What do you do when you want to update your home on a small budget? You DIY! It saves you the hassle of looking for contractor quotes and enables you to save a significant chunk of cash. Besides, it helps you build on your practical skills, which come in handy more often than you think. So, what DIY ideas can make your home more stylish as we inch closer to 2022? Let’s get into some fun ones:
Update Your Walls
Are your walls looking a bit too drab for your liking? Maybe the paint is coming off, or they seem dull. There’s an easy way to fix this- using wallpaper! At this point, you might be thinking about how this is a fun DIY idea. After all, you’d need to work with a paste which can be quite a messy experience. Well, that was back in the day when traditional wallpaper was the only option. Now, you have the option to use removable wallpaper. As the name suggests, you can remove it when it no longer serves the intended purpose. For example, you can update your kitchen with floral wallpaper to impart some tropical calming vibes. If you no longer want the wallpaper in the kitchen, you peel it off and install it in another part of the house. It’s that easy!
Plus, it lasts as many as 15 years. So, it won’t only serve you in 2022, and you can get more use out of it, thus more value for your money. We should also add that it’s a low-maintenance wall covering.
Paint Your Cabinets
If you were to follow the same old ways of updating a home, you’d call the local store and ask what cabinets they had on offer. But we all know that buying new cabinets each time we update our homes does not do much justice to our finances. The current cost of cabinets has gone up, and so have the installation labor costs. So, here’s a new way of dealing with dull cabinets.
Start by emptying the cabinets before assessing any parts that need repairs. Maybe the hinges are loose, or some parts have cracked. Fix these first to ensure that their defects don’t carry to 2022. We all know that painting can be a messy job, so you’ll need to carve out a paint workstation. It’s here that you’ll work on the drawers, doors, and shelves. Before painting on any parts, ensure you have cleaned, prepped, and primed them for the paintwork.
What’s the benefit of painting your cabinets? You don’t end up at the store (yet again) to buy new cabinets, and you get to choose a color that matches your room’s design. Do this for the bathroom and kitchen. While you are at it, also paint the trim and molding.
Whitewash Brick
Do you have a brick in your home? Rather than working with its conventional look, we have an idea of how you can make your brick stand out more. For this, you have two options depending on the size of the exterior. If you’re working on a small space, you can go with whitewash, diluted latex paint. It sits on the brick surface and gives it a clean finish that’s sure to delight the eyes. You don’t need to worry about it peeling off as you would with latex paint. Limewash, on the other hand, comprises minerals. It is a much cheaper option, so it works for a large area.
The whitewash sits on the brick, giving it a uniform texture and color without compromising the quality of the brick. You can easily see the brick grain, and when you tire of the look, you can always wash off the whitewash.
We would recommend either option as it’s a matter of preference. To clean the brick, use one part of dish soap, one part of salt, and water to make a paste. Use it on the brick for ten minutes, then rinse it off. In cases where the brick is quite dirty, you can use boric acid or ammonia as a cleaning solution.
Replace Blinds
Have you ever thought of the impact your blinds have on your home? They are not only effective in keeping the sun out or ensuring you have privacy in your home. They are also easy ways to update your home’s interior. How? They come in an array of designs and materials. So, you can choose an option that matches the style in your home. That way, everything from the wall to the floor to the ceiling can play into each other, creating cohesiveness. Even so, you do not want to choose blinds based on aesthetic appeal alone. Let’s consider other compelling factors:
- Do they match your window shape? You do not want a blind that’s ill-fitting as it makes the whole room feel off.
- Are they insulators? Did you know that up to 25% of your home’s heating and cooling costs go out the window? You’ve got to invest in blinds that can shut out the cold and keep the warmth in. As we update the home, we must also consider ways to save more on costs.
Of course, we also must consider the costs of investing in blinds. Is it reasonable? You can also think of throwing no-sew curtains into the mix.
Introduce Art
You don’t need to go looking for an original Picasso for your space to light up. There are tons of other ways you can express yourself. Find art that speaks to you or beautifies your space. You can even introduce artifacts as part of your design. When adding art, make sure it scales to your wall. For example, an art piece that’s too high is hard to focus on and will often go unnoticed. Instead, bring it to eye level, so it’s visible to both short and tall people. Also, consider the size of the wall. Large walls, for example, can have one big piece or several small ones lined up.
Have you seen anything you can work on right away? Enjoy your DIY home update!
