Sometimes, or all of the time if you’re like me, you feel the need to refresh your home. My clients had been living in their apartment for nearly two years and wanted to make a change. Since they weren’t ready to commit to new furniture, we focused on cosmetically updating their apartment. With just a few simple tweaks we were able to give their apartment a fresh new look!
Here are the before photos…note to self, take better before photos. Oh, and move the beer/wine out of the shot (insert crying face).
So what changes did we make? Well we…
CHANGED the artwork above the couch. Before the artwork was hung way too high. In general, artwork should hang 8" - 10" above the couch and should be 2/3 its width. If you're hanging multiple pieces above a couch there should be a 2"-5" gap between each piece.
REPLACED their brown bookcase with three floating shelves and a KALLAX unit (hidden by couch arm) from IKEA. We also added four baskets for organization in the KALLAX unit. We did this to lighten up the dark corner and make it feel more airy. Cost $182.92
ADDED an arc lamp. Before, there was only one lamp in the room. Incorporating more lighting is a no fail way to add interest and warmth to your space. This lamp is an insane deal at $102.99 + free shipping, say what!?!
ADDED a snake plant. They are super easy, low maintenance, indoor plants great for air purification. Seriously, it's near impossible to kill one of these things! Cost for plant and pot = $40
INSTALLED a massive gallery wall. My clients had all of this artwork in their closet! The large empty wall behind the TV was begging for some character. I mapped out the gallery wall using craft paper (seen in before photos), and we hired a Task Rabbit to help us hang it.
SPRAY PAINTED the yellow side tables dark gray and covered the glass tops with marble contact paper. There are endless Pinterest DIYs on this so I shan’t elaborate. We used this marble paper. We ordered two rolls but only used one. Cost = $20.36 + $7 dollars for spray paint
RESTYLED the bar with vintage barware. If you're unsure where to get accessories like this, I invite you to follow my Pinterest board and/or follow me on Etsy, eBay, and Chairish. I'm constantly pinning, and favoriting vintage decorative objects. Also, Pellegrino bottles are a simple way to class up your bar! Approximate cost = $75. The bar cart, which the clients had, is from West Elm.
ADDED a white tray to the coffee table. Cost $44.95
CHANGED the throw pillows. We found these chunky, one-of-a-kind knit pillows on Chairish (similar here) and the distressed white ones are from West Elm Total cost = $158
Total cost for this refresh = $632
(not including Task Rabbit and design fees)
I hope these cosmetic styling tips have been helpful! Just a few simple changes can make a huge difference in your home!
Ready to refresh your space? Email us for more info!