5 Ways to Give Your Home an Instant Makeover
2nd July 2013Are you looking for something special to enhance your home? Maybe you’re after a fresh new look or would like to add a bit of character and charm to your property?
The good news is you needn’t splash out on giving your home a complete redecoration! By adding just a few new elements, you can transform your home instantly with minimum effort and cost. Here are some ideas on how you can give your home an instant makeover, to help get you started.
Coving & cornice – a small change can make a big difference
Coving is a type of plain architectural moulding used as decoration to bridge the join between walls and ceilings. It’s easy to install and is a great way to finish off a room. Similarly, cornice is a type of decorative coving, which has additional patterns and design features carved into the moulding.
With cornice you can really get creative as there are plenty of options available to you. Styles vary from traditional Victorian, Edwardian & Georgian to modern and contemporary cornice with uplighting cornice being a popular feature in modern interior design. This variety means that you’re guaranteed to find something that fits in with your home’s current design theme or create a completely new look if you’re feeling bold, the choice is yours.
A small change can make a big difference, so if you’re looking for a subtle change to enhance your home then cornice & coving are fantastic options.
Give your home a touch of class with ceiling decoration
Ceiling decoration was once an essential part of traditional interior design. In the past, ceilings were used to make a statement, with the rich using ceiling design to show off and utilise every surface to add extra decoration in their homes. Many great stately homes and grand palaces across the world provide evidence of this trend with their fabulously grand ceiling ornamentation.
Sadly, today in most modern properties, ceilings are overlooked and left bare making them look dull and lifeless. This is such a shame as ceiling decoration can really transform a property and complement a home’s existing features. Ceiling decoration works particularly well if you’ve got a grand light fitting, ceiling domes are a great way to show off light fixtures, especially chandeliers. The domes interact nicely with light, brightening a room instantly.
Alternatively, ceiling roses provide extra decoration as they are available in many different styles focusing around a floral motif. For larger properties with grand expansive ceilings, ceiling tiles are a good option if you’re looking to break up space and add interest. Ceiling tiles fit in particularly well with traditional properties; you can even use tiling on the wall if you want to go for the full effect.
Make a grand statement with dado & panel rails
Dado and panel rails are positioned on the walls around the perimeter of a room. The word dado refers to the lower part of the wall, which in traditional design styles should contrast the top section. Traditionally dado rails were used as a division between both sections of the wall; they also had a more practical use as well in protecting against damage to the wallpaper caused by furniture.
These features are particularly well suited to more traditional homes, although if you’ve been inspired by TV period dramas such as Downtown Abbey and would like to add a touch of period charm to your home, you can make this look work in almost any property.
Downtown Abbey is set in the post-Edwardian era, but dado and panel rails were also a key feature of Victorian and Georgian style.
Brighten up a room with wall lighting
Wall lighting comes in many shapes and sizes; one of the most common forms is uplighting, where the fitting allows light to be focused upwards towards the ceiling. This creates a stylish lighting effect, illuminating a room and adding ambience to set a mood.
Although wall lighting is a typical feature in modern home décor, uplights with traditional wall mouldings in a variety of styles are great for complementing your home’s existing décor.
Enhance the character of your property with door panelling & surrounds
First impressions count and doors are often the first thing people see when entering a room. Most modern homes tend to have fairly plain doors and door surrounds, which can be dull and boring. If you would like to add real character to your property, doors are a good place to start.
Architraves, which include door frames and surrounds can be given a new life and character by replacing standard frames with more traditional options, instantly giving a property classic period charm.
This character can be further enhanced by taking a normal flat door and fitting raised panelling. Panels can be easily installed onto your existing doors, so you won’t need to buy a new door.
Transform your home – by making a small change
These options that we’ve shown you prove that to make a change to your home, you don’t need to spend a fortune. Adding architectural mouldings can give your property a whole new lease of life.
For more information on all of the products mentioned, please get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help you transform your home.