As an interior designer & stylist I’m always changing things around (mostly for the better) in residential, corporate or commercial spaces. The ability to transform a space to the wishes of the client isn’t always easy breezy, but hey challenges make my work interesting. But coming home I’m free to do whatever and it doesn’t need to be perfect, because hey it’s my own space and my own weirdness that I love myself.
So, since last year I’ve been living in an one bedroom studio apartment, which I created myself. The living space was an open porch. I closed it up and made a cute little spot to shelter myself. And as I do within other spaces, I do let my creativity free in here. The creativity happens mainly at night.
And yes, the space has gotten another change and this time I added some extras to it.
So, let’s see how to make a simple home makeover in 5 steps.
STEP 01 – DECLUTTER, BECAUSE IT’S A MUST
Yes, I hate to say it, but you need to declutter and take away the unnecessary. Store them or get them out the space or even throw them away. By doing that, you’ll get a better overview what you would like to keep in the space or change up.
In my case I didn’t have to do a lot of declutter, because I monthly do have a clean up and just throw or give things away. Plus another great tip is to whenever you are buying something new, take something out. That’s a great way to never have to much in your space (or maybe you’re the hoarder type and that’s a whole nother story. If you’re an organized hoarder, I’ll give you a pass).
STEP 02 – PAINT PAINT PAINT
And now the fun can start. A very easy way to make a simple makeover is to paint a wall completely or some parts. If you know that you don’t need a lot paint, you’ll be fine with one quart or even less.
A good tip is to before you buy the size of the paint can, ask the people at the paint store how much square meters the amount in that can can cover.
Yellow is my favourite (the darker kind) and I already had the color in my decor around the space, so why the heck not on the wall. And ofcourse, when you’re done with the color, you can easily paint it another color again.
STEP 03 – CREATE A GALLERY WALL
Collect your favorite pictures and items and make yourself an eclectic gallery wall. The wall was pretty bare, so I just added some extra elements on the wall. These were all prints and frames I already had. If you don’t have any frames or where you live the frames are way to expensive, try to thrifts some frames at vintage stores. Or you can just tape the print on the wall without a frame. Because I already have a lot of colors in the space I wanted to colors in the gallery wall to be as minimal as possible. So I choose my black frames and black/white prints. The black connected then again well with the black in the macrame wall hanging. Because I gave it an eclectic look and feel, I added also a jute placemat. Because why not?!
STEP 04 – REARRANGE THE LAYOUT
This step actually has to be like the second step. You’ll need to know how you’re going to give the space a new look with a new layout. Just think why the new layout will suit you best and if it makes sense. Sometimes you’ll not get it on the first take and you’ll be moving things around a few times but when you get it done and feel good about the layout, just sit and enjoy it before you go one.
In this case I wanted the sitting area to be a bit more relaxed with less items around it. The reason why is because I sit behind my desk on the other side and when I work I do love to see a more serene look.
Keep the sofa a bit from the wall to create a more spacious feel. And as you can see the yellow color crossed also over on this side, in a more subtle way.
STEP 05 – ADD NEW PIECES
And I don’t mean a whole new sofa or table. Think about smaller furniture/decor like a basket, side table or pillows. In this case I added 3 new items in my space. I bought a new mirror, a small basket to put a plant in and some cork coasters. I painted the cork coasters also in the same wall paint color and used double sided tape to hang them. It’s an easy way to pin some inspiring notes. And adding a mirror in a space (the right size) will always let the room feel like it’s more spacious.
This simple and quick makeover took me a few hours on a Friday evening. And for the paint and extra decor pieces I paid in total $78,-. I think that’s a good deal for a little change, don’t you think?!
What do you think about this makeover? I’d love to hear from you all how you do a simple home makeover.
