There are many ways to make your house feel like a new home, especially if you’ve lived there for a long time and recently realised you cannot stand the colour of the wallpaper. Like many solutions, think about what you need to change, what you can change, and how you can change it.
One approach could be modernising your home. But why should you do that and how can you start? If you feel your home could do with a much-needed facelift, here is a guide to help you modernise your home correctly.
Why Modernise?
So why modernise your home? There are various reasons someone would want to upgrade the entire house or a room here or there. Here are some of the most common reasons people modernise their houses.
Update Your Style
While you had one style when you moved in, this has likely changed over the years. You could have grown out of your original style or you’ve finally gotten the confidence to explore the decor and design you’ve always wanted. Whatever the reason, modernising your property helps you update your style and make your home feel more like you’ve always wanted to ensure a stylish space that you are proud of, and it gives you a fantastic project to work on and achieve.
Easier to Maintain
One of the benefits of buying a modern home is that they are–usually–easier to maintain compared to older homes with worn-down fixtures. Even if you don’t live in a new build, you can still get the benefits of one by upgrading your home and modernising it to meet your needs. You won’t spend as much time fixing dripping pipes or realigning doors. You won’t need excessive mould or mildew around your windows. Instead, everything feels simpler and less stressful to maintain.
Changing With Your Lifestyle
As you get older, your lifestyle may change. Perhaps you get a pet or your kids get old enough to need more space. Rather than move house, your household upgrades could ensure everyone feels comfortable and their needs are met. These changes could require an extension or renovation. They may simply need you to replace your carpets with hardwood flooring. Whatever the reason, you can make effective, modern changes to ensure your home is functional for everyone.
Better Efficiency
With a rising cost of living among a hundred other problems, your home could at least help you out by being more efficient. However, as much as you strive to save energy at home, the environment may not make it possible. This is most common in older homes with poor insulation and ventilation, so it’s worth looking into potential issues and finding modern solutions. These solutions could improve resealing windows or installing double glazing to trap warm air more efficiently.
How to Modernise
Whether you want to improve your entire house or start with a few excellent changes in the spaces you use most, here are some ideas about where to start and how to get the most out of your upgrades.
Upgrade Your Space
Upgrading your space is an excellent way to modernise your home and you can start wherever you feel is most in need of upgrades and improvements. In most cases, homeowners choose the rooms they use more than anywhere else. These are usually the living room and the kitchen.
Looking at your space now, can you see any aspects that could do with significant improvement? Could you transform the space with a fresh coat of paint or other small (but effective) solutions, or would you require a more in-depth and expensive project?
Buy New Furniture
Sometimes, you can upgrade your home by replacing worn-out items with brand-new features that reflect modern styles. One example of this is your furniture. Although you may have many fond memories of your couch, it’s also seen better days, so upgrading to something with more support (and fewer stains) is a great opportunity.
It’s also worth considering your eating and socialising spaces. If you have room in your kitchen or dining area, bar tables are ideal. They can also work on your patio to create a relaxed summer space for you and your friends.
Change the Colour Scheme
Similarly, colours are an excellent chance to make big changes without too much investment. Your current wallpaper or paint job may feel outdated. It’s too loud or it doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the home.
If this sounds familiar, taking a different approach with neutral colours could help you modernise your home. Of course, there are plenty of colours and shades, so feel free to try as many as possible to get the perfect look for your home.
Replace Old Appliances
The typical washing machine lasts around ten years and can last even longer with proper care and maintenance. However, there will come a time when it breaks down, and you have to wonder if it’s worth repairing or time to upgrade.
In most cases, it’s time to upgrade. Although one repair may seem affordable, you might always worry another repair is just around the corner. Since this becomes more expensive every time, cutting your losses and upgrading to a shiny new machine will benefit everyone.
Take Control Of Your Clutter
A cluttered home always feels more outdated compared to the trimmed and minimalist style of a tidy space. If you’ve let your clutter get the better of you for too long, now is the time to take back control.
You have multiple options for what to do with your clutter. Finding a storage solution is one, and you can use self-storage or make better use of your loft. You could also donate or sell things you haven’t used in years to make the rest of your home more manageable.
Make Better Use Of Your Space
With less clutter, you can also make better use of your space. This can involve rearranging your furniture or repurposing various rooms throughout your home. If one space used to be where you put everything that didn’t have a proper home, you can transform it into something more functional.
Usually, this option inspires you to create a home office or gym but this space can be whatever you want it to be, so get creative.
Try New Lighting
Lighting is crucial in any home, but the wrong type of lighting can severely impact your health and finances. Relying on lighting throughout the day–even when you don’t need it–ramps up your energy bill, while using the big light too late could affect your sleep schedule. You can make changes by swapping to more energy-efficient bulbs and using lamps more frequently.
Make Your Home Safer
A safe home is a happy home, but your household alarm may not be as effective as you assumed. Even if you live in a safe area, it’s worth researching the best home security systems to protect your property. You can install cameras and security lights, improve your front door lock, and protect valuables with a robust safe.
It might seem like overkill, but you’d much rather have the peace of mind that everything is secure rather than worry whenever you leave the house.
Modernised
Modernising your home brings a range of benefits. You can drag your house and its decor into the 21st century but you can also identify some crucial areas that improve how your home runs. With this, you can save money on repairs, energy, and more to ensure your house is much more manageable and modern to meet all your needs.
