Buying a new house is a major purchase, so you might not be able to buy new furniture, wall décor and housewares for a while after you move. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make your new home look new inside and out; here’s how.
1. Pillows, cushions and chair pads – oh my!
Pillows, cushions and chair pads – oh my! You can easily give your furnishings the appearance of a makeover with new throw pillows, throw blankets, cushion covers and chair pads, especially if your furniture is generally neutral.
Pantone is one of the sites that interior designers and home stagers turn to constantly. Whether you opt to go with small accessories in the Pantone color of the year or some other trend color, you can’t go wrong. Use on-trend colors to update throw pillows and blankets used in your living spaces, kitchen chair pads, couch or deck furniture cushion covers, etc. And Pantone isn’t the only color trend indicator, so if this year’s coral is not your vibe, there are other home trend colors to choose from:
| Pantone 2019 Color of the Year – Living Coral |
| Benjamin Moore’s 2019 Color of the Year – Metropolitan |
| Behr’s 2019 Color of the year – Blueprint |
| Sherwin Williams 2019 Color of the Year – Cavern Clay |
It’s worth noting that some of these colors are also complimentary to one another (such as Living Coral and Metropolitan or Blueprint, Cavern Clay and Metropolitan or Blueprint, etc.) Using them in combination or using Living Coral for a pop of color against a Metropolitan or Blueprint feature wall or room color might be awesome!
2. Fantastic lighting fixtures
If you can’t change your furniture, you might be able to put it into a whole new light with amazing light fixtures. Signature light fixtures can become part of the “feel” and artwork of your home in addition to their practical purpose. Since they are fairly easy to change out, and there are custom light fixtures available in nearly every style and price range, you can instantly update your home’s ambience and overall style (farmhouse, modern, chic, contemporary, industrial, etc.) with new lighting.
3. Paint for a new lease on life
You can make old furniture look completely brand new with nothing more than a change in paint or stain color. This applies to fixed furnishings (such as cabinets, handrails, baseboards and other wall trim) as it does to tables, seating, bed frames and other furniture. You can easily change the whole look of your kitchen, and bring it up to today’s trends, by painting only the lower or upper cabinets in a contrasting color to the other.
Likewise, you can change the look of your furnishings by painting your walls a different color. This is another time where current trend colors of the year can be your best friend! Benjamin Moore’s color of the year, Metropolitan, could be painted throughout your home, while Behr’s Blueprint could be an ideal restful, calming and serene color for your home office or master bedroom.
4. Dish it out
Replacing tired, old, chipped dinnerware, serve wares and glassware with new housewares might not change the look of your old furniture, but it might give you that refreshed feeling you are looking for until you can buy new furnishings for your new house. Like throw pillows and other small accessories, swapping out old dinnerware for new dishes, glasses and serving pieces can pack a color punch that more than makes up for their diminutive size.
5. Small appliances
Big furniture and big appliances often come with a big price tag. However, small appliances like the appliances you keep out on your kitchen and bathroom counters every day, and their accessories (such as utensil holders, napkin and paper towel holders, etc.) also come in great designer colors that pack a punch.
6. Area rugs
The area rugs underneath your furniture are essentially a 5th wall, and the backdrop for your furnishings. Introducing new area rugs into your décor can instantly refresh and update it so that you feel like you have a new look at a relatively small price.
7. Working accessories
You can change the look and feel of your kitchen and bath at a ridiculously small price by simply buying new towels, rugs, wash cloths, shower curtains, etc. For that matter, changing the curtains in any room can give it a new look and feel. And once again this is a great time to use those trend colors to make things feel modern and new; after all, these are the same trend colors that your friends are seeing in new home staging, home design magazines and TV shows.
8. Bits and pieces
Even if you can’t change out everything in your living room due to cost, you might still be able to buy new side tables or a bold new ottoman. Even if you can’t buy new bedroom furniture, you might be able to afford a new bedding set and curtains, or a new bed frame, side tables, or side table lighting. You get the idea – think not about the big things in your room but about their smaller helpers, like side and end tables, ottomans, and table top light fixtures. And maybe you can’t even change those pieces; if so, think about painting them, instead!
9. Arts and crafts
Perhaps nothing you put into your home says more about your taste and style than the wall and non-wall art that you choose for your home. When you move into a new house, you have a blank canvas. This is a great time to add that signature art piece you’ve been thinking about getting.
You don’t even have to buy new art to use the art you have to give your new home a whole new look. Simply swap out and recombine art and craft pieces. Repurpose bedroom art to living areas, and vice versa. Create a feature photo wall instead of hanging photos of family and friends throughout your home.
You bought a new house – now what? Use these ideas to update the look of your new home with items you already have, a few new small things and a bit of sweat equity.