There are many sayings that exemplify the role our home plays in our lives. Such sayings include, “Home is where the heart is,” or “Home is where you hang you hat,” and of course “There’s no place like home.” While each saying evokes images to most people’s mind, what does you home say about you? Making sure that your home expresses who you are is important. A splash of style and elegance done tastefully can turn a ho-hum home into a definite “WOW!”
I have been in a number of homes that have been “decorated” with things that the people in the home like. Nothing necessarily matches and there isn’t a sense of flow through the house or in any one room. You simply walk in and just have to say, “Hmmm that is interesting.” Then I have been in homes that make you go, “This is really beautiful.” I am not talking about million dollar homes per se, I am talking about homes that were decorated with taste and purpose with a certain sense of style and elegance.
When you think of style and elegance what comes to your mind? This can be as simple as adding a few Tiffany lamps throughout your home or perhaps a grand chandelier hanging in the entrance to your home or above the formal dining table. Perhaps the idea of rich color and lush fabrics is more your style. Possibly a blending of all is really what you prefer. What ever your picture of style and elegance is make sure that you have decorated your home tastefully.
You can change the look of an entire room with just one piece. Being able to add rich lush curtains or swapping out traditional doors for French doors. If your home has a foyer changing the flooring to marble tile can really go along way in changing the perception of your home. Take a look at the living room or family room or dining room in your home, any gathering room that is carpeted or perhaps has hardwood floors that you would like to change. If you don’t want to incur the expense of changing the floor in those rooms consider an area rug. There are many types to choose from and you can find one to fit your budget but really give your home a simple touch of elegance. There are Persian rugs, Oriental rugs and contemporary rugs. All come in various shapes and sizes in different fabrics and colors.
If your furniture is what you would really like to change to give your home a fresh style, take a look at the world of slip covers. Slipcovers work wonderfully because they can be used to change the style of a room in an instant. You can have an everyday slip cover and a second one that you use for entertaining to go from casual to elegant in seconds.
Elegance is at its best when it is simple and not overdone. Painting can go along way in helping a simple transformation of room and a home from ho-hum to wow. Rich darker colors really offer a warm and “expensive” feel to any room. If you are not all that fond of dark colors are if the rooms in your home are smaller only paint one wall in the darker color and the others in a complimentary lighter color.
If your kitchen needs the makeover to move from typical to elegant you don’t really need to redo the entire kitchen. Consider changing out all the knobs and handles in your kitchen with wrought iron fixtures. Wrought iron fixtures can give your kitchen a classic elegance with simple style. You may want to refinish the cabinets or change the counter tops.
There are many ways to make sure that your home has the style and elegance you want regardless of your budget and home size. Simple accent pieces throughout your home with the addition of rich color so that it all blends together tastefully will improve the look, perception and feel of your home. You don’t have to make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to make your home look like you do.
_(2).gif)
