renovating
Have you ever stood in the doorway of a room in your home — a room you know doesn’t look or feel the way you want it to — and felt overwhelmed with frustration because it’s just, well… ugly? I promise it doesn’t have to be a big budget fix in order to give you a room that makes you breathe an enormous sigh of relief whenever you walk in!
Are there old hardwoods hiding under the brown shag wall-to-wall carpet? Maybe with some rooms, you need to dig a bit deeper. Does it have a lot of natural light? Is it smaller and cozy? Maybe it’s the room where you always spend time as a family playing board games. That completely counts! Just start off by choosing something positive.
Some examples for non-negotiables are family heirlooms or even tricky architectural details like heating soffits or electric baseboards. Maybe it's your husbands favorite armchair. In any case, for our second question, we need to make note of what must stay.
Is it a messy room with too much clutter? Is it dark or dated? Is it simply no longer your style? Is it that you like the individual accessories, but together they lack cohesion? Can you change these things, or do some have to go back into the non-negotiable category? If you can change them, let’s move on to the next question.
-Declutter -Paint -Lighting -Window Treatments -Furniture/Accessory Swaps
Rather than being rigid, consider mixing a few styles that you like. Do you want the room to be light and bright? Dark and moody? Coastal-inspired? Boho and natural with a lot of plants? Remember that it should make sense with the rest of your home but you can still experiment with design and have fun in individual spaces.
These are my favorite way to add potential function and unique character to a project. While you don’t necessarily have to tackle this in phase one of a project, it may just be what an ugly room needs to be both beautiful and more functional.
I want you to think about who will use the finished space. Will small children be running around? It may be best to avoid sharp corners or edges, like a coffee table. Do you have pets that climb on the sofas even if you try to prevent it? Maybe avoid light colors for your textiles. Do you have a big family or extended family? You’ll need plenty of potential seating.
These are the key questions you need to answer to help you see the potential in an ugly room. Once you’re satisfied you have a good grasp on your room, you’ll be ready to put together the pieces of your project plan and get started. Tap the link below to read more and don't forget to follow along with me on Instagram @ninahendrickhome!