You’re looking to spruce up your place to make it more sophisticated, or at least making it look like you’ve moved on from your twenties. If so, it’s time to scrap or repurpose those college-era posters of bikini Corona models and the Christmas string lights, and move toward making your living space into a home — whether you rent, own, or are still occupying the basement of your parents house, here are a few DIY hacks for transforming your space into a refined, personalized abode, worthy of Pinterest, dinner parties, and making memories.
Art and Vertical Space
The wall is your canvas. You can still have a decorated wall without looking like you never moved on from your twenties. Think less clutter and more purpose, like a photo canvas display, stencil display, and other creative DIY projects for your home.
Some of the most defining parts of your home are the walls. They resonate, in a sense, with your personality and how you go about your personal life. Getting creative with original wall art and a particular style of paint is the perfect way to give your home some independence and impress visitors.
Exits and Entrances
The best (and first) thing you can do for your entrances and exits is to keep spiders under control. Nothing says “unwelcoming” like a corner near the entrance that is thick with white spider webs and other bugs that linger near patio lights.
When decorating exits and entrances, forget hammering into your door or using an unsightly wreath hanger. Utility hooks can be stuck to a door and tucked neatly out of sight behind wreaths or other door decors. Around window ledges, consider organizing a complementary row of small plants or other themed decoration. If you have a set of steps that lead to the main entryway, place parallel along the sides of the steps with something manageable, like container gardening, as a welcoming decor.
Making Room for Priorities/Clearing the Clutter
Separating what possessions you own and what possessions own you is a crucial part to clearing home clutter. What do you value? For example, if you enjoy cooking and entertaining, consider making more room for cookbooks, cookware, and inspiring decorative touches like a breakfast nook or hanging pots and pans.
If you invest time and energy into a particular space, it’s inevitable you will spend more time in that space. If you’re a writer, create a writing nook decorated with photos of inspirational writers, a good desk, and writing supplies.
You don’t need to hire a interior decorator to design your home, make it authentic with your own touch and getting the best financial return with every upgrade. There is a respect that is earned when you make your home a personal project, rather than filling in the empty spaces with a hired hand. If there’s enough in the budget, don’t shy away from getting longer lasting and more expensive decor; it really does make a difference when you’re upgrading from the rented college apartment in your twenties to the place you have now.