Lifestyle & Smart living

Five tips to give a new home an instant facelift

Five tips to give a new home an instant facelift

While moving into a new place can be a memorable moment in the lifetime of a homeowner, vamping it up could cause some degree of uncertainty. So in order to make sure that any new abode matches its owner’s personal sense of style, here are five time-tested tips that will give both the exteriors and interiors an instant facelift.

Add interest to the entrance 

The entrance is the first thing the visitor will see, so it can make a home instantly inviting. Placing a nice door mat, adding potted plants on either sides of the driveway or just changing the house numbers will make the entrance look more refined and welcoming. Other ways to improve outdoor surroundings include sprucing up the garden or installing a water fountain.

Paint it right 

Choosing the right paint connects rooms harmoniously and is one of the most important and cost-effective decisions to make. It’s an opportunity to select only those colours that will be pleasing every day, and provide a calming effect. When looking for options, it’s a good idea sample a coat of the actual colour in natural and night light. What looked good on a neighbour’s wall may not work elsewhere. For wallpaper fans, there are lots of options for new designs to try. Even if wallpaper is only used on an accent wall, the room will instantly feel better.

Begin at ground level

Home design can be so overwhelming that many people don’t know from where to start. For any room it is always advisable to begin from the ground up. Nothing shows wear and tear like a floor. Thinking about the floor first will dictate how other pieces are fitted. If a laminate flooring is selected, it’s easy to draw colour from the floor to formulate the right palette as there is tremendous flexibility with this type of flooring with hundreds of possibilities.

Get rid of the clutter

If there is one enemy that can cripple the look of a new home, it’s clutter. It will overwhelm any available space in no time. People who presume that their clutter will vanish as soon as they move into a new home will actually amass more once they have empty space. With a critical eye, add shelves, cabinets or wicker baskets to store the shoes, clothes, toys etc. Items can even be hung up instead of stored on the floor.

Refresh the kitchen

A fresh-looking kitchen can make a whole house modern and chic. Traditionally this upgrade can be the most expensive, but a fully functional kitchen will add to the potential sale value. For a light job, all that’s needed for a great impact is an update of the faucets and countertops. Shiny new knobs on the cabinet doors to make them look brand new and nobody will know the difference. Even applying a fresh coat of paint on the walls can instantly uplift the kitchen space.

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