There comes a time when you walk into your home, take in the interior of every room and simply heave a deep, bone-weary sigh at just how boring or uninspiring everything suddenly looks. The feeling of being no longer satisfied with how some of the spaces in your home looks is actually quite common and can be triggered by a number of things – for example, the wallpaper you once loved now feels outdated and drab, the throw pillows on the sofa appearing not as trendy as it once was or the cluttered feeling of having far too many knick-knacks scattered around cramped spaces in the house.

It can feel like an arduous task trying to update your home decor, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. As long as you keep things simple and focus on being intentional with your actions, then refreshing your home can actually be a very fun process! With that in mind, here are 8 Practical Styling Tips To Elevate Your Home Space – just in time for the Holiday season!

Declutter Your Space

When it comes to refreshing your interior decor, it’s not about finding new things to add to your home to fill up space. Sometimes it’s about removing all the useless junk and clutter that holds no sentimental values – like those odd little knick-knacks you’ve somehow ended up collecting throughout the years that do nothing but collect dust on the shelves. 

It can be a tedious process, certainly. But there are few things in the world that is more satisfying than purging away all the old and useless items that you no longer need. Of course, you don’t have to go full-on ‘Marie Kondo’ on your home – that can be a draining process in itself! But going from room to room (shelf to shelf or cupboard to cupboard even!) and clearing out some extra space can make the whole space feel bigger.

Pro Tip: Get into the mood for cleaning up by putting on your cleaning playlist, grabbing a trash bag and just going to town – throwing away all the things that you don’t want to keep. Once you’re done, you’re going to feel so much better and your space is going to look and feel so much lighter. 

Rearrange Your Furniture

Another budget-friendly way to refresh your home is by simply re-arranging all the items you already have. Start by taking all your small and moveable home decor items – things like photo frames, throw pillows, photo books and other knick-knacks – into a  pile on the floor so that you can have a full scope of what you have to work with. Once done, start sorting through the pile and separating them by size, type or colour (depending on which you find is easiest).

When you have your pile of small moveable home decor items sorted out, it’s time to start moving around some of the bigger furniture – things like chairs, coffee tables and display cases, into new positions. Once you’re satisfied with the arrangements of the furniture, you can start to re-arranging all the small, moveable items around the room in a more uniform or colourful way to give your space new dimensions. 

Pro Tip: You’d be surprised at what a little shuffling around can do to a room – giving it a ‘new look and vibe’ or making the area appear much bigger.

Replace Your Hardware

Whether it’s been a year, a decade or even a century (for those living in ancestral homes), the hardware that can be found throughout your home looks like it’s probably seen better days. Not to worry – the ugly, damaged or dirty hardware is definitely not a reflection of your own level of cleanliness. It’s just that despite the fact that we’ve lived in a house or apartment for so long, we don’t really spare much thought to the hardware – much less think to get them regularly cleaned or updated.

In all honesty, the thought of your home’s hardware had probably not crossed your mind until you read this blog post. When you really think about it, changing your outdated hardware – like doorknobs and hinges, light fixtures or faucets can completely alter the aesthetic and tone of any room. Additionally, you can also try to refresh the paint of some of your old hardware or completely change the colour to suit your style.

Pro Tip: Replacing your hardware does not require much time or investment, but the payoff is HUGE.

Accentuate Spaces With A Statement Wall

Alternatively known as feature walls or accent wall, a statement wall is intended to be the focal point of the room. They allow you to experiment with your creativity and bring beauty and energy into a room. By having a statement wall, you’ll also be able to keep the rest of the room’s decor more on the mellow side – for example, choosing to decorate with items in complementary hues or patterns or to elevate the room’s look through texture. 

They’re also a great way to make a major change to your home without costing much in terms of time or effort to set up. In addition, statement walls also have a special kind of appeal that can make any room look more stylish, rich and dynamic.

To create a statement wall, simply select a wall in your home and paint it over in your favourite colour – you can even paint on some playful patterns if solid colours don’t tickle your fancy. Alternatively, you can even use wallpaper (and for those of you who aren’t ready to commit, there are also tons of beautiful, removable wallpaper options for you to choose from).

Pro Tip: Once you’ve satisfied with how your statement wall looks, you can decorate by adding on some stylish framed prints, posters, metal prints or even wood prints – depending on the overall aesthetic of your room and what kind of look you’re trying to achieve.

Introduce Plants Into Your Home

One can never underestimate the power of nature. The beauty of bountiful sunshine and refreshing greenery is able to infuse us with a deep sense of peace while also purifying the air, generating oxygen and cleaning toxins. Therefore it would make sense to incorporate some plants into your home decor to not only refresh the look of your home but to instil a sense of peace and create an overall healthier living space.

Depending on your sense of aesthetics and the amount of plant care knowledge that you possess, there is a wide array of plants (ranging from easy to expert level care) that would not only look good in any part of your home but also comes with some useful added benefits.

For example, narcissus and lilies would make a great addition for the bedroom – their light fragrances incredibly pleasant and able to promote sleep.

Fresh rosemary or mint can be planted and kept in the kitchen to be used as homegrown ingredients for cooking; in addition, they can also ward off pesky bugs like flies and mosquitoes with their scent and natural oils. 

As for the living room, having plants with big, dramatic leaves (like snake plants, dragon trees or peace lilies) can serve as a good focal point – especially when you juxtapose the organic shape against a modern pot or planter.

Pro Tip: To add a little bit of a modern-contemporary flair into your home, try using an elevated planter. Not only can it add interest to an otherwise empty corner of your hall or room, but it also makes them easier to water and prune. 

Swap Out Your Throw Pillows

Like marshmallows in your hot chocolate, throw pillows are the finishing touches that make a good living room or bedroom look great. You can switch and swap them out based on size, colour and texture depending on the season or even based on your mood alone. While they might not seem like such a big deal, the effect of having throw pillows that matches (or contrast against) the room’s general colour scheme or decor is nothing short but transformative.

If you feel that your space is looking a little drab, dull or flat, try adding a few vibrantly coloured pillows to bring an added splash of uplifting vibrancy. If you’re looking to go for a more boho aesthetic, you can try looking for throw pillows that feature more organic hues and textures.

If you still can’t quite find what you’re looking for, you can even opt to design your own personalised pillows so that you can achieve that specific look or vision that you want to go for.

Pro Tip: Personalised photo pillows that feature your favourite photos or quotes are also a great way to add a bit more sentimentality to your space.

Invest In A New Rug or Doormat

One of the things that people overlook when they’re trying to refresh their homes is the impact of a good door mat or rug. Whether your home is equipped with hardwood, laminated, tiled or marble flooring, a quirky doormat or a plush area rug can make a huge impact on the overall look and feel of a room. 

Rugs and doormats just have this special, uncanny ability to add warmth and definition to the spaces that they’re in – kind of like how different styles of makeup can make or break your look. They’re great for softening up hard surfaces, they protect your feet from the chill of cool marble tiles and they also help to keep your doorways relatively clean (and dry in cases where you place them outside of bathroom doors or entrances). In short, they give your space a more ‘pulled together’ look – making it seem more cosy, inviting and balanced.

What’s great about rugs and doormats is that you can swap them out depending on the colour scheme of your home, personal aesthetic or even mood. In addition, having a good doormat or area rug can also help redefine your space and their placement within your space can also add an element of movement and visual interest in your home.

Pro Tip: When it comes to colours, patterns, and textures there’s no end to what you can mix and match to achieve the perfect look. If you can’t find a rug or doormat that strikes your fancy, you can even personalise your own to showcase your personality and truly claim a space as ‘yours’.

Repurpose Your Old Furniture

If you’d like to save on cost while refreshing your space, one of the cheapest and most effective ways to give your home a new look – even if it’s not necessarily the easiest route- is by repurposing and updating the furniture that you’ve already got around your home in fun DIY Projects. 

You’ve probably seen dozens of creative examples and tutorials on how to start DIY furniture projects on Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest that proves just how much a little time, effort and paint can go into giving something old and seemingly decrepit a brand new lease on life.

For example, let’s say you have an old dresser that doesn’t really fit in with the rest of your decor. Instead of throwing it away and heading to your nearest IKEA to buy a new one, why not simply repaint and refurbish it. You can start by simply wiping it down clean it off before lightly sanding the piece until it’s smooth to the touch. Once that’s done, all you have to do is give it a fresh coat of paint and if you’re feeling particularly creative or adventurous, you can even replace the pulls with something that fits your aesthetics or even add a false bottom to one of the drawers to make it that much more unique and special.

Pro Tip: In addition to getting a practically brand new, unique piece of furniture to decorate your home with, these DIY Project oftentimes make for a great way to relieve stress – allowing you to explore your creative side while also being a great way to save money.

In summary, home is like a safe haven. It’s a place for you to relax, feel safe and recharge after a long day at work, school or uni. If you’ve been feeling like you’re in a bit of a rut lately and are in dire need of a fresh new look to help keep you inspired, these 8 Practical Styling Tips To Elevate Your Home Space are entirely do-able and has the potential to make a positive impact to your living space at very minimal costs. Now that you know what to do, why not give it some of these tips a try – and if you just so happen to be looking for something interesting to fill up your home, visit our website at Pixajoy Malaysia or Pixajoy Singapore to create your own personalised home decor items.