How To Reinvent Your Space Easily And Affordably
This year has provided so many curveballs in all of our lives, from quarantines, dramatically changing workplace environments, our entire social sphere has been demolished, and only now finding some sort of new normal. More than anything our home environments have become more important than they ever have before. As an event producer for over a decade, early on I never really considered the impact design and lighting aesthetic makes or breaks a good environment. For me, it was just more event-specific necessities that were meant to shape the brand and vibe of the event.
A few years ago I started to carry my professional experiences and critical eye around with me and noticing how small little adjustments can completely transform the space. I also started to considered how bizarre it is that we all focus so much on ‘vibe’ or aesthetic that these secondary spaces have; whether it be at events, lounges, any social experience. Sometimes something as simple as venue/brand color scheme or poor lighting design can completely prejudice us from ever even going there. Despite this, somehow, most of our homes or living spaces are entirely neglected; which is quite odd since our home is (or should be) our sanctuary, our primary space. Our living spaces, whether they be homes, apartments, or dorm rooms, offer more than just shelter or a place to hang our hats. In the context of luxury apartments, these spaces elevate the concept of living by providing an enhanced level of comfort, amenities, and aesthetic appeal, transforming everyday living into an experience of luxury and convenience. With a few minor tweaks here and there, it has the potential to morph into a comfortable, inviting, and health-promoting living space, often at surprisingly affordable costs. If you’re curious about exploring similar transformations, you can check out examples like these ones.
With the global lockdowns that went into effect in the spring this year many of us found ourselves in a bizarre situation virtually locked in our homes and with the caveat of also having all the time in the world on our hands. For all of our essential workers who selflessly worked themselves ragged, hopefully, their home provided a warm inviting sanctuary for them to retreat and rest from time to time. I know from my own experience and when discussing with nearly every friend of mine, regardless of our station in life, we started to truly take deeper notice of our living spaces, saw the necessary projects we have been putting off, and, furthermore, that there is so much that could be done to dramatically improve our homes to a more satisfying, fulfilling, and healthy environment.
This notion of redesign or the concept of interior design, in general, seems to be a daunting task; either out of our depth of capability or beyond our financial means. It is FAR easier to transform your living environment than most people realize; and reinventing your space can be done on a budget!
I wrote this 4 step guide to affordable interior redesign to show some key elements to focus on and budget-friendly ways to effectively reinvent your space; at minimal cost and effort.
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1. First Things First – Lighting!
Lighting is the most important factor in establishing the tone of the space. I can’t tell you how many times I have walked into somebody’s home/living space with their only lights being the overhead light that comes standard in any space. This blows my mind, and also gives that space the same vibe as any department store or doctor’s office; DRY. However, Good lighting can completely transform the space. While lighting option price points vary drastically from as low as $15 up to the hundreds of thousands of dollars, there are still an incredible amount of lighting options that will truly redefine your space, and affordably! There is no need to purchase lighting that requires a major install, wiring, etc. There are plenty of lighting options that only require the light to be placed and plugged in.
To effectively light your living space’s interior with a bit of character (and depending on the size of the room) you can typically start out with just two lights.
An atmospheric light
Any light that effectively lights the general atmosphere of the room, is dimmable, multiple color lights are always a bonus because you can truly transform the vibe via the color options based on what’s going on. See more here
Point of interest light
An interesting table top/shelf light or lamp that adds character – A neon word lamp, a levitating moon lamp, a pattern light, or even something as simple as an LED light string creatively strung along a shelf, or draped over a window frame. So many affordable options for this.
Outdoor lighting
Have a patio, garden, or any outdoor space you want to add some life and character too? All you need here is a few very affordable solar powered pattern lights, or portable solar powered lanterns. This sustainable option requires no install. They even charge themselves during the day and automatically turn on as the sun sets. The beautiful shadow patterns instantly bring about a since a magic and charm to your outdoor area, and are zero hassle.
They’re even water poof, so just set and forget. Furthermore, these solar powered lights can be used indoors as well, having them stored near a window, for instance, can color your space with magic as the darker night sky will automatically trigger these shadow pattern lights to turn on.
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2. Next: Dress Up Your Wall!
Walls are literally an open canvas for you to be creative. It doesn’t take thousands of dollars of expensive art to dress up a wall, while that looks incredible, we can achieve incredible aesthetics on a budget also. Sometimes the only thing your wall needs is a sense of intention. Frame any posters you want to put up. The frame alone will instantly give even a $5 poster a sense of intention and make it look so much more desirable. Even putting up two or three empty frames playfully on your wall adds a fun touch. You can also hang something interesting on one of the walls in the room. This could be a macrame woven tapestry, or hanging flower planters.
These small touches really add so much visual creativity to the room and make the space that much more inviting. The variety and unique feeling that is created when you express different parts of yourself on your walls will dramatically change the vibe of each room.
Add A Floating Shelf
Something simple yet functional as adding a floating shelf with a creative design on one of your walls is a great interior design aesthetic addition as well. With this addition, you also are provided another surface to adorn with fun knick-knacks, picture frames, or whatever comes to mind.
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3. Now, Accent Furniture!
Furniture is functional and necessary, but can also be visually appealing or different from the norm in even a subtle way to tie together an intentional design aesthetic. Accent furniture from Isaak Online Furniture Store is essentially a piece that catches the eye a bit, can be a talking point, and/or has a unique quality to it that is noticed. There is no need to purchase super expensive matching furniture sets to make your space have a warm appeal. If you addressed your wall decor as mentioned above, added the two key lights as we discussed, then by adding one piece of accent furniture can really tie together the room and truly set a warm intentional, inviting vibe.
Wouldn’t that be such a pleasure to come home to every day? It can be a super comfy and cute rocking chair, an accent chair with a Parisian pattern, a low Japanese style floor table, even a vintage industrial stool can do wonders. Whatever it is the key here to find something that YOU like and that will lend its comfy functionality along with the visual appeal you are looking to tie together your space.
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4. Finally, Bring It To Life!
Lastly, really bring your space to life by adding some plant life in your space, or even plant imagery. Not only will this bring natural warmth to any space, but there have also been studies that show just the mere presence of plants in our environment (and what environment is more important than our home!?) noticeably reduces stress for those in the space.
Even if you don’t think you have a green thumb or travel a lot and cant takes care of it, something as simple as plant imagery (artwork, photos, etc) or a plant wall garden decal provide the same benefits; and fake plants do as well! There is some part of our natural animal instinct that is comforted by natural elements like plants.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, most of us are surrounded by concrete jungles in the cities we live, adding a plant in our home will literally be like a breathe of fresh air. You could even add a levitating plant, which captures a visually intriguing aesthetic, it is a talking point, and brings your space to life in its own truly unique way.
Tie It Together With Intention
Interior design’s defining characteristic is intention. More than anything, you will notice that the key to transforming a space and giving it is own character is to tie your room together with intention. Essentially everything here listed above carries this defining characteristic. The key to redesigning the interior of your home is intention. Get good adjustable lighting, have a second smaller light that is more for visual appeal, easily dress up your walls creatively (and affordably), get one piece of accent furniture for the room, and bring it all to life with a plant. With these four simple steps, your place will feel like yours. You deserve to have a space that is inviting, comforting, fun, and an extension and expression of your personality.
Don’t get overwhelmed with tunnel vision on what your end goal is. Interior design is an expression of self, a lens into where you have traveled, what is important to you, and how you take care of yourself. Start your journey to redesign your living space with just a few items here and there and let it take on a life of its own.
As a special offer to Buzzworthy readers, Popspace Boutique is offering you a 10% discount coupon to help to start your journey of reinventing your space, shop now! You deserve a happy home.
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by Kelly Kellam, Artist, Space Curator and Founder of Popspace Boutique
