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After spending so much time at home over the past year, no one would blame you for feeling bored with the interior of your home. If you’re looking for a fresh start, a more modern home design might be the way to go. Consider these six simple strategies to spruce up your home and add a modern touch without spending much.
1) Swap out the furniture
Almost any home can look modern by simply changing the furniture. Unlike ornate traditional furniture styles, you can find fantastic modern furniture pieces at all price ranges due to its signature straight line, geometric look. You’ll also want to look for furniture with metal accents, which again brings down the price tag compared to heavy wooden furniture.
If you have some traditional pieces now that have sentimental value, don’t feel pressured to replace them. Because modern furniture is so simple, it mixes well with elements with more robust design features. You can also choose to replace just a few items with modern styles that make a huge impact. For example, you can use modern glass coffee tables to make a big statement. Check out this resource for some ideas: https://www.furco.co.uk/glass-coffee-tables.
2) Change the decor
If changing your furniture feels like too big of a step – and cost – changing your decor is a great alternative. Replace all those framed family photos with a black and white personalised canvas that matches the modern vibe while still retaining sentiment. You can swap anything floral, lacey, or traditional for geometric shapes and understated patterns. A neon sign is a cool touch which is reminiscent of the 80s and very ‘on trend’ at the moment.
If you’re not quite sure what modern decor actually is, hop on Pinterest and start brainstorming. This will give you loads of ideas and also help you decide whether the contemporary style is right for you before you commit.
3) Declutter
One of the most significant hallmarks of modern design is minimalism. While minimalism refers to a lifestyle choice to own few belongings, it isn’t necessarily so in architectural design. Minimalism decor simply means that your possessions are hidden away out of sight. Keep the decor to a minimum, and pick furniture with lots of storage.
If you have too many items to store away, now might be a good time to declutter your home. Only keep things that are useful to you, bring you joy, or have considerable sentimental value. Decluttering is also great for mental health; once finished, you’ll feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Your modern home design will reflect your newly cleared mind.
4) Replace old light fixtures
The home feature the least frequently thought of is often the light fixtures. They have a logical purpose in the home and are often out of sight and out of mind. However, making them a focal point can make your home look much more modern.
An industrial chandelier placed over the kitchen table will immediately make an impact. Consider switching out other fixtures, too. You can modernize light fixtures in the hallways, bathroom, and bedrooms in a more understated way. Traditional floor lamps and table lamps can also be switched out for more geometric designs.
5) Paint the walls
Though you may not be prepared to do full-scale renovations to make your modern vision come true, a structural change you can make without much experience is painting. Modern homes often have very neutral paint colour palettes. Whether through your furniture or walls, you’ll want to create a lot of negative space.
Going for simple white walls is usually the way to go. For the more adventurous, a black statement wall, or chalkboard wall, is a great way to make a modern impact. An advantage of picking neutral paint colours is that your kids’ bedrooms will last many years to come, and your home will sell quickly down the line.
6) Decorate with plants
One of the most affordable ways to decorate a modern home is simply with plants. Not only do plants look great and help you feel like you might just survive the winter, but they also improve the air quality in your home. Though they require a bit of time to care for and can be a bit of a nuisance when you go on holiday, they’re worth it.
Don’t have a green thumb? Consider getting a hard-to-kill plant like a peace lily, spider plant, or snake plant. If that’s still too daunting, just pick up some artificial plants and call it a day. If you do decide to get live plants, make sure you check their toxicity rating first, as some can be harmful to pets and young children.