There are a lot of people out there who own houses, some of them even well-maintained and with decent interior design, but not a lot of people own actual homes. This may sound a bit weird – a house is a home, right? Well, yes and no. A house can provide shelter and offer a certain level of functionality, e.g. allowing us to cook our meals or kick back and watch TV in our spare time, but to be classified as a home, it needs to have a character in keeping with our own. Unless you are a student renting an apartment for a few years, you’ll want to customize certain aspects of your living quarters until you can be fully satisfied with the results.
It is only when you are able to live the way you want in a house that facilitates any kind of work you may need to do, that you can call it your home. Now, the changes and upgrades that you need to make to achieve this don’t have to be overly grandiose or incredibly expensive, although some things are well worth the investment. Here are a few of the best upgrades you can make to create your very own little palace.
Improving your outer doors and windows
Doors and windows are often the last thing to get a makeover and are in a fairly bad shape. By replacing old windows with newer, energy-efficient windows, you can save a bunch of money on heating bills. If you can’t afford a big project like that, then some caulking and minor repairs may be your best option. Replacing outer doors with heavier and sturdier models and reinforcing the door frames will keep you safer from burglars. Some fresh paint will liven up the tired old windows and doors and give your home a bit of a flare, which brings us to our next point.
Repainting
A new coat of paint is fairly cheap, but makes an immediate and noticeable improvement to the way your home looks. You don’t have to be too bold when it comes to the exterior, just look for durable paint. However, when it comes to the interior, the colors you choose can affect the atmosphere of the entire house. So, it is wise to make a bit of a change and go for popular colors if you can’t make your mind up. Try to stick to a single theme, although you can make small changes from room to room – e.g. if you go for gentle pastels in the living room, you can’t exactly paint the kitchen bright orange.
Renovating the bathroom
A dull bathroom with 20 year old accessories and fittings is truly a sad and depressing sight to behold. Those precious few minutes we get to spend alone in the bathroom are sometimes the only relaxing moments in an otherwise hard and mentally taxing day, so it should be built to resemble a calm little getaway that keeps the noisy outside world at bay for a short while. As far as investments go, bathroom makeovers have a great return of investment and can last for a long number of years with a bit of maintenance. If you can’t afford a full-blown renovation, then some cleaning, fresh paint, a new mirror and replacing a few fittings can be enough to make a huge difference.
Designing a perfect living room and master bedroom
As far as the majority of your guests is concerned, the look and feel of your living room is a reflection of the entire home and your lifestyle. Since a lot of people will get to go through the living room – friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc. – it is important to make it a welcoming and warm place. Warm colors and big windows that provide plenty of natural light are a good choice. You need to find the right kind of sitting arrangement based on how many guests you are used to having on a regular basis and have just enough furniture and décor to make everything look nice without being overly cramped. It’s best to keep up with the latest trends when deciding on the right décor.
The master bedroom may not see as much traffic as the living room – although you might be one of the rare exceptions to that rule. Hey, I don’t judge, you just keep living the life. Whatever your romantic situation may be at the moment, everyone needs a clean and nicely decorated bedroom. However, it’s worth noting that single people will need a bit of a hybrid bedroom/game room with some additional elements like a stereo, a TV and a small bar, because they will be receiving company and not just hitting the hay. Besides these additions, the best improvement you can do is to change the mattress or perhaps get a bigger bed, some new curtains and a few small pieces of décor.
Modernizing the kitchen
I realize that not everyone is a natural-born chef who spends hours in the kitchen preparing delicious home-cooked meals when their friends and family come over, so most people probably won’t need to invest a whole lot here. However, a nice ceramic tile backsplash, a shiny new faucet, a decent modern fridge, oven and microwave are things everybody will benefit from. You can play with the color scheme to add a somewhat stylistic separation between the kitchen and dining room area, inspect the plumbing and look for signs of mold. A new set of plates, some new wine and beer classes and fancier cutlery is a quick and easy upgrade. If you can afford it, a new table and chairs for the dining room are an excellent way to make your home feel new, and adding a small chandelier can get you a dash of sophistication.
The most important thing you’ll need when it comes to creating a warm and welcoming home isn’t necessarily a lot of money and a talent for decoration or great DIY skills – it is passion. Love your home and strive to make it the perfect place for you – all the rest will come naturally with even a modest investment and a bit of hard work.