Did you know that, according to MSN Real Estate, 60% percent of Americans at least partially remodeled homes in the past two years, and remodeling costs decreased by 10% to 15% from 2007 to 2012? A staggering number of U.S. men and women put off remodeling projects and home design due to costs. With some creativity and effort, however, interior design can be stylish, practical, and inexpensive. What are some of the best tips for remodeling on a budget?
Skip Knocking Down Walls
Walls can contain wiring, plumbing, and insulation. Knocking them down means redistributing these materials, and, in all likelihood, hiring a handful of contractors to do it. Tearing down walls entails permanent, often largely irreversible, alterations to your home’s original floor plan. Use the following tricks to improve the flow of your home and create the appearance of open, airy rooms at a fraction of the cost.
- Stainless Steel Appliances and Glass Top Tables
- Grand Window Treatments
A growing number of homeowners are installing stainless steel kitchen ovens, stainless steel kitchen sinks, and stainless steel dishwashers. The metal can withstand extreme temperatures, and manufacturers offer a variety of energy efficient models. From a design perspective, stainless steel appliances reflect light, visually expanding rooms. Homeowners can apply the same principles to dining room lighting. How? Choose glass tops for formal dining room tables, and complete the look with a well-placed, wall-sized mirror.
The right window treatments can make ceilings look higher and rooms look larger. Hang dining room drapes, for example, four to six inches above windows. This will make windows appear grander. Designers can also add three to four inches to each side, adding to windows’ width. Window treatments, including drapes, curtains, and blinds, are also a great way to complement or contrast rooms’ color schemes. If dining room room chairs and walls, for example, are a solid color, select patterned treatments (with the same colors) to help rooms visually pop. To create a contrast, choose a solid, opposite color.
Home design can be inexpensive, practical, and trendy. Add life to stuffy and cramped rooms without knocking down walls. Favor reflective and transparent surfaces for appliances and formal dining room tables, and visually expand rooms with grand window treatments.
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