You’ve been living in your flat for years, even decades and you’re tired with every aspect of the interior. Does the scenario sound familiar? If so, you’re probably looking for ways to give your home the perfect makeover that it deserves.
Unfortunately, budgetary limitations can come in the way of a massive home interior design transformation. In such instances, giving the current interior design a second life is the one idea that makes sense. A few simple and inexpensive tweaks can deliver incredible changes that will modernise the whole ambiance and bring on the freshness you desire.
Sprucing Up Doors, Windows and Cabinets
Wood is one of those materials that can be freshened up effortlessly.
Don’t discard elements made of solid wood like cabinets, old doors and windows. A little bit of sanding and a fresh coat of varnish will do miracles. You can also choose a tinted product to slightly change the colour of the wood – dark tones look really sophisticated and lighter ones will give the space a bit of airiness.
If you want to, you can also have doors and kitchen cabinets painted. A bold, saturated colour will immediately add a degree of modernity to the space. Plus, this is a very easy and budget-friendly way to achieve a tremendous transformation. All that you have to do to make the concept work is come up with a good colour scheme and stick with it when painting.
To freshen things up, you’ll need to get some new pieces of home décor. If you were to choose one element to upgrade, we’d recommend picking new fabrics.
Textiles rank among the materials that start looking dated the fastest. They may experience some discolouration, staining or tearing. All of these issues will be difficult to cover up. And you wouldn’t have to. Fabric is one of the most affordable materials (depending on what kind you go for) and switching things up will deliver a noticeable modernisation effect.
There are many textile elements you can consider upgrading.
The curtains, carpets and even furniture upholstery can be changed. New colours and textures can help you execute a concept bound to lift the dated interior design and make it look current. When choosing textiles, think about aesthetics but also pay attention to durability. Ease of maintenance and cleaning are also going to be important if you want to maintain the interior in impeccable condition.
Use Old Furniture in Unexpected Ways
Furniture pieces give amazing opportunities to do something fun and unexpected with your home’s interior. Many items can be repurposed or rejuvenated a bit in order to get a more streamlined and modern appearance.
If you want to have a lot of impact with the interior design choices you make, use your old furniture in unexpected ways. That means taking pieces completely out of context and doing something surprising with them.
An old filing cabinet can easily become a coffee table for the living room. Your old ottoman stool may be modified to feature some hidden storage space inside.
Don’t be afraid of turning concepts upside down and being playful. An intuitive approach to interior design is the one that’s going to give your home fresh and exciting vibes. Pieces that no longer look good in their place can be salvaged by getting a new function or being put in a different part of the flat.
While many parts of a dated interior design can be salvaged, it’s also important to know what to let go. There are items and accessories that will always look outdated and worn, no matter how you try.
So, before trying to do anything else, sit down and make a list of the things you can let go of. Chances are that you feel emotionally attached to every single thing in the flat. If you are keen on keeping everything, however, you’ll find it very difficult to open up some space for new things. Check out our article on decluttering the Marie Kondo way.
An interior designer can help you sort through your accessories. You’ll get an impartial third party that can exercise some critical thinking in terms of sprucing things up. An interior designer will know which aspects of your old home are timeless and worth keeping. They’ll suggest changes and enhancements that will turn these pieces into the star of the show.
Contact Home Guide if you’d like to benefit from our years of experience as an interior design company in Singapore that has completed many amazing home renovations. We know what it takes to give old interiors a second life and we know how to make the magic happen while remaining inside your budget of preference.
