10 Interior Design Tips for the New Year

Once the Waterford Crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve, most of us are filled with plans to make improvements in our lives for the next year. Whether it is to find love or to just get better organized, we are primed and ready for some positive changes.

This is also the perfect time to refresh your home style with some interior design projects. You would be surprised how even just the littlest updates like adding a painting or mirror can really transform a space.

Check out these 10 interior design tips for the New Year.

1. Make Your Rooms Feel Bigger

If you have a couple of small rooms that you wish didn’t feel so cramped, don’t worry, busting down walls is not your only option. One relatively easy way to give the appearance of more space is to paint the walls a soft, light color.

Playing up the natural light from windows in the room and the addition of mirrors also will make the room feel a lot larger than it really is. Stay away from darker colors in rooms that are small.

2. Reframe Your Photos and Art

If you love to decorate with framed art and photographs and have your walls filled with precious mementos, then there is a quick way to refresh your displays. Instead of buying a whole bunch of new art and photos, simply just reframe the ones you already have. Make a bolder statement with all gold or silver frames or buy frames in bright colors. Your walls will feel immediately fresher.

3. Create a Statement Ceiling

With a little more elbow grease and creative vision, you can add a statement ceiling to any room to add some pizazz. A statement ceiling basically is when you use your ceiling as an art canvas to make a personal statement. Turn your kids’ bedroom ceiling into the night sky or create a romantic boudoir feeling on the ceiling of the master bedroom. Have fun with it.

4. Buy or Repurpose Organizational Pieces

Clutter doesn’t look good on your home and you know it. Decluttering and organization is probably also on your list for New Year’s improvements anyway, right? Make it a priority in the New Year to get a handle on it by buying some fresh organizational pieces or repurpose ones you have at home. That antique dresser that is still in good shape, but is just taking up extra space in your bedroom can be moved to the bathroom for linens and things. Remember that your organization pieces should be stylish and fit the overall look of the room as well as functional.

5. Give Furniture a Refresh with Slip Covers

Slip covers are one of those things that people tend to either love or hate. They have gotten a reputation for being the preference of old ladies who also love doilies. In actuality though they can be very stylish.

They are an easy way to change by the color and patterns in any room without doing any kind of major overhaul and buying all new furniture. And just think about how easy cleaning up spills will be. Just throw the slip covers in the wash. If you have kids, this is especially appealing.

6. Add Pretty Storage Baskets

We all are always looking for more creative storage options for our home. You can never have too many pretty storage baskets or containers, right?

Think of them not just for their utilitarian purposes but also how they had to the overall aesthetic of the room. For instance, wicker baskets of different sizes can be used to store and display anything from books to blankets to movies and look really pretty in a romantic or country chic styled room.

7. Create a Kitchen Fit for a Chef

While a complete kitchen renovation with shiny new appliances is probably not in the cards, there are small additions you can make to your kitchen to make it fit for a chef. A hanging pot rack is both elegant and utilitarian and will make you feel like you are chef in a four star restaurant instead of just making spaghetti and meatballs for the kids.

8. Bring Nature Inside

It is scientifically proven that nature helps soothe us and makes us feel happier so it why not decorate with nature. Add some plants and even shells, rocks and sticks. If you love doing arts and craft projects you can really come up with some neat pieces out of nature.

And plants besides looking pretty and making you happy, they also clean the air and balance the humidity in your home.

9. Add Color to Your Kitchen Cabinets

Is your kitchen looking a little drab, but you can’t afford a complete kitchen makeover? It is amazing how much a new color on your cabinets can really transform the space, taking it from drab to fab. Choose a bright primary color to really give it some pop. Paint the walls another bright complementary for a fuller effect. A couple coats of paint and it will be like a whole new kitchen!

10. Soften Floors with a Rug

If you have a lot of hardwood floors or tile in your home, one way to soften it is to add an area rug Cowhide rugs in particular are a good complement to any style room. The great thing about them is that they don’t only fit in country or ranch style homes anymore. You will see them even in modern apartments as a contrast to all the monochrome and glass. Cowhide rugs are very durable and last a long time so they are often passed down has family heirlooms which would be an added plus.

Cowhide rugs come in different shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. They come in black, white, brown and white, tri-color, brown-white and black, brindle and patchwork. If you are looking for more variety in your cowhide rugs, you can also buy cowhide rugs that have either have been acid washed or dyed or stenciled. Some examples are Acid Wash Silver and Acid Wash Gold and dyed calf skin in colors like blue or pink.

The options are endless. Besides cowhide rugs, you can also get cowhide furniture and kitchen placemats and even bathroom rugs. There is no room in the house that couldn’t use a little touch of cowhide.

Contact Cowhide Outlet today for more information about interior design tips for the New Year.