5 Simple Ways to Transform a Room

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves in a bit of a rut. Feeling unmotivated and uninspired. In times like this, a little change is welcome. However, dramatic changes such as repainting the house, buying new furniture, or demolishing walls aren’t always necessary to improve upon a well-designed space. You might be surprised how even small changes can transform a room and affect the overall mood of your home.

So, before you go turning your life upside down, why not try these five simple tricks to mix things up and create some exciting changes. We find these simple improvements help the room not only look better but rejuvenate the feeling of home.

#1 Let the light shine

Light is one of your best friends, regulating so many of our natural rhythms like mood, energy levels, and appetite. Wherever possible, try to let in as much natural light as you can. Natural light makes a room feel bright and airy, offsetting some of the negative effects of working in so much artificial light. Expose windows by removing dingy blinds or drapes and cultivate a view that enriches the room. This is a great way to make a room feel grander and more open.

If you have few windows in your home, adding lamps to dark corners or installing additional lighting could be just the thing to make a room feel cozy and warm. Incorporating a few strategically placed mirrors can also help by giving the light a little bounce throughout the room.

#2 Incorporate Life

As humans, we are naturally drawn to living things. Studies show indoor plants boost productivity, uplift mood, reduce stress, and decrease air pollutants. Simply adding a plant, tree, flowers, or fresh cut sprigs from the yard can enliven a dead or stale space. We recommend low-maintenance plants like Devil’s Ivy, Snake Plant (don’t let the names scare you away!), and Peace Lilies. Have an empty corner? Try adding an indoor tree, like a Weeping Fig, Fiddle Leaf Fig, or Norfolk Island Pine, to create some variation in height.

#3 Hang Drapery

Few things give a room that completed feel quite like drapery. Adding height, layers, texture, warmth, and drama, we’re always pleasantly surprised by how drastically the atmosphere of a room can change when selected and hung correctly.

We recommend hanging the rods as high as possible above the window with the ends extending beyond the casing about the width of your stacked drapes. This way the drapes can be drawn back mostly off the window, covering the edge just enough to give the illusion that your window is much larger than it actually is. Hang your drapes so they fall around a 1/2″ above the ground for a nice, clean feel. If you’re looking for that added drama, add six or more inches to the length and let the drapes puddle on the ground.

#4 Use an Area Rug

Area rugs bring a level of balance and comfort, adding a foundational layer that ties together the overall layout of a room. A common mistake we see when buying area rugs is that they aren’t proportional to the size of the room. Undersized rugs feel misplaced and dwarfed by empty space and fail to provide that grounding quality we look for. As a rule, we recommend selecting a rug that allows your furniture to have at least two legs on it.

#5 Bring in Color

We know that white (in all its popular shades) is a comfortable choice with its clean and universal application, but introducing a little color can go a long way to setting the right mood within a room. Colors evoke a variety of emotions and can make a room more inviting. Painting walls, hanging art, adding pillows, and incorporating personal accessories are all ways to introduce pops of color. Let your own unique style and creativity come through when incorporating color!

While these suggestions are simple, they can be transformational to the overall feeling of a home.

In need of a little more help rejuvenating your home? At Parkway East Design, we strive to implement timeless design principles to create beautiful spaces and cultivate designs that enrich our clients’ lives. Speak with one of our designers today, and let us guide you through the process!