Whether you have just bought a new home, or you have been living in your home for years, you can probably benefit from some design pointers and exterior painting. Interior design does not have to be difficult. With just a few simple ideas, you can make your house a more pleasant and more attractive place to live.

Use your own photos as artwork. As a cheaper and more personal way to adorn your walls, use photos that you’ve taken. Either have prints made and frame them or use one of the many photo-to-canvas providers to have your photo made into a gallery canvas. If you are more tech-savvy, you can alter your photos in software to make them look even more like artwork.

Try adding plants to your room. You’ll be surprised at how much more lively, yet calming; a room can become just by adding a simple plant to the room. A single plant, properly placed, can really set the mood and bring a room together. Just don’t forget to water it!

Lamps are a great addition to any home as these can be included in the living room or right by your side in the bedroom. Not only do these devices provide you with additional light to read and write, but they can give your home a classical look and match many different styles.

A good interior-design tip is not to get too carried away with color. There have been many studies made on color and how they can affect you. Even if you love strong colors, and they fit with your personality, the next family or couple that moves in might be put off by them.

If you have a husband who likes to sit and watch sports with his friends, invest in an ottoman. These devices are great to reduce the tension on the legs during a long session of watching television. Try to match the ottoman with the couch in your entertainment room for a wonderful look.

Use wallpaper to upgrade shelving. Assemble-yourself bookcases are an economical choice, but they tend to be boring and look a bit cheap. To make them more stylish, try adding a bold wallpaper on the back of each shelf. Arrange your books and knickknacks to show off the pattern. This simple trick will give a store-bought shelf some pizzazz without breaking the budget.

Design a collection. A grouping of at least three items comprises a collection. You may collect anything that strikes your fancy, so let your interests guide you. Anything more than two items will make a pleasing display. A collection is always at least three pictures. Group your collection together to create an interesting display, and you will have an easy conversation piece.

Area rugs are good additions in any type of room. But it is key to make sure your rug fits the room and furniture the right way. For bigger rooms, be sure the rug is big enough so it doesn’t look odd in the room. You want large rooms to have larger rugs and small rooms to have smaller rugs.

If you need to add more light into your space, consider using flooring that is reflective. There are some wonderfully, shiny hardwoods on the market, and white tiles also make great reflective surfaces. Reflective floors will add brightness to rooms in contrast to dark-hued floors, which tend to emphasize natural light.

If it is possible for you to do so, you can make your living room look better by putting in the fireplace. In addition to giving the living room a comfortable feeling, it will also be great for resale value, should you decide to sell your home in the future.

Painting

If you have a backsplash in your kitchen that you really hate, consider painting it. Painting a backsplash is not a difficult task, and it can completely change the look of your kitchen. It is also a less-expensive option than removing and replacing the existing backsplash. You can even use a grout pen to paint in new grout lines when you are done.

Be patient when painting a room. Rushing could cause you to make some poor color choices. Instead, pick up a few paint samples, paint a few splotches on your wall and live with them for three or four days. Pay attention to how each sample looks under different lighting conditions. You might find yourself changing your mind a few times in the process.

If you have a favorite painting, you may want to use it as the focal point of your room. This way, it will draw the most attention. Pick your rooms color scheme to match your painting so that it your painting will be accented by the entire room. This is a great way to make that painting stand out!

Paint is one of the easiest way to transform the look of a room. If you want to make a big impact in a room, try adding a bold color to just one wall for maximum impact. You can also try a painting technique on that wall such as stenciling, venetian plaster or marbling.

To give your interior design the best lighting possible, consider painting your walls white. Darker colors tend to absorb the beautiful light coming into your home. White walls, on the other hand, will help reflect that natural light throughout your home, giving the entire interior a real sense of drama.

If your home does not have an abundance of natural light, you may want to consider repainting your walls, particularly if they are dark. Dark colors tend to absorb light while brighter and lighter colors reflect them. Try painting your walls white in order to get more natural light in your home.

After reading this article, you should have learned some great tips and techniques for interior design. By putting these ideas into action, you can start transforming your home into an elegant and attractive showplace for your particular sense of style. Before long, your home will be the talk of the neighborhood.