furniture Arrangement…While you’re perusing those decorating magazines, take the time to review many different furniture arrangements that might work better in your rooms than your current layout. I came home one day and my teenage daughter and her girlfriend (with aspirations of becoming an interior decorator) had completely rearranged my living room furniture. With just a few simple changes, she transformed my room into a much more inviting and conversation welcoming space.

Window Treatments…There are so many options available now. If you’re selling your home, you might want to take down those 30 year old heavy draperies and replace them with something lighter and airier. Again, with so much available on the internet, if cost is a factor, you can review even the best options and then copy the style with something more affordable. Whether moving in or selling your home, before you put on those new treatments, dust or repaint the trim and wash the windows. There’s nothing more inviting than bright sunlight streaming through your windows (without showing all the dirt that was there before you followed this step!).

Organization/De-cluttering…Whether moving in or moving out, nothing feels better than a freshly organized closet, desk, bookcase, garage….get the point? Do it before you sell. Do it before you move in (meaning don’t move any of your old home’s clutter into your fresh new space).

It sometimes is really hard to do, but stepping out of your comfort zone may create the newest, most exciting “and comfortable” home design you ever imagined possible. Step up. Step out. Be Brave and Enjoy!

So you’ve moved into your new, perhaps older, home that wasn’t built with the largest of closets. Or, you have an extra room and even though you have a good sized closet, you’ve always wanted a special ‘dressing room’ all your own. Be brave. Get creative and turn that extra bedroom or den into your private retreat. And you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Add a closet organizer with racks and shelves to a long wall, add individual hooks to the wall to create a stylish display and easy accessibility of hats, scarves, jewelry, handbags…whatever works best for you. You can add a storage bench against a wall for more storage or use a larger upholstered one in the center of the room which adds to the design an storage space.  Add shoe racks or buy inexpensive racks that match the wall piece and stack shoes in their boxes or plastic shoe boxes. You can also add behind door shoe or purse racks or hooks for robes or sweaters. There are so many things you can do to make it your own! The space in the photo was created for under $150 over a weekend. (tip: Put hooks  up with 3m type adhesives so you can rearrange your wall and design easily and again at minimal cost.)

When the grandkids visit, you can always add a toddler bed or blow up mattress while they’re there and then simply put it away when they’re gone and return to enjoying your very special personal space.

Sometimes your home doesn’t need a whole makeover in order to get ready to sell. Sometimes it just needs a few some simple changes or updates to make it fresh and ready to entice its next owner.

• Take a slow and objective walk through your home with a clipboard and as you enter each room, make a note of what you think needs to change. Then have an objective friend who you trust and hand them a clipboard and ask them to do the same thing. Compare notes over a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and make a project list for yourself.
• Are the dents in your carpet sunk down to the sub-floor because the furniture hasn’t been moved in years? You don’t need to pay a professional stager. Have a friend whose home you and others always admire for its great design and decor? Invite them over to help you rearrange your furniture and if necessary update your decor (nothing major but sometimes your decor screams a bygone era). If necessary, get rid of any furniture (put in the garage or storage) that look sad and worn out or adding to a cluttered feeling. Review….Rearrange….Refresh & Sell!
• If you take down a framed photo or piece of art, is the wall beneath it a completely different color than the rest of the wall? Can’t afford to paint all your rooms? Give your walls a good old fashioned washing? May be tedious but costs less than paint and can have the same positive affect. Also, wash your baseboards, trim, doors, windows and ceiling fan blades. Get rid of any and all cobwebs even way up in that vaulted ceiling. You might think no one will notice them BUT THEY WILL!
• If you’ve followed the advice you’ve seen in articles and on diy tv shows and painted your entire home in neutral beige or taupe tones, add color and energy to your spaces by the simple addition of live green plants. Live plants bring life to your home. There are plenty of plants that look great and can be easily maintained. When doing an open house or showing, a vase of fresh flowers will do the same thing. People don’t want to live in a dreary monotone home. Give it life with life!
• De-clutter! Again, have a trusted friend who you know will be and you’ll let be honest with you. Buy bins if you’re not ready to get rid of your knick knacks and stash them away out of view. You can decide later what you want to keep and what you don’t want to have to move later.
• You can update your kitchen or baths by simply changing the hardware on your cabinets, updating window treatments and giving your appliances a good scrubbing. Clean the outside, top and inside of the oven and microwave. Again, the kitchen is a great place to place a few small pots of fresh herbs. Basil and rosemary are great for your kitchen. A pot of lavender is a wonderful addition to the bath.
• Have a messy home office but you need all those papers and files, etc? Invest in a few attractive office organizers. Again, they don’t need to be fancy, expensive items. Both Walmart and Target have great office organizing options.

You don’t have spend a fortune to get your home updated and ready to sell. You simply have to invest your own time and energy to get a great result! The only downside is that once you’re finished, you might not decide to sell! Hmmm, but even that can be an upside!!