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Archive for the ‘Interior Design’ Category

A kitchen can be what makes or breaks the sale of a house. If a home is otherwise appealing, but the kitchen is dated and ugly, potential buyers would rather walk away and keep shopping rather take on the work and expense of replacing the kitchen. However, a total kitchen replacement is not always necessary, particularly if the kitchen functions well but just needs a style update. Here are five affordable upgrades that can be used together or in any combination to update your kitchen.

Modern Wall Color:

Nothing says “1966” like avocado green walls. Refreshing your walls with new paint is one of the easiest and least expensive upgrades you can make, and it gives you lots of bang for your buck. Evaluate the space and the colors that must stay, then choose something new and fresh that complements those colors. You can never go wrong with serene neutrals like ivory or tan, but you can also add some panache with a focal wall in a trendy color like green tea, mimosa yellow or periwinkle blue.

Modern Country: Comfort Meets Modern Aesthetic

It used to be the country decor was all about geese wearing blue bonnets and lots of cutesy clutter. But country has become more streamlined and modern country decors seem to be borrowing design principles from modern interior design portfolios. Modern country style now has a lot in common with contemporary design and the blending of the two styles creates a stylish but homey look. Here’s what’s fresh, new, exciting and modern about today’s country.

Focal Points are Strong

It used to be that country decors had so much going on in a room that it was difficult to determine what the focal point was or if one even existed. In today’s more streamlined country style, focal points are unmistakable. For example, a pair of tall antique iron candle stands may frame a landscape painting above a velvet chaise; to maintain strong visual presence, other decorations in the room are pared down so they don’t compete with the focal point. Walls are painted in clean, neutral colors like travertine brown or foggy gray. These don’t compete with furnishings, wall art, collections or accessories.

Decorating a home with wood is one of the fastest and easiest ways to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Wood has long been a favorite as a home decorating material. Not only is it used in the construction of almost every home, but there are also plenty of creative ways to use wood decoratively. If you’d like to add more wood to your home but need a few new ideas for inspiration, here are a few tips that can help you get started.

Highlight Your Home’s Natural Architectural Features

When decorating your home, it is important to remember that it’s architectural features can have a lot of visual appeal. In fact, the woodwork and trim in many older homes is nothing short of spectacular. Although modern construction techniques often take the place of traditional skilled woodworkers when building today’s homes, there is still a lot to be said about calling more attention to existing wood features. This is why many people cringe at the thought of painting natural woodwork. However, even painted woodwork can have warmth and appeal, especially if it also features decorative detailing and striking features.

If you want to create a lot of big design impact in a room, oversized art is the quickest and easiest way to accomplish your decorating goals. Although there’s nothing essentially wrong with smaller pieces of art, there’s just something special and eye-catching about larger pieces. If you’re trying to create a strong focal point in a room, it’s hard to beat the effectiveness of an oversized piece of art. Regardless of the overall decorating style of your home, here are some quick and effective ways to decorate your home with large art pieces.

In areas of the country where the weather turns cold during the winter months, there’s usually a desire to add a touch of warmth to home decorating styles to help ward off the outdoor chill. Although the sight of warm colors and decorating styles that are commonplace in warmer areas of the country can’t really turn up the temperature in a home, the mere sight of these things seems to at least warm the soul. If you’re ready to warm up your home with some wonderful decorating styles before the cold winds of winter come whipping around the corner, here are some ideas that you can use as inspiration.