Your home interiors are for you—not to impress anyone, or to get a spread in Architectural Digest. Everyone deserves new accents to keep their surroundings fresh. If your décor has aged but doesn’t qualify as “antique,” it’s probably looking old-fashioned. Inject some new energy with these three quick ways to give your home’s interior a facelift.
Kitchen Backsplash
If your backsplash is around four inches high, you need something new. If you felt cutting-edge when you installed a glass mosaic backsplash, you need something new. White subway tiles are a safe bet, although they’re not very imaginative. Find something you love in a new pattern like triangles, hexagons, or floral. Use a new material such as tin, beadboard, or even wood, and make sure it extends up at least to the bottom of the cabinets, or 18 inches. If you’re low on funds but high on creativity, there are even peel-and-stick options that are cheap, fun, and look great.
Window Treatments
Valances are a surefire sign that you’ve been living somewhere for a long, long time. Take them down, and let in more light. Unless you really need to block out the sunlight, curtains should be sheer, hung from a rod a few inches above the window, and long enough to pool slightly at the bottom. Those mini blinds aren’t just outdated, they’re probably ratty. Treat yourself to the new generation of window treatments, like textured roller shades, woven wood, and fabric.
Light Switch Plates
They may seem like a tiny afterthought, but once you see the impact of something new, you’ll want to upgrade every switch plate in the house. It’s not so much that basic white is out of style; it’s the years of fingerprints and yellowing that gives it away. Try something that really amps up your décor: chrome, copper, champagne neutrals, hammered metals, travertine, and even—for around $200 a switch plate—marble. The best thing about these quick ways to give your home’s interior a facelift is that they’re inexpensive, so you can make a modern statement with switch plates that are less than $5. This is a good thing, because you’ve got more rooms to do. And hey, those ceiling vents and floor registers could use a fresh look, too.
