The home is like a vase. It can be impractical but stylish, but also very practical and even more stylish. It depends on how you approach it, right? If you see your home as purely something you live in until you need to go to work in the morning, you’re not going to see its full potential. On the other hand, if you see your home as a story, something that can speak for itself, then you will be itching to make it reach that potential.
The biggest thing holding most of us back from re-styling our home is the cost that is involved. If you really want to do a home makeover you’re going to need to break your piggy bank and get spending. Or, do you? We think not. You can style your home to your heart’s content but in budget-friendly ways.
High and wide
When you walk into grand homes, if you are lucky enough, you will see the curtains are hung high and wide. Why? Well, it’s not just to allow for maximum light into the home, as this was the only way to have a nice bright home when this style was created. It’s also because you want the curtains to be a style piece, something that adds to the home’s look. And you can do this by hanging your curtains wide, using a support on the walls that hold up the fabric in a ruffled or curved manner. You should hang your curtains wide, so they do not blend into the windows, they hold their own in terms of style.
To get the best effect, try to use heavier materials. You can only get the hang you need by either, using a lot of material or using a naturally heavier material. You may want to use linen which is lighter than wool, but in that case you need to have a thicker layering of the material to get the stylish hang. If you want to, make your curtains long so they curb or droop when hung on the wall support and drape on the floor when drawn.
Bric-a-brac and tchotchkes
You may have come across these two terms and not quite understood them. Bric-a-brac is the English term that came to prominence in the Victorian Era. It was the styling of the home using items that gave a decorative, traveled and cultured look. So you may find that different sorts of teacups, vehicle models, dolls and statues might be placed around the home. These were popular because they produced a lot of depth to the home. If you love spring, you could place a statue of a deer on a side table, along with a lamp that has a spring shade i.e. floral patterns, you could also place little bird ceramics along the windowsill etc.
Tchotchkes on the other hand are a unique style of decoration using miscellaneous items. They will be things like vintage jars, beer bottles, characters such as mascots of companies or sports teams, woven baskets and ceramic items such as dogs, people, and cottages. It’s a very complex style that goes well in a classic, farmhouse or maximalist home.
Bright clean flooring
Rather than go all out with the decoration or the subtle touches of the curtains, you may find that simply bringing your tired old carpet to life can breed a sense of style. The issue is, some of the carpet cleaners you can buy from the shops do only half the job. You need to have professional equipment to really breathe new life into the colors, shade, tone and design or pattern of the carpet.
This is why you should consider dry fast carpet cleaning services that have been doing this for decades. This particular company has been around since 1987 and they’ve clocked up quite the reputation. Their service includes protectant packages that are designed to keep your carpet cleaner for longer. This is done without using agents that can harm the carpet by making the colors fade.
So what about a hardwood floor? Well, here is where it can get very exciting. If you love a great hardwood floor you will like doing some of the following. You can buy oils, varnishes and homemade concoctions that will make your floor clean, shine and stay strong. You may want to start off by using cider vinegar and lemon juice mix to clean the hardwood.
Then you can use an oil to feed the wood, making it bolder, fuller and stronger. Oils often give the best look so there’s no real need for varnishing, especially for wood that is indoors.
Flowers in the right places
A great, cheap and effective way to boost your home’s style. However, just throwing them around and putting them everywhere is not going to do the trick. This is dysfunctional and does more harm than good. So you might be wondering then, is there a way to style your home with flowers and not make it excessive?
Yes, of course there is! The issue is continuity. You need to have flowers in a room that fits the style. For example, if you have a neutral room that is white, grey or black. Then you need flowers that fit into this, such as white freesia, white pearl, and the classic alstroemeria.
Try to fit the color theme of the room with the flowers you select. Not to mention, place them somewhere that will provide contrast. Don’t put white flowers against a white background. So try to contrast your flowers on a darker part of the room, preferably somewhere like a dark corner.
You can make your home stylish and not bust the bank. You don’t have to follow what every interior design magazine commands. You just need to be adventurous, look at bric-a-brac, clean your carpet, use flowers effectively and make good use of your lesser things like curtains.
This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you, should you purchase through one of my links. Please see my disclosure for more information.
