🧘🏻 What did you do last week to simplify your life? This week, we continue our Stop the Madness series and explore sensing.
Every home has a story, and they are as vast and varied as the world is wide. But they all start with inspiration, and inspiration starts with our surroundings. That’s what home is. Family. Friends. A sense of place. An amazing view. It is all part of what makes a space a home because your home is where you truly live. As homeowners ourselves we understand that your best life begins with a home that inspires you.
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You can tell a lot about a person when you enter their home. A home that seems to envelope you in a hug has heart and soul in its design. Whether you’ve just bought a new house or if you’re simply redecorating, appealing to the senses of sight, smell, touch, and hearing are ways you can impact the feel and appeal of your home. It doesn’t take much money to make your house a home with heart and soul, without hiring an interior designer. Knowing and using DIY tips and tricks can transform a house into a home, even on a tight budget. The saying “Home is Where the Heart Is” implies that someone has invested considerable energy decorating and stylizing their home, regardless of the style type. It’s not a matter of money spent, it’s about your physical and emotional energies.
The first thing people notice when they enter someone’s home is the way it looks. People choose colors, furnishings, stylistic themes and decor for very personal reasons. It’s possible to make choices for your own comfort that will also provide comfort to friends and family.
Studying the color wheel and learning which colors are cool and which are warm can be dizzying. How can you know whether to paint the walls of a room warm or cool, anyway? In the summer you may want a cool color. In the winter you may want warm colors. Rather than determine the warmth of a room by the wall colors, select a neutral color that can support changes in interior décor. There are a couple of things you can do to prevent the room from feeling like a box.
Use chalkboard paint on walls in areas where people congregate or high traffic areas in your home. Use chalk to decorate the wall with pictures and inspirational messages and messages that inspire others to contribute to the writing. Write starting messages such as “Today I’m grateful for…” so that people can respond with their gratitude. Make sure several colors of chalk (and an eraser) are available for others to use.
Chalkboard paint is easy to apply to drywall and plaster as well as concrete, glass, metal, wood and some ceramics. Before painting, prepare the surface by removing dirt or any loose particles. Sanding and priming are recommended for some surfaces for better paint adhesion. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for brushing or spraying the paint onto the surface and for the appropriate drying time.
Using whitewash or antiquing paint gives a surface more of a chic look rather than shabby. You can paint an old table with this paint and it no longer looks like a tired piece of furniture. It looks revived, refreshed, even cherished. This paint can be used on wood, brick, plaster, stone or other primed surface. It can be brushed, rolled or painted on, depending on the manufacturer. Surfaces should be clean and dry prior to painting. Prepare surfaces by sanding and cleaning prior to paint application.
A doormat at the entrance to your home does more than just keep the dirt outside. There is an abundance of reasonably priced shapes, sizes and styles of interior and exterior welcome mats available commercially. If you can’t find your perfect welcome mat, they can be customized with a welcoming message with or without your family name.
Easily add pop and flair to your plainly painted walls with commercially available adhesive murals. The selections are endless. Choose florals, animal prints, landscapes, shapes and or mirrors. Clean all surfaces and apply them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Inspirational sayings have become very popular. These adhesive murals can be applied to almost any surface and are easily removable.
Hanging a wreath on your door was historically a symbol of an eternal cycle of life. In modern times people generally hang them for aesthetic purposes. They’re typically seasonal, as in Christmas wreaths at Christmas time, or fall and spring wreaths that are adorned with flowers and foliage commonly found in their respective season. Wreaths can be pricey if purchased commercially but are easy to make. Purchase a circular twig, straw or foam base from either craft shops or a dollar store. Adorn wit either dry or artificial flowers and foliage and any other objects that have an aesthetic appeal to you, using floral wire or tape, or hot glue. Add ribbon or other decorative touches to give your wreath it’s the final touch. Hang the wreath on your door with either an adhesive hook or over the door wreath hanger.
Bring warmth and personal style to bare and carpeted floors with area rugs. Area rugs can be quite expensive at regular retailers, but off-brand retailers and thrift stores can be an excellent source for these. Surprisingly, throw rugs can be made more easily than imagined using torn strips of repurposed fabric. Tear the fabric into long strips, making it into long “yarn” strips. Using your largest crochet hook, crochet using a single chain (SC). Crochet 6 SC in the round, then in the second round double that, so 2 SC into each of the first 6 SC which amounts to a total of 12 SC in the second round. For each new round add an additional SC until you’ve reached your desired diameter. Sew in the end using thread and a large tapestry needle.
Seeing all the small items that make a household functional doesn’t make the house feel “homey”. It makes it feel messy and can make people feel uncomfortable. There are many crafty ways to manage clutter. You don’t need to buy elaborate furniture with clever compartments and drawers to maintain a clutter.
Scour off-brand retailers and thrift stores for baskets that you can embellish. Use hot-glue to attach adornments such as dried or artificial flowers and foliage, pom-poms, ribbons or other personally appealing supplies. Use the baskets to store neatly folded towels, shoes, office supplies, mail, recycling and, really, just about anything.
Recycle cardboard boxes using fabric and mod-podge to create a personalized storage space for random household items. First, paint the cardboard surface with the mod-podge, then place the fabric over the wet surface. Finish by painting (or spraying) a second layer of mod-podge over the fabric. Mod-podge is essentially a glue mixture, so it can be sticky if the surface isn’t sealed. Spray the box with varnish in a well-ventilated area and allow 24 hours to dry.
Any cardboard box can be painted and used for storage. First, cover the box with masking tape. Paint a layer of Gesso over the tape to create a blank palette. Use acrylic paint to design your personalized decorative box. Seal the finish with a varnish paint.
In kitchens and bathrooms, exposed labels can create visual clutter. Repurpose bottles and jars to create liquid containers for dish soap, hand soap, lotion, and shampoo. Tear colored tissue paper into small pieces, about 1”x1”. Paint the exterior of the jar with mod-podge and then paint the pieces of tissue paper onto the jar. Seal the surface with a varnish paint.
The length, weight, color, and style can dramatically affect the feel of a room. Curtains can be used to let light in or to block light. Heavy curtains can be used to keep heat from escaping a room. Use a lightweight sheer curtain style in the summer to allow for the entrance of a breeze and to give a room cool feel. Use a heavy, dark-colored curtain in colder months. There are curtains available commercially and inexpensively that have twinkle star LED lights embedded into them which add a touch of romance into a room.
Photos give house life. Frames are meant to accent the photos. There are probably millions of commercially available photo frames available. Breathe new life into old wooden frames from thrift stores. Apply a quick coat of acrylic paint and a gloss finish or paint some mod-podge and wrapping paper or tissue paper onto the frame for a completely unique frame. The ways to decorate with picture frames and photographs are limitless. Shutterfly offers several ways to display photos on several types of canvases.
Use quilts or throws as decorations. Handmade quilts scream “heart and soul” because they show that someone cared enough to spend their time creating this warming object. Quilts aren’t easy or inexpensive to make. Check your local thrift store for well-cared-for hand-made quilts. Alternatively, a throw strewn over a chair or couch is just as homey and comes with a smaller price-tag.
The key here is “fresh”. Live houseplants and fresh flowers invigorate a room with life. A simple vase with a couple of sprigs from the garden can be enough. The greenery adds an aesthetic appeal to a neutral room. There are many things you can do with the vases to add to the décor. The type of vase you use will speak to your personal sense of style. Use plain terra cotta flower pots for a natural, earthy feel. Paint terra cotta with a whitewash paint for a rustic but clean look. Use chalkboard paint on the pots so you can label what’s in the pot, or color in inspirational messages.
As with any space make it your own. We love finding great ideas and sharing them with you. Decorating for a season and or a holiday doesn’t have to be expensive. Hit your local flea markets, thrift shops and yard sales. you will be surprised at the awesome decor items people are practically throwing away. Below are a few of the items we found on Amazon you might like. Amazon is a great place to start. Thousands of sellers selling just about anything you can imagine. We hope this has inspired you to bring Fall home…
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