Do you live in an older home and are jealous of the modern look of a new home? There are some simple and inexpensive updates that can make you fall in love again with your current home.
Here are 10 easy ways to make your old home look new on a budget:
- Embrace technology
Don’t fear home tech, make it work for you. Homes equipped with Smart appliances can not only bring you into the modern era, they can often times save you money. Start with a Smart home hub like an Amazon Echo Dot or Samsung SmartThings Hub which will be a central point of communication for all your smart appliances. Try swapping out your inefficient thermostat with a Smart Home thermostat that can make your home more energy efficient while keeping it at the perfect temperature. Save money on lighting by enabling your smart lighting devices to come on only when needed. Check out Pepco’s Smart Home Pilot Program that can offer convenience and a cost savings.
- Paint your space
Paint does a ton of updating for a space. White can help give a clean and modern look while tying together rooms to allow accent colors to pop. Fresh, cool colors create a sense of crisp and clean while warm tones can add depth and coziness to a room. Paint can hide imperfections in walls and accentuate cool architectural features. Either way, fresh paint modernizes a space with a stroke of a brush and a few hours.
- Lay down new carpet
Worn carpet screams old and dirty. New carpet can add clean lines and even a modern design underfoot. Trendy too is adding an area rug onto carpet to create interest or even separate uses in a room.
- Replace hardware
Old doors and cabinets can look completely new and modern with a swap of a knob or pull. Home improvement stores and even specialty stores have lots of options to help update your home’s hardware. Go with one look and carry it throughout your home for consistency. Pewter and gunmetal hardware are trending now.
- Change your kitchen backsplash
Pea green and floral tiles might have been in vogue circa when your house was built, but today’s modern homes have clean tile backsplashes that in some cases carry all the way to the ceiling. There are cheap and easy ways to try a new style with self-adhesive peel and stick tile options. Marble and heavy veining are popular as are traditional subway tile.
- Paint your cabinets
Cabinetry especially in the kitchen can look worn, can be stained and can make a kitchen look dated. If your cabinets are generally in good shape, it’s worth the investment to repaint them. Make sure you use paint suitable for your laminate or wood cabinets. You can brighten up a dark kitchen using a white or light grey. Another great way to modernize a kitchen is painting the kitchen island a different color than the rest of the cabinets. This makes the island more like a piece of furniture.
- Add or move lighting
Adding lighting to areas helps to define spaces. Modern lamps and ceiling mounts should take the place of brassy models or fixtures that are broken. Add dimmer switches to overhead lights to tone down harsh shadows. Replace harsh conventional bulbs with warm-colored or LED versions.
- Replace broken windows or doors
The exterior of your home really sets the tone for what people expect to find in the interior. Broken windows and ill-fitting doors can indicate an old, tired home. Investing in new, modern windows and doors can give your home a modern look while also helping to make your older home more energy efficient.
- Reside your home’s exterior
Cracked and broken siding can date your home and cause other structural issues. Replacing that siding with new energy efficient siding will give your home a modern, clean look while also improving the overall health of your home.
- Remove old wallpaper
Dated wallpaper patterns or ripped or stained wallpaper can give a room a dated look. Remove old wallpaper and repair walls. Repaint a clean wall a new modern color or try wallpapering a single wall for a focal point. Wallpaper now comes in removable sheets so it’s easier to swap out a pattern.
Modernizing Your Home
Modernizing your home doesn’t have to mean knocking down walls and major changes. You can make small changes that make a big impact if you invest wisely. For your upgrades that include windows, siding and doors, give our experts at Thompson Creek a call. We can help your home modernization project from start to finish and give you a hassle free warranty to give you peace of mind.