A new year can mean a fresh start for your home’s style. How can you achieve this? Interior design expert and Dream Team member Jennifer Adams has the answers to go for dramatic touches, textures and colors in the latest edition of Ask a Pro!
Q: How do I update different rooms of my house…specifically my family room, bedroom, and kitchen.
— Amanda M
A: This is a great question, one that I hear a lot! And it’s not hard to make a few simple changes to completely update the look of any room in your house, particularly the family room, kitchen and bedroom.
A quick declutter makes any room look fresh, airy and new. Pull out all the accessories off your shelves and other surfaces, and put back only about half of them, or, even less! Just a few of your favorites deserve a spot. If you can’t make up your mind about an item, save it to rotate back in later.
Color is a quick way to update a room. Or, actually, these days it’s a lack of color that is making news. My whole house is basically white, wood tones and different grays from light to charcoal to dark iron. New decorative pillows, throw blankets, area rugs and accessories, even books, candles and art on the walls are great opportunities to change any room’s tone without even opening a can of paint.
A new bedding set with fresh sheets, and a bold comforter or duvet will completely change the look of your bedroom. Contrast your wall colors for a little bit of drama, or keep things quiet with off whites, grays and lots of texture, such as a throw blanket with big tassels or fringe, or soft stripes.
Emphasize the natural. I love natural curiosities such as interesting pieces of wood, fossils or shells, crystals and stones, because the color is subtle but warm, and the textures are so fascinating.
Large plants! For a rich pop of color and dramatic touch, add some big architectural plants with interesting leaves. If you can’t spring for something as big as you want, buy smaller ones in multiples, and use a pedestal or plant stand to vary the heights. I generally use odd numbers for any accessory grouping, 3 is a magic number for this!
— Jennifer Adams