Five Simple Design Changes that Modernize any Old Home

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  As homes age, they need a bit of TLC. Many structural elements can become damaged, such as roofs, foundations and walls. Internal elements such as electrical wiring and plumbing will occasionally need replacement. These repairs can be expensive and don’t necessarily add any aesthetic charm or value to the home itself.

But just like the important structural elements, home design and décor ages as well. For those wanting to maximize their home’s appeal, occasional revisions are absolutely necessary. Thankfully, many such options exist – and a large number of them are simple, requiring no expensive materials or intensive labor.

To help you spruce up the look and feel of your older home, we’ve put together five simple design changes that can completely transform and revive the style in each room of the home.

Splurge on Some Curtains

One of the first places you’ll notice aging in any home is in the windows. Depending on the shape, size, and other elements such as moulding, a home’s date of origin can often be easily identified. The windows of a home are the gateway between two worlds in a sense; modifying them will definitely have a huge impact on the home’s look and feel.

Perhaps the easiest way to accentuate and alter the look of your windows is through the use of curtains. Many different styles of online curtains exist, making them an ideal design choice for any room where you want a quick and effective alteration. You will want to find an online Curtains retailer that has plenty of options that are perfectly sized for your windows and that meet your tastes.

Invest in the Kitchen

Another huge problem area in terms of showing age – the kitchen – can quickly become dated based on appliances, counter surfaces and other time-specific features. Because the room experiences so much use as well, many surfaces and elements quickly begin showing wear and tear. Bringing new life to your kitchen is a must-do task for modernizing any older home.

You can start with a fresh coat of paint, some wallpaper, or a new finish on your cabinets. There are many kitchen remodeling tasks and design projects that you can embark upon, but some of them can be quite expensive. By sticking to the superficial elements in an initial redesign, you’ll save money, improve the look, and ultimately get a better idea of where to focus on more extensive improvements.

Brighten up the Bathroom

Much like the kitchen, the bathroom can show age quite easily – both from time-sensitive designs and lots of use. Extensive bathroom remodels can run thousands of dollars, but there’s no reason why you can’t make some nominal improvements to modernize its look.

A new coat of paint in the bathroom can give the room a much brighter feel, opening up what are usually tight spaces. If your older bathroom has carpet in it, consider replacing that with a durable, neutral hard flooring surface. Even some small fixture changes – shower heads and faucets – can dramatically improve the modern look of a bathroom. You can top off the modern design with some new shower curtains, floor rugs and/or towel racks as well.

Give Doors Some TLC

The first thing you see when entering any room of the home is the door. This essential yet often-overlooked element can quickly become dated due to stains, weathering and overall style. Investing a bit in your existing doors can produce some remarkable results.

A fresh coat of paint – especially on the front door – can instantly make the home look newer. In some cases, replacing door handles will completely eliminate any indicator of the age of the home, and is often worth doing so from a security standpoint. Last but not least, new moulding can transform the frame of the door and give its appeal a more modern feel.

Add New Lighting

One more change you can make to any older home that’ll be both simple and effective is the addition of new lighting. Depending on the room and the year the home was built, existing lighting – whether it be through fixtures or via natural lighting – may be in short supply. To add more light to the home is to update its look and feel in many respects.

Whether it be the installation of a skylight in one room or simply a couple of new light fixtures in the right corners, additional lighting can transform a room’s feel. Given that lighting is far more important in modern home design, this type of upgrade is one simple solution that brings the ambiance of any room into the 21st century.

Updating the design of any home can feel daunting – and there are certainly many options to consider – but keeping your plans simple will help minimize the stress. Whether you decide to invest in some bathroom alterations, window accents, or new lighting, it isn’t difficult to bring any older home into the modern era with a bit of upgraded style.

Click the links below for any posts you have missed:

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