Welcome to Your New House: 5 Easy Upgrades to Make it Your Home

If you’ve recently purchased a new home, congratulations! My name is Shelby, I’m the owner and interior designer of Larson Interiors, LLC. Some of my clients are right where you are: recently purchased a new home, excited for the new adventure, but aren’t sure how to make the new house feel like THEIR home. So, here are 5 easy upgrades to personalize your home right away without major remodeling.

1. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way:

Painting your living spaces and bedrooms will instantly give you ownership of your new home. I know you’ve probably heard this a million times from HGTV, but truly a fresh coat of paint (especially with a color of YOUR choosing) can transform your space immediately without a lot of time or money. Painting is mainly in the preparation work: fill in any unwanted holes with spackle, sand smooth, use a tacky cloth to wipe down the walls, prime and let dry, and apply at least 2 coats of paint if not more depending on the color you’re covering.

2. Home decor is where your personality shines:

Your decor is one of the most personalized categories of your house. Yes, your furniture can take up most of the space in your home, but your personality will shine through the details you display. Home decor isn’t just framed pictures on your walls. Although personal pictures do add a lot of character because you and your loved ones are displayed. Home decor includes any pieces of artwork, sculptures, seasonal decorations, and more. If your home already has shelving for display space, use that space to add dimension to the room with vases, books, plants, and more. If you don’t have shelf space for display, there are many in-stock options at your local home improvement store.

3. Storage and organization solutions make your home more functional:

Storage and Organization are critical to how you actually USE your space. In your past home, you had a certain way of organizing and storing important items that you use every day. Find those unique organization and storage solutions your used to and implement those as best you can in your new home. For example, if you’re used to having your trash can in a cabinet, find a retrofit one of your new cabinets so you’ve gained familiarity in your new home. Other examples are bins in the closet, hanging space versus drawer space in your closet, or those insanely addicting restocking videos on Instagram with clear storage inside your fridge. Put those storage and organization solutions to work right away!

4. Door and cabinet hardware are the jewelry of your home:

For more aesthetic changes to your home, consider changing your interior door and cabinet hardware. Hardware can upgrade the look of your millwork and cabinets instantly. A great example from many of my clients in Minnesota is changing the satin nickel or warm bronze hardware on golden oak doors and cabinets to black. This small change can instantly modernize your home and make you hate the golden oak a little less than you did before. You can find great options at your local home improvement store or at online retailers.

5. Updating your light fixtures can make your space brighter and bigger:

Lastly, but maybe most importantly, changing your light fixtures can improve the aesthetic of your home, improve overall light quality and save on energy costs. Many hardwired light fixtures on the market are LED so they are more efficient, helping you save on electricity right away. There are so many light fixture options to consider. There are can lights, flush-mounted ceiling lights, pendants, chandeliers, track lighting, wall sconces, ceiling fans, floor lamps, table lamps, and more. Start in your main living spaces where you’ll spend most of your time. This is also the space most people will see when you invite them over to see your new home. Having updated lighting can help show off your new digs without spending a lot of money and time to update.

These are just some of the ways you can update your house to immediately make it feel like your home. However, it is never too early to start planning and budgeting for those larger remodeling projects you have in mind. I offer a 2-hour consultation that can help you gain clarity, a realistic budget to complete the scope of work, as well as create an action plan to prioritize your ideas and projects. If you’re interested in scheduling a design consultation, you can use this link to find a time that works best for you. Use the referral code “ENGLAND” to receive 10% off.

Congratulations again on your new house, make sure to make it YOUR home!

Shelby Olson, NCIDQ

Owner and Interior Designer

Larson Interiors, LLC

www.larson-interiors.com