Home improvement idea: Do-It-Yourself Projects to Boost Home Value

Do-It-Yourself Projects to Boost Home Value

Whole house renovations can add value to your home, but there are ways to upgrade your home without going into debt or ransacking your savings. Painting, re-grouting tile, and power washing the outside of your home won’t cost a lot of money, but these do-it-yourself home improvement ideas can add real value to your home.

With some sweat equity, a DIY attitude, and a few dollars, you can list your home for more money if you’re ready to sell. And if you’re not quite ready to put your home on the market, you can enjoy having a more beautiful place to live. Here are some low cost, high value home improvement projects to consider.

Key Takeaways

• Typically, kitchens are the most expensive room in a house to renovate, according to the Houzz & Home renovation trends study for 2021 and 2022.
• The study found that primary bathrooms are the second most expensive room in a house to renovate.
• Experts recommend limiting do-it-yourself home renovations to cosmetic improvements, such as painting, landscaping, and changing out fixtures.

18 Home Improvement Ideas You Can Do Yourself

From interiors to exteriors, bathrooms to kitchens, there are small upgrades that you can do yourself to improve your home and increase its value. The most popular home improvement ideas include:

1. Paint the walls
2. Install crown molding
3. Update simple fixtures
4. Install ceiling fans
5. Install new window treatments
6. Uncover and refinish hardwood floors
7. Clean the fireplace
8. Install new bathroom tile
9. Update bathroom fixtures
10. Paint the kitchen cabinets
11. Update knobs and pulls
12. Install a new front door
13. Replace your doormat
14. Clean the gutters
15. Power wash walls and decks
16. Repaint the exterior
17. Clean the driveway and walkways
18. Tidy up the landscaping

Simple Interior Updates

1. Freshen up the walls

If your walls have scratches and dirty paint, an outdated color, or fading wallpaper, a little elbow grease and a few cans of paint can make a dramatic difference. To maximize the value of your home for a sale, choose a neutral color scheme that unifies the entire house, makes space look more prominent, and appeals to a wide variety of potential buyers.

2. Install crown molding

Putting in crown molding is a surprisingly easy task that can add character to your rooms. Buy the molding from a home improvement store, cut it to the size that fits your room (or have the store cut it for you), and attach it to the top of the wall with a nail gun. These decorative strips may even come already painted. Installing crown molding does involve a bit of woodworking skill as well as the right tools, but it is very inexpensive to do yourself.

3. Update fixtures

Switch plates, outlet covers, curtain rods, light fixtures, and doorknobs are often boring or overlooked, but you can add significant pizzazz for just a few dollars. Attractive metal switch plates and outlet covers can cost as little as $5 apiece but look much more expensive. Light fixtures and decorative curtain rods can be a little pricier, but sometimes you can make an inexpensive one look elegant with a can of spray paint. Again, if you plan to sell, be sure to choose items in colors and finishes that will appeal to a broad audience.

4. Install ceiling fans

Everyone likes to save money on electricity bills, which makes ceiling fans an appealing addition to any home. Ceiling fans cut down on air conditioning costs, and they can also reduce heating costs by circulating warm air away from the ceiling. A primary fan costs about $50, and you can get a nice one for no more than a couple of hundred dollars. If you don’t already have wiring from overhead lighting, you may need to hire a professional, which can significantly escalate the cost of this project.

5. Improve window treatments

The cheap vertical plastic blinds, paper shades, or horizontal aluminum blinds that may have come with your house don’t add value to your home. Consider replacing them with plantation shutters, wooden blinds, or drapes. Again, if you are selling, choose neutral options that can help you get a better price for your home. 

6. Reveal and restore hardwood floors

Older homes, in particular, are likely to have hardwood floors lurking beneath carpet. Squeaky floors are a sign that you may have wood floors. If you’re not sure, pull up your carpet in an unnoticeable corner and check. If you do have wood floors, there’s a good chance you’ll have to refinish them to restore them to their original splendor, but it will be much less expensive than installing new flooring from scratch.

7. Clean fireplace brick

If you have a brick fireplace and burn wood in it, chances are some of the brick is stained with soot and creosote. Because a beautiful fireplace can be a significant selling point in a home, make yours look as attractive as possible. Use a damp rag to wipe away some of the soot, then follow with a fireplace cleaner designed to remove creosote. It will take some scrubbing with a stiff brush and possibly several applications, but you’ll have that brick looking spiffy when you’re finished.

Some homeowners take out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to pay for renovations, but it’s possible to spruce up a home without taking on debt.

Basic Bathroom Upgrades

1. Redo the bathroom floor

DIY installation can save you a lot of cash. If you don’t know how to install flooring, look for a class at your local home improvement store. Saving money on labor will allow you to choose more beautiful flooring than you could otherwise afford. Opt for a neutral-colored tile to add the most value.

2. Update fixtures

If you have generic, cheap, or outdated fixtures, replacing them with newer, more customized versions can make your bathroom sparkle and look more high-end. For about $40 to $100, you can substitute a shabby bathroom vanity or ceiling light fixture with something elegant.

A similar cash outlay will get you a new sink faucet. A spa-style chrome shower head adds a touch of luxury for about $80. Towel bars are a cheap and easy fix at about $20 to $30. Sometimes an upgrade can be more energy efficient, increasing not only the aesthetics of your home but “greening” it up as well.

Quick Fixes in the Kitchen

1. Paint or stain kitchen cabinets

You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated (rather than custom) cabinets and installing them yourself, but that’s more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets. White cabinets will brighten a kitchen, don’t usually go out of style, and are easy for a future owner to repaint if they want something different. You’ll need to remove all the hardware from your cabinets, including the doors. You’ll also need to clean the cabinets first, so dirt and greasy residues won’t ruin your work. Consider sprucing up your bathroom cabinets as well.

2. Upgrade cabinet knobs and drawer handles

It’s surprising how a seemingly innocuous element such as a cabinet doorknob can make your kitchen look cheap or dated. Updating this hardware can give your kitchen a facelift, whether you redo your cabinets or not.

Save When You Refresh the Exterior

It may be easy for you to ignore your home’s exterior when you spend most of your time inside, but it’s the first and sometimes only impression that others get of your house. Here are a few simple ways to make it look its best.

1. Install a new front door

A fundamental steel front door costs about $100, but for another $100 to $200 you can get a door with a lot more character and improve your home’s curb appeal. If you can’t afford a new door, a fresh coat of paint in an attractive color may be all you need.

2. Replace the front doormat

When you’ve had the same doormat for years, it can be easy to overlook how worn out or dirty it’s become. As it’s one of the first impressions people get of your home, this is one place where $20 can make a big difference.

3. Clean the gutters

This task relates more to maintaining your home’s value than increasing it, but it’s essential. Without properly functioning gutters, which are designed to carry water away from your home, rain may seep inside or pool around the foundation, causing problems such as mold and mildew. Eventually, water damage can compromise the house’s structural integrity, leading to costly repair bills.

4. Power wash the exterior of your home

For less time and money, a good pressure washing can make your home’s exterior look almost as good as a fresh coat of paint.

5. Repaint the exterior

If washing the exterior of your home didn’t brighten it up as much as you’d hoped, consider a new paint job. With the ladders and heights involved, this may not be a DIY task for everyone, but even if you have to hire others to do this job, it’s still pretty inexpensive as far as home improvements go and can make your house look almost new from the outside.

6. Power wash the driveway, walkways, and patio

As long as you’re renting the power washer, you might as well clean your driveway, patio, and any walkways. You may be surprised by how new they’ll look afterward.

7. Upgrade landscaping or clean up existing landscaping

Flowers and other plants are a great way to brighten your home’s exterior. Use greenery in front of your house and/or along walkways to draw attention to your home. To get the most for your dollars, choose perennial plants, which come back year after year, rather than annuals, which, as their name suggests, last a year or less. Patch any bald spots in the yard with fresh sod (or plant grass seed if you have time) and trim existing trees and bushes to complete the yard’s new look.

The Bottom Line

Upgrading your home doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, and it doesn’t have to involve contractors. A variety of projects for all price ranges and levels of skill and enthusiasm can improve your home’s value, whether for future buyers or, perhaps more important, for you.

Putting a few of these home improvement ideas into action will help you get the most value out of one of your most significant assets, whether you’re planning to stay or selling. And before a DIY project can even be considered, you need to make sure that any new additions or changes will still fit the house’s overall aesthetic, which the best home design software can help you with.

21 Home Improvement Projects to Tackle in 2022

A new year means a new start on home improvement projects. Tackle these to-do list items this year.

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Dave & Les Jacobs/Getty Images

Add Curb Appeal

Redesigning your front yard can completely change the feel of your house. Something as simple as planting flowers in the entryway will draw in party guests, and, when the time comes to sell, curb appeal is attractive to prospective buyers. Improve your front landscaping, paint your front door, power wash the front walk or complete another curb appeal project this year.

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Family Handyman

Silence Floor Squeaks

With a bare floor, you can eliminate floor squeaks the easiest, most effective way: by driving screws into the floor joists. Existing nails or screws tell you where the joists are. Walk around the room, pencil in hand, and mark squeaky spots. Drive screws 6 in. apart and add more screws if needed until the squeak is gone. In most cases, 2-in. screws are best; for subfloors thicker than 3/4 in., use 2-1/2-in. screws. If you want to prevent squeaks from developing, add screws along all the floor joists.

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Family Handyman

Put Up Motion Detector Lighting

Motion detector lights are a proven crime deterrent, and standard hard-wired models cost as little as $15. If running a power supply would be difficult, buy ones that run on solar power. The downside is the cost. Don’t stop at motion sensor lights; install a full home security system to match.

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Removing Radon, the Silent Killer

Radon is a radioactive gas that moves through spaces in the soil and can enter a house through any opening, such as cracks in the foundation or the concrete slab. At elevated levels over long periods of time, radon can cause lung cancer and is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking. Radon is estimated to cause 21,000 deaths annually in the United States. It’s colorless, odorless and tasteless, and often called ‘the silent killer.’

Even if your neighbor’s house has a high level of radon, that doesn’t mean yours does. Each house is different, and age doesn’t matter and can be found in new homes. Radon test kits are available at home centers and hardware stores for about $10. They usually involve setting a collector in your home for a week or so and then sending it to a lab for analysis. You’ll get results in about a week. (One manufacturer is Pro-Lab and charges $40; includes a postage-paid envelope.) Conduct the test in the lowest livable area.

If two tests give a high reading, consult a radon mitigation contractor (from a list provided by your state health department). These contractors can professionally test the house and install a mitigation system for reducing radon to a harmless level. The most effective system is a vent pipe placed in the sump pit or a hole made under your concrete floor slab. The vent runs up through the house and out the roof, or out the side of the house and up to the eaves. A special in-line fan for radon is placed in the attic or outside the house to suck air through the vent. Any openings in the slab or foundation are sealed to keep out radon. Pros usually charge up to $2,000 for installation.

For more information, contact your state health department, the EPA radon hotline or the Air Chek’s Radon Information Center.

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Family Handyman

Weatherstrip Hatches and Doors

After sealing the attic bypasses, push the insulation back into place with an old broom handle or a stick as you back out of the attic. Then finish up by sealing the access hatch with self-sticking foam weatherstrip. You may have to add new wood stops to provide a better surface for the weatherstrip and enough room for hook-and-eye fasteners. Position the screw eyes so that you slightly compress the weatherstrip when you latch the hatch. Use a similar procedure if you have a hinged door that leads to the attic.

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Anne Kitzman/Shutterstock

Upgrade Flooring

If the carpet in your living room is looking worn, remove it and install some hardwood flooring. Quality hardwood flooring can cost anywhere from $3 to $8 per square foot and you can save some money by installing it yourself. If the carpet is still good, give it a good DIY carpet cleaning.

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Yellowj/Shutterstock

Add Paint

Choose a paint color and give a room a fresh look. Be sure to choose a high-quality paint, which will cost you $30 to $60 a gallon, but is totally worth it. While you have the painting supplies out, brighten trim with a light-colored, high-gloss paint.

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juefraphoto/Shutterstock

Improve the Landscape

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to outdoor projects, begin with some easy plants. Build a wooden planter box to add some color to the front of your home, plant some colorful flowering shrubs and add some bee-friendly plants to your yard.

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Upgrade Countertops

Countertops can be a tell-tale sign of a dated house. Participants of a Maytag survey prioritized upgrading their countertops to something more on-trend. If your laminate kitchen countertops are worn but still sound, give them a fresh, new look by resurfacing them. A variety of colors are available, and the process is no harder than painting.

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via Reolink

Make Your Home Safer

It’s better to be safe than sorry, which surely applies to your home security! If you want to add more safety features to your home but can’t seem to follow through, make it one of your top priorities in the new year. A security camera system will give you peace of mind, providing a whole video surveillance system that’s connected together by a series of security cameras and network video recorders, so you can have 24/7 reliable video monitoring around your home and/or business.

Reolink is a solid option. Its security camera system allows you to browse by 16-channel and 8-channel PoE security camera systems, for super HD reliable videos. See live view, stay informed when an invasion happens and replay video records on your phone and computer with the NVR camera system.

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Amazon

Upgrade Light Fixtures

Twenty-three percent of homeowners want to spend the colder months taking care of home renovations. The survey found that homeowners would rather complete home renovations during the fall/winter so they can travel in the spring/summer. Simple upgrades like adding a new light fixture, such as the semi-flush sputnik chandelier, to your foyer can make a bold statement.

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Home Depot

Upgrade the Laundry Room

Aside from the weeks around the holidays, homeowners find the colder months a valuable time to make necessary upgrades. In fact, according to the Maytag survey, 44 percent of millennials and 41 percent of parent homeowners plan to remodel their laundry room or kitchen (compared to 29 percent of all homeowners). If you’re in need of new laundry appliances, Maytag’s high-efficiency top load washer and gas dryer with INTELLIDRY sensor are ideal for big loads. Sleek design, commercial technology and quiet as a mouse, this duo makes your laundry room look sparkling new, and your clothes too!

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Family Handyman

Replace a Torn Window Screen

Whether it’s from a fallen branch, a pair of over-eager paws, or simple wear and tear, sooner or later most window screens will require a repair. And it’s possible to patch a small tear, but you can also replace an entire screen. This is a great beginner DIY home improvement that will help keep insects out of your home and make your windows or screen doors more attractive.

Why it’s a great starter project: Removing the window screen will help familiarize you with the mechanics of your windows. And this will come in handy down the road, when it’s time to do some maintenance on the windows themselves.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: The materials for this repair are inexpensive and will last for more than one window, which means you’ll have them on hand the next time a screen is damaged. A roll of replacement screening and the rubber spline that holds it in place are easily obtained. And a spline roller makes the replacement quick and easy. It’s possible to secure the spline without using a roller. Often times a flat screwdriver or old credit card can pop the spline into place. But the spline roller makes things go smoother and decreases the risk of damaging the spline during installation. And a spline roller lasts forever!

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Family Handyman

Caulking Refresh

Over time the caulk that seals seams and gaps can wear out or collect dirt. So whether it’s for aesthetic or practical reasons, re-caulking a shower or bathtub is a great way to freshen up your bathroom while learning an essential home repair skill.

Why it’s a great starter project: Clumpy, blobby caulk lines are unsightly. And laying a proper bead of caulk is an acquired skill, and you won’t learn it unless you jump in and give it a try. The link above covers the removal of existing caulk, and these tips for caulking provide techniques that it takes most pros years to acquire.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: If you don’t already have a caulk gun, this is the time to pick one up. And spend a few dollars more for one with a smooth action and no-drip stop; you’ll be glad you did. As long as you wipe off any excess caulk when you’re done working, the caulk gun should last a decade or more.

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Family Handyman

Garage Storage Shelves

Expand your storage space and learn the basics of home improvement woodworking by building and hanging custom shelving in your garage. Each garage is unique to the home, and storage needs are unique to each homeowner, so custom shelves make the most of your space.

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Family Handyman

Sink Trap Clean-Out

Over time, the sink traps in kitchens and bathrooms become clogged. Disassembling one, cleaning it out and reassembling it will teach you how the pipes go together, while also helping ensure that your sink drains correctly. And if your trap is an old metal assembly, this is a great time to upgrade to PVC. And fair warning: traps collect gunk and grime, so the cleanout home improvement process can be messy and foul-smelling, but the education is worth it!

Why it’s a great starter project: Just as faucet repairs are a great way to begin to learn how plumbing works, drain cleanouts are a low-risk, low-cost way to begin understanding drain line structure.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: If you didn’t already grab a pair of channel lock pliers for faucet repair, you’ll definitely want to pick some up for this task.

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Under-Cabinet Cleanup

Under-sink storage can lead to stains and spills. When the floor of your sink cabinet needs a spruce-up, lay down squares of self-adhesive vinyl tile. They’re about a buck a square at home centers and provide an easy-to-wipe-clean surface.

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Family Handyman

Raise an Adjustable Entry Door Threshold

Those big screwheads in the threshold of a newer entry door aren’t just decorative; they raise or lower a narrow strip set in the threshold. So if you’ve noticed a draft under the door, try this: On a sunny day, turn off the lights and close nearby curtains. Lie down and look for daylight under the door. A sliver of light sneaking in at both corners of the door is normal. But if you see light between the threshold and the door, grab your screwdriver and raise the threshold.

Originally Published: January 10, 2020

20 ways to improve your house with your own hands from improvised means

Home ideas /
Home Furnishing Ideas

Our home is a reflection of ourselves: our thoughts, our feelings, our actions. A house can tell a lot about its owner without a single word. It never remains the same, but on the contrary, it changes with us every minute. Often the thing that delighted us yesterday finds no response in our soul today. Every day we are visited by the thought that something is missing, including home improvement. If this is your case, we suggest you check out the following ways to improve your home today.

Very often we are surrounded by things about the practicality of which we do not think. Or we easily get rid of items that we think are outdated or out of fashion, and do not think that we could successfully reuse them. Sometimes we get very frustrated that we can’t get this or that thing for our interior, but we throw away decor elements that can be converted for practical use.

Believe me, you don’t always have to run to the store for a new thing, you can create a lot of items with your own hands. Sometimes good ideas just aren’t enough. But with ideas, we are always ready to help you.

1. Turn doorknobs into towel racks

Doorknobs are decorative elements that we match to the style of the interior. Often, after repairing or buying new furniture, we think through all the small details and replace them. The handles are similar in design to towel racks. Why not take advantage of this? If you still have such chic door handles as in the photo, I am sure that you feel sorry for getting rid of them. And your bathroom will sparkle in a new light thanks to beautiful hangers.

2. Hide unsightly things behind the picture

It often happens that you don’t like some things in your interior that you can’t do without, but you don’t use them often either. Like a similar thermostat. You can easily hide it behind a beautiful painting that can be easily moved or removed when you need to use it. And your interior will be saved.

3. Make a bracelet hanger out of toilet paper holders

If you are annoyed by the fact that it is difficult to match the bracelet to your clothes, because they are not visible, use a toilet paper holder. Arrange your jewelry in a convenient place for you. Let every gathering, wherever it may be, become a real holiday for you!

4. Create original shelves from old wooden boxes

Old wooden boxes are a treasure trove of possibilities. After using them, you will look at your interior in a completely different way. See how effective, and most importantly practical, you can use decorative elements or decorations for everyday use.

5. Use an old laundry basket as a stencil

If you want to paint your walls with polka dots, an old laundry basket is your go-to tool. See for yourself, the result will not be long in coming: quickly, beautifully, cheaply, with your own hands from improvised means.

6. Turn bottle racks into towel racks

This practical towel rack is hard to design, even if you try hard. And it turns out that everything ingenious is simple! You can just use the bottle rack. Towels will always be in order, and you can easily find the one you need in a certain period of time.

7. Use Shoe Organizers for Food Storage

Some food items such as coffee sticks, small snacks, packaged condiments, instant jellies and other items with a long shelf life can be difficult to find a place in the house. They are small in size, but sometimes they are the cause of considerable unrest. A shoe storage organizer is an inexpensive and practical solution to get rid of this problem.

25 easy ways to make your home more stylish and cozy

Home ideas /
Home Furnishing Ideas

When decorating a home, it’s hard to find the right balance between functionality, comfort and style. No matter how much money we spend on decent furniture, the rooms are always missing something and as a result they don’t look anything like the perfect apartments we see in magazines.

Sometimes the situation can be solved with the help of small tricks that take only a few minutes of your time and do not require any money at all. Read the following tips to find out how you can make your home more stylish and inviting with minimal effort.

1. Take care of the front door

Don’t forget the front door, even if you live in an apartment building, as it is the first impression of your home. Take care of it in the same way as you would take care of interior doors. Put out some flower pots, hang a seasonal wreath or decorations, update your license plate, or paint your door a bright color.

2. Arrange items according to the rule of threes

As in many areas and disciplines, the rule of threes is heavily used in decorating and styling. The trio of items looks visually more appealing and more balanced, especially when it comes to size, height and materials.

Start small and decorate a small corner in your living room or table. For example, put a vase of flowers, a basket of books and a clock. You will see how cute and cozy this composition looks. But do not oversaturate the room with such decorative trifles, otherwise the effect will be misread.

3. Lay carpets in several layers

Lay a small, thick carpet on top of a larger, more neutral rug. This is also a great way to check how you feel about bold experiments in the interior, and such a design move will make the room more comfortable and stylish. Thanks to this tip, you can divide the space into zones or make accents on the necessary places.

4. Arrange books in alternative ways

A vertical or slightly inclined stack of books is the canon for a classic interior. The alternative placement speaks of a bold and contemporary style. Try alternating shelves, arranging books either vertically or horizontally. Horizontal lines will break the pattern of vertical lines and draw attention. You can put additional items on the shelves with books. Just make sure the order is random, as the rigid layout is very conspicuous.

5. Display things that have a story to tell

This advice is a little more complicated than it sounds, because not everyone wants to showcase objects that are dear to their hearts and realize that no one else but themselves is impressed with them .

In order to attract people’s attention, your favorite things must stand out from the environment and immediately catch the eye. Don’t forget that you don’t have to cross the ocean to find an item worth telling others about. As long as you have a precious memory associated with a thing, you can captivate your guest with this topic.

6. Make a cute thing out of an old bottle

The next time you have a beautiful bottle of alcohol, milk or perfume, do not rush to throw it away. Save it and use it as a container for liquid soap or a vase. Alternatively, fill it with beads and tie a bow with twine. But first, soak the bottle in warm, soapy water until all the labels come off easily. The transparent vessel looks very stylish and futuristic.

7. Dust often

Nothing kills style like dust. Maybe you only cleaned yesterday, but the dust will quickly find its way back. Take a closer look and find the surfaces on which it is most noticeable in daylight, and be sure to wipe these places between “general cleanings”. Thus, you can enjoy clean air and not worry when guests unexpectedly arrive.

8. Arrange flowers randomly

When you receive bouquets, put them somewhere in the corner of the room, never in a central place. Bonus points if they are field or garden flowers. Random placement creates the feeling that flowers are an integral part of your home, and you are not trying to show off or impress others with them.

9. Move furniture between rooms

We are used to moving things within the same enclosed space and it is not natural to move furniture from room to room. In fact, things may look much better in a new space, or they may serve more functionality. When you don’t have the time or budget to buy new home furnishings, the quickest way to freshen up any room in your home is to rearrange the furniture.

10. Keep white towels in the bathroom

This is a personal choice, but the white color of the towel gives a feeling of freshness and cleanliness. Plus, having more than one towel in your bathroom adds a touch of relaxed hospitality and attention to detail.

11. Always keep a few books on your coffee table

Books add instant style and entertainment to guests. Be sure to put your favorite book and a few works of different genres. You can put only books or mix them with magazines and photos. This is the perfect place to apply the rule of three and combine books with decorative elements and small objects.

12. Serve water in a jug

Whether you drink tap or bottled water, store it in a jug. There is nothing cuter than putting it on the table during lunch with the family or dinner with guests. If it is a transparent jug, you can add slices of cucumber or lemon to the water.

Leave the pitcher on your bedside table to humidify the air and add some style points at the same time.

13. Paint some things to match the walls or trim

Most often, things in an apartment do not fit together well because of different styles, colors and finishes. Paint some pieces of furniture the same color as the walls, or match the curtains/carpet/cushions to match. This will create a certain unity of space. Such items should be scattered throughout the room, not too close to each other. There is no need to repaint everything – even a small dose will help create a harmonious composition.

14. Keep napkins on the table even if you don’t eat anything

This may seem illogical, but it actually creates the illusion of cleanliness in the house and order in the family (especially if you have children). Doilies are also a great way to add color and pattern to your kitchen decor. They can be inexpensive, plastic, rubber or paper. You can also make your own napkins by cutting the fabric into small squares. The main thing is to take into account the color scheme.

15. Decorate the house with variations of the same element

Choose one product of which you have enough. For example, fruits, and the brighter the color, the better. You can also use some kind of vegetable or simple elements that are found in nature, such as rocks or wood.

Put them in a vase or bowl and place them in a prominent place, but not in the center. The goal is to attract attention, so the vase should be of simple shape and common material.

16. Group candles

Gather all the candles you have and arrange them in small groups throughout the apartment. The living room is the first place. Lighting candles in groups is much more effective than individually, as they provide more light, which is ideal for an evening with guests.

When buying candles, avoid flashy designs and scents. Best of all – white classic candles, which are ideal for grouping.

17. Add houseplants

Plants not only bring freshness and color to a room, but are also an important decorative element. Place them near large pieces of furniture or use them to fill in empty corners. Small plants can be mixed in the composition, guided by the rule of three.

18. Remove some accessories

If you are a fan of small knick-knacks, decorative items, art, carpets, pillows, your home most likely resembles a folk art museum. Minimalism in a home interior looks much better than an abundance of unnecessary things. Try removing some accessories, replacing them, adding something else until you are happy with the result. It is best to decorate the house with one kind of decorative items. It looks stylish and cozy.

19. Keep a small throw on the couch

Not only does a light blanket create coziness, but it also allows you to add texture and color to a rather flat or neutral room. If you only want to add one bright touch, make sure that the blanket is not neatly folded, but casually thrown over the back.

20. Arrange baskets around the house

The basket is a lifeline when you need to clean up the mess before guests arrive or move things from room to room. They seem much more expensive and exotic than they really are. Baskets can come in different sizes and shapes, but they should be made from the same material or have a common color so as not to create too much chaos. They can become a completely unique and loud spot in your room’s neutral space. If the interior of your house is made in light colors, pick up baskets in darker shades, and vice versa.

21. Store food in containers

This is the best way to organize your kitchen space and add style to your interior. Store cereals, spices, cookies, and other foods in containers. Glass containers look nice, but they can be expensive. Use inexpensive options. The point is not to have the whole set. The key is to keep the containers in the same material and color to create a clean and organized look in your kitchen or pantry.

22. Hang things on the walls

Many people avoid decorating walls because they don’t have enough money for expensive art. But you don’t need fancy pictures because anything can be art as long as it makes you feel. Hang magazine pages, photos, and your own drawings in random order to add dynamics to the wall. From time to time, change the images to update the interior a bit.

23. Show off your hobby

Feel free to show your hobby openly. First, it will be a topic for interesting discussions. Secondly, you can hang the results of your work on the walls, or randomly place them on shelves or just leave them on the floor. It is guaranteed to add uniqueness to your home.

24. Use unnecessary things in unexpected ways

Whether it’s a fireplace, an old piano, large furniture, appliances, empty corners.