By Stephanie Anderson Witmer
Adding designer-inspired touches doesn’t have to break the bank or take a lot of time. Some of the best decorating ideas involve making small, simple changes. Consider these options to amp up your home’s fab factor at a price you can afford.
Tactile Texture
Texture captures a look as well as a feel, with decor elements made from visually appealing fabrics and threads that yearn to be touched. Toss a soft, big-stitch throw over an armchair to create a cozy reading nook, or if you have more space, create little vignettes and seating areas that look like the handiwork of pros.
In some cases, changing one piece of furniture changes an entire room. A jewel-toned, velvet-pleated sofa or ottoman adds a pop of color and a vintage-inspired look to living rooms, while a tufted headboard gives a bedroom a facelift without costing a fortune.
Up a Wall
For a revamp in a single afternoon, look to the walls. If you’re not afraid of a bigger project, try a bold look with marble wallpaper. If it’s too much for an entire room, based on either the look or the price, apply the paper to a small area or create one statement wall in a large room.
If you aren’t allowed to redo the walls in your rental unit, focus on adding or rotating wall art. Gallery walls, large or small, show off personalized collections of art and objects, such as signage, dishware, and tchotchkes. Framed bold abstracts and dreamy watercolors always look polished. Choose prints or paintings that pull in colors from the room’s furniture, or change them out with the seasons.
Go Green
An earthy color with widespread appeal, green in all its various forms blends nicely with a host of other colors. Bright, cheerful greens serve as an appealing visual accent to lighten up classic colors like navy blue and brown. Darker forest and sage tones provide an excellent base for creams, golds, and other light colors. Incorporate shades of green into windows coverings, throw pillows, area rugs, vases, and other accessories.
For some actual greenery, bring the outdoors inside. Plants provide an instant spruce-up to any room at nominal cost. Climbing plants, vines, and succulents are popular picks, but you should choose houseplants based on the amount of light in each room. If you travel a lot or don’t have a green thumb, choose faux foliage that looks like the real thing.
Wood & Metal
The industrial farmhouse look has an eclectic versatility that blends well with many other looks. Start with the style’s signature use of whites and creams for the walls, furniture, linens, and throw pillows and other accessories. Add more personal touches throughout your home with metal pendant lights, retro-looking wood or wire storage crates, and wooden or metal chairs and stools for kitchen and dining room seating.
For a warmer look, copper is always a good choice. Its classic sophistication works well with various home accents, from kitchen utensils and barware to candleholders and wall sconces.
CORT furniture rental services provide a quick and easy solution for sprucing up your space without making a permanent investment, allowing you to easily change a room’s look when the mood hits. Take advantage of the impressive inventory, online ordering, and fast delivery.
Stephanie is a full-time freelance writer and copy editor. She writes mostly about food, entertaining, parenting, pets, health & wellness and home & garden. She has been teaching college-level journalism and writing courses since 2003. Her work has been published in Redbook, Women’s Health, USA Today’s custom magazines, Better Homes & Gardens, Spirit, Forbes Travel Guide, and on websites such as Daily Parent, Civil Eats, Live Love Lux (Electrolux), Punchfork and CakeSpy. She has also written extensively for regional publications, including a parenting column and blog for Susquehanna Style magazine for 2 years.
