Everyone dreams of a better home. You might be content with the space you have, but in terms of looks, it can be improved in a couple of areas. Magazines make it seem enjoyable to make changes here and there, but then you look at prices and realize they’re not within your reach. Surely it wouldn’t be smart to take out a loan for cosmetic changes. Does that mean you settle for the home you have and hope the feeling of wanting more goes away?
Here’s a secret: with a couple of smart decisions, your house will look and feel more expensive.
Repair Concrete Cracks
The first thing that improves the appearance of your house is something that can be seen from the outside: your driveway. If there are cracks on the concrete, you’re essentially telling people that you don’t care about how your home looks. Now, if that’s the image you want to show guests, there’s no need to change anything. But if you want your house to look more expensive and cared for, you will need to do some damage control. Concrete repair is not a hard service to carry out for contractors in Utah, so there’s no excuse for you not to keep your home in good shape from the ground up.
Match Fabrics
Changing the furniture pieces to something more expensive will easily cost you thousands of dollars. However, if you keep your furniture in good condition and complement them with fabrics that look like they have been chosen carefully, you are improving the look of the whole room. It can be something as simple as curtains matching the couch covers or your rugs having the same pattern as your blinds. This doesn’t mean just choosing the same colors or patterns, however. Pay attention to the fabric so that your leather cushions will match beautifully with the leather detailing on your home decor.
Do this for all parts of the house that guests will have access to. For bedrooms, of course, the choice rests on the occupant. Your children may not have a room that looks expensive, but your own room could be Instagram-worthy if you match the sheets to the curtains.
Customize and Upcycle
If you’ve been in someone else’s house and have felt envious of one-of-a-kind items you saw on display, you probably made a mental note that theirs is a house that feels more expensive than yours. That might be the case, but you can have the same unique home features even on a budget, and no one has to know. The secret is in upcycling and customizing. Old dressers can be repainted and given a rustic finish to make it seem like a vintage furniture piece worth tenfold the price of the paint you used on it. A car engine that has been repurposed, or tires that have been converted to backyard furniture, will give your house that unique feel, but you don’t need to buy these items for an expensive price. The fact that you can’t buy them makes them a showstopper because guests will not just see them in the store everywhere.
Your house is a reflection of who you are. If you can find clothes that look expensive, you can design your house smartly, too.