How to Do a Home Makeover
TV shows like "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" feature homes that are almost completely rebuilt in a short period of time. However, these really are "extreme" makeovers and cost huge amounts of money to pull off. But you can give your home a makeover on a shoestring budget by following some basic decorating guidelines and investing more time and effort than cash.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Paint
- Paint rollers and brushes
- Light fittings
- Energy-efficient light globes
- Sanding machine
- Polyurethane sealer
- Wood putty
- Rugs, cushions and throws in accent colors
- Glass vase
- Oversized pot plant
- Glass mirror tiles
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1
Make space by getting rid of clutter. Go through each room in your house and identify the critical items of furniture and accessories in the room; keep those and remove everything else, particularly books, ornaments, bric-a-brac, wall hangings, family photographs and keepsakes. Keep only one of any item in the room, with the exception of matching chairs.
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2
Paint the walls. Take a good look at your colors and decide what the dominant shade in the room is, and then paint your walls in a matching or toning color. For example, if your sofa and chairs are black, a silver gray paint will highlight the black while giving your walls a trendy new look. Brown furniture would work well with lighter brown or rust walls, offset by white or cream skirting boards and ceiling.
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3
Let in the light. Revamp the lighting throughout the house by installing soft-light, reduced-energy globes. Change the light fittings to angle the direction of the lighting and highlight the main areas or features, and place a spotlight over a special painting or a lamp over your reading corner.
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4
Update the furniture. Have the upholstery on sofas, chairs and headboards cleaned or replaced, or hang a colorful throw over a worn or damaged patch. Lightly sand pieces of old wooden furniture and varnish or stain them using wood products, or give them a new lease on life by painting them with a matte finish in a color that fits in with the room.
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5
Fix the floors. Rip out scruffy, old carpeting and sand down the wooden floor underneath, fill gaps and cracks with wood putty and cover with a coat of polyurethane sealer for a fresh, soft shine. Buy rugs that blend in with your new color scheme and scatter those in strategic locations.
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6
Accessorize by replacing all your old cushions, throws, lamps and ornaments with new ones in accent shades. Match beige furniture with bright red cushions or fall colors, mix in a new giant vase in clear glass for real class, and put an oversized pot plant in the corner of the room to bring the outdoors in. Turn a section of one wall into a huge mirror using glass tiles to reflect the beauty of the room and give the perception of increased size.
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