How to correct your home decor style and design a home you love.
Whether you’ve lived in your home for 20 seconds or 20 years, there’s a chance you’re still not happy with your home decor style. Even if you’ve pinned all your favorite farmhouse style living room pictures, it can be hard to translate what you see into real life!
When we bought our fixer upper 3 years ago, I didn’t think I’d have such a hard time decorating. Low and behold, 3 years later I loathe our master bedroom. It was the first room we renovated and while the new hardwood floors are beautiful, the paint color turned out purple-ish and the headboard is outdated.
While I haven’t redecorated the bedroom yet, I’m slowly redecorating other parts of our home and learning tons along the way. So, whether you need to redecorate one room or all the rooms in your home, take these redecorating ideas to heart!
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Get Back to Home Decor Basics
When you’re redecorating, it can be tempting to go to Hobby Lobby and find a few inexpensive knick-knacks to put on shelves and tables. But friend, heed this warning….
PUT DOWN THE KNICK-KNACKS.
Even if they’re cute, they’re likely not the reason you don’t like the room. No amount of knick-knacks can fix a poorly decorated room. So, let’s get back to home decorating basics.
Paint color. Lighting. Window treatments. Rug. Furniture.
Choose a New Paint Color
Is your paint color a major offender? If the room feels too busy or loud, it could help to paint it a beautiful neutral color, like Agreeable Grey. You can always add in pops of color with your decor!
Paint Tip: I LOVE using Behr Marquee paint from Home Depot – it’s ‘guaranteed’ to cover in one coat. You can paint a standard-sized bedroom with about 2 gallons of paint, which costs around $80. I also recommend looking on Pinterest for paint color ideas instead of using paint chips – experienced people have good recommendations!
When you find a few paint color options, Home Depot can color-match it with their Behr Marquee paint. Get a few paint samples (~$3 each) to test the paint on multiple walls before you make a final decision.
Fix the Lighting in a Room
Before we bought our house, I had no idea that there were different shades of light bulbs. They range from warm colors to cool colors, from dim to super bright! If you put the wrong color/brightness of light bulbs in a room, it can make everything else look super ugly.
When we moved into our house, the walls were yellowish-tan with super warm-colored light bulbs and it was hideous. The whole house had an icky yellow ambiance!
A lot goes into picking the right light bulbs for a room, so take a look at this article from LifeHacker about how to pick the right light bulbs for each room.
Choosing The Window Treatments
Another thing to consider when fixing the lighting in a room is the window treatments. Blinds, curtains, drapes, roller shades, etc. Heavy drapes can make a room feel small and dark. When considering all your options, take a look at this guide about picking the right window treatments for each room.
Redecorating With An Area Rug
If the room feels cold or uninviting, a rug could help. Even on carpet I LOVE this inexpensive shag rug we have in our nursery! It adds texture and lightens up the room. Plus, Griffin likes laying his head on it – ha!
Swapping Out Furniture
One of the biggest offenders of an ugly room is the furniture. I can’t stand the headboard and bed frame in our bedroom! It’s a large wooden sleigh-style frame that’s scratched and nicked — simply not pleasing to look at.
Of course, it’s also not in the budget to buy a brand new headboard!
So, here’s what to do if you’re redecorating on a budget: First, consider painting the furniture! A new coat of paint can make a huge difference while being much cheaper than buying new.
Paint Tip #2: My favorite furniture paint is Benjamin Moore ADVANCE. It dries super hard so stuff won’t stick to it like regular latex paint.
If painting sounds exhausting or won’t solve the problem, try selling what you have on Facebook Marketplace or an app like OfferUp or LetGo. Put that money towards buying something else – whether it’s new or used!
If you love the farmhouse style look, then take a look at this steal on a vintage-inspired wrought iron bed frame on Amazon! Imagine that in front of a shiplap wall. *drool*
Scale Back Your Home Decor
Repeat after me: Space is just as important as stuff.
If you don’t like how you’ve decorated, maybe you’ve over-decorated. This is an easy offense – if decor doesn’t look quite right, is it because you need more decor? Actually, no!
The decor is likely not balanced or textured. I recommend taking down all the decor, then redecorate with a few large “focus” pieces. Add in a couple small related items (if necessary), and call it a day.
By adding open space to your decor, your furniture will feel lighter and everything will have more room to breathe. It’s a thing, I promise.
Your Home Decor Style Might Be Different Than You Think
I LOVE looking at farmhouse style decor on Pinterest. The rooms feel cozy, warm, and inviting! I knew that when I bought my house I wanted to create a farmhouse style oasis.
I quickly learned that farmhouse style decor can be expensive and hard to pull together! Plus, it usually includes a lot of knick-knacks on every surface.
While I love looking at farmhouse style decor, it’s not practical for me to live in. Here’s why.
I’m prone to clutter. In a blink, my surfaces are covered in mail and my pool bag from last weekend is still sitting on a kitchen chair.
If this sounds like you, IT’S OKAY! If you’re prone to clutter like me, then we need to tweak your decorating style.
When you’re redecorating, completely clear off all your surfaces as much as possible. No centerpieces, no barely-used appliances on the counter. Clear off all your multi-use surfaces. Only the bare necessities.
When you clear unnecessary things off your surfaces, you’re more likely to keep them clear. If your bag from last weekend is on the kitchen table, it will be the ONLY thing on your kitchen table and it’ll stick out like a sore thumb. You’ll want to keep it clear.
Remember: Clutter begets clutter.
It may look a little sparse at first, but having clear surfaces feels like a breath of fresh air compared to cluttered surfaces.
Final Thoughts on Redecorating Ideas for an Ugly Room
So, if you kinda hate your home decor and feel like it’s just not coming together, go back to the basics. Take down all your existing decor and revisit your paint color, lighting, rug, and furniture. Remember, you don’t need to resort to expensive upgrades! Find your LIVABLE style and run with it!
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These tips for redecorating an outdated home decor are fantastic. Simple and practical advice that can transform any space into a more appealing and modern one.
Thanks for great tips
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