Figuring out that you want to change up the look of the interior of your house opens up a lot of possibilities. There are so many different angles to take when redecorating, particularly if you own your home. Even better, if you live alone, you have only your own styles to attend to and do not have to worry about whether your significant other likes a particular shade of paint or likes or dislikes the custom blinds you pick out. Here are some of the hottest ways to redecorate your space, compiled from some of the trendiest interior decorators this year.
- Artwork – All the rage, changing up what you have on your walls from personalized photographs to prints and paintings framed in eclectic but matching mats and frames is extremely popular right now. Keep the personalized photographs for sure, but put them in different places than usual such as the bedroom, office, or even the bathroom. Hanging a reprint of a famous piece of artwork as a showcase piece in your living room is one of the hottest trends this year.
- Accent walls – Whether you go about creating an accent wall with paint, faux or real stone, or even using artwork to create one, accent walls have the ability to add depth and warmth to any room of your house. They can also have the opposite effect if you are
trying to make a cozier space, such as by accenting a fireplace or back splash in the kitchen. Accent walls are great ways to try out a bright color, for example, to see if you really like it actually on the wall. Luckily paint is affordable and easy to change if you decide you do not like it, so playing with different shades of it has become incredibly popular as well. - Windows – Do not forget your window treatments, which can range from blinds to shades to shutters, and everything in between. Drapes are less common now than they used to be, but are making a comeback, and classic wooden blinds are becoming increasingly popular. When painted in the right color they provide an elegance that can often be missing from plastic blinds, as well as better light filtering depending on the room you are trying to change. Sometimes a combination of drapes and blinds is necessary to truly black out the light, and other times you will only want blinds or only want shades. It completely depends on the room of the house and how much coverage you do or do not need for any given window.
- Hardwood floors – These are rapidly replacing carpet, or rather, carpets are being torn up to reveal and refinish the hardwood floors frequently underneath them. Carpet was the rage for a long time for various reasons, but as hardwood floors quickly gain traction again, carpet is on its way out. Harder to clean and maintain, carpet has few advantages over hardwood floors, and hardwood floors have just as many color and finish options as carpeting.
As the economy rebounds from the recession of a few years ago, more people are beginning to build or remodel their homes. This means there has been an increase in all of the things that relate to remodeling or construction. More people are redoing their kitchens, remodeling their bathrooms, or building their dream home. All three of these examples would fall under the category of major remodeling or construction. There are also many smaller things that people are doing to their homes. Many people are finally repainting their bathroom, replacing the tiles in their kitchen, or redoing and/or upgrading their window treatments. Since all of this remodeling and construction is on the rise, the number of companies that supply the products or services to get them done is also on the rise. This means that today there are more companies that specialize in home remodeling than ever before. Although this makes the market more competitive, and thus drives down some costs to the consumer, it can also make it incredibly difficult to find the right company. Many people spend weeks meeting with contractors, getting estimates, and talking through plans, only to realize they don’t want to work with anyone and are back at square one. This certainly applies to companies working in the window treatments industry. Fortunately, if you live in Florida, there is one company that won’t disappoint. Imperial Blind & Shutter is the best company in Florida for Hunter Douglas shades and other window treatments.
Many of the window treatments on the market are designed to let in sun and not heat in to the room. This allows for the area to be well lit and at the same time not become a greenhouse for all of the people that are working in there. At an old office, this was an issue because during the mid morning, around ten o’clock, the sun would be shining in the lobby, making the receptionist hot, but the other people around would not be affected until they were overrun with the air conditioning. It was not the easiest building to get used to and as a result, one of the changes has been to apply some of the window treatments to ensure that all of the sun being let in does not increase the temperature too dramatically.
I have started to make a list of all of the things that I had not really expected or anticipated.
I am proud to admit that I am one of those tree-hugging environmentalists. For years now, I have recycled every single thing I can, tried to minimalize my water use, conserved energy whenever possible, purchased a composting bin for all of my organic waste, and even encouraged others to do the same. I am pretty sure that the people closest to me, although they also love the environment, find my antics a little bit annoying. It’s ok with me because it is what I like to do and it makes me feel that I am doing my part to pass this world on to the future generations.