Small Changes With a Big Payoff
Sometimes, you don’t need to gut the kitchen. There are little things you can do around your home that will have a huge impact on how it looks and improve your everyday life!
Make Your Entrance Inviting
A cheery front-door colour and a touch of landscaping can do wonders for your home’s curb appeal and make a lasting impression on guests. Dress the door with new hardware, and add potted plants near the entrance. Consider installing outdoor lighting to enhance your home’s architecture and illuminate the walkway. Replace your worn-out welcome mat with a bold statement mat to create a warm and welcoming home.
Install a New Faucet
Inject elegance into your daily life with a faucet that ups the ante in looks and quality. Just make sure the configuration matches your existing sink, or you might end up replacing that, too. Buying a new sink allows you to customize the number of holes to fit your preferred faucet.
Swap Out the Sink
A new sink can energize a boring bathroom. Before you choose your sink design, though, consider your needs. You might want to try standing in front of the model you’re considering and acting out your morning routine. Will you have enough room to brush your teeth or put in your contacts? Your choice should balance aesthetics with practicality.
Light Up the Kitchen
Dress up an eating area with a fresh light fixture. Replacing an existing fixture is your easiest option and a simple way to change the look of your room. Consider the design, as well as function, when choosing the right light fixtures for your kitchen.
Hang Outdoor String Lights
Set the perfect outdoor ambiance with string lights. Weather-resistant lights are perfect to light up your patio or deck for outdoor dining and relaxing. Attach the lights with screw eyes and carabiners so they’re just as easy to put up as they are to take down. With this easy method, string lights remain sturdy throughout the year, so you don’t have to worry about plastic hooks and other temporary solutions that won’t last after the season.
Add Bead Board
Bead board lends a traditional touch to kitchens and bathrooms. Holes can easily be cut in the boards or sheets for outlets, phone jacks, and other wall necessities. For a modern take on bead board, try wider plank paneling.
Switch to Energy-Saving Windows
If you have a window that faces frigid winter winds, consider replacing it with a high-efficiency unit. If your home has single-pane windows, they could be wasting up to 25% of your energy costs. Improve your home’s energy efficiency by replacing single-pane windows with high-performance double-pane Energy Star-rated windows. Look for windows labeled low-emissivity (low-E) or spectrally selective—they have a coating that reduces thermal heat transfer.
Give Your Yard a Boost
With flagstone or cement pavers, you can easily make an outdoor patio in a weekend, no mortar required. Add potted plants and outdoor seating, such as a bistro set or an eclectic mix of colourful chairs, to create a quaint backyard escape. With the right planning and pieces, even a small space can become an outdoor retreat. Look for nooks in your yard where you can put a bench and a small side table and make a mini patio to enjoy your landscape.
Redo Your Backsplash
Tired of a dull kitchen? Transform the mood of the kitchen with a bold new backsplash in ceramic or glass tile. Choosing one colour (no pattern or texture) and clean-lined tile for the backsplash in a small kitchen can help keep the look uncluttered and roomy.
Replace Your Showerhead
Choose a low-flow showerhead and you’ll get virtually the same sensation of water flow while saving money on your water bill. Many new showerheads provide more options for control (multiple spray styles, pivoting angles, temperature settings) and they’re more efficient. Try replacing your showerhead with a newer model so you can achieve a spa-worthy bathing experience in the comfort of your home.
Update Cabinet Hardware
Spice up your cabinets and drawers by replacing factory-issue handles and pulls with designs that reflect your personal taste. These days there is cabinet hardware available for every kitchen style. Simple metallic hardware work best and is guaranteed to look great with any paint colour for future cabinet makeovers. For a unique, eclectic look, scour antique shops for hardware pieces.
Make Your Fireplace More Efficient
To quickly and easily rehabilitate your existing fireplace, a gas or wood-burning insert adds energy efficiency to your home without tearing apart your hearth and mantel. Equipping your fireplace with glass doors blocks heated and cooled air from escaping and amplifies the fire’s heat, which in turn reduces energy costs. Closing the damper when the fireplace is not in use will help keep cold out of your home and add to heating efficiency. Having your fireplace and chimney professionally cleaned will also improve fireplace efficiency.
Add a Ceiling Fan
Improve lighting and ventilation by replacing an existing light fixture with a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan will help you save money by not running the air-conditioner on those days when all you need is air movement. To keep your family comfortable and energy costs low, set your fan to spin counter-clockwise in the summer and clockwise in the winter. The clockwise motion in the winter makes cool air rise and redistributes warm air.
Add a Sliding Barn Door
A sliding barn door adds dimension to any home with a farmhouse flair. Perfect for a kitchen or den entrance, a sliding door provides privacy when needed or acts as eclectic decor when not in use. They are relatively easy to install; all it takes is assembling and mounting the hardware and door to a doorway.
Dress Up Your Fireplace
If it’s time to replace your dated mantel, choose one with enough depth to let you display pictures or other decorations. If you buy a ready-made mantel, don’t be afraid to paint it or add moldings.
Replace Interior Doors
Update these often-overlooked interior elements with form and function. An interior door’s materials could affect how well it works and how long you can wait before buying a replacement. Switch an ordinary door with a finely detailed antique. Or simply upgrade with solid-core doors, which dampen noise far more efficiently than the hollow-core doors common in new construction.
Look Up
Give your ceiling a little eye candy. Beautifully highlight a coffered ceiling with colourful paint, and keep the trim white for a bold visual effect. Placing a ceiling medallion around a fan or light fixture is another way to add architectural flair overhead. Decorative ceiling medallions are available in all shapes, sizes, and styles.
Add Molding
Living room, dining room, great-room: Any common area looks better with the finishing, defining touch of moldings. Installing molding is a simple way to add style and definition to any room. Crown molding bridges the junction between walls and ceiling, a prominent location where the architectural accent can shine. If you live in a historic home, make sure your molding choices complement your home’s architectural style.