A favorite quote of mine, from a savvy woman, is this: “Wisely strategic interior design moves can bring great rewards”.
(BTW, that savvy woman also loves handbags and 72% chocolate, in case you’re curious.)
Yes! Design lovers! Wise design changes are not necessarily the big changes or costly changes, though they certainly can be. Wise and strategic design changes are selected because they push an important button in an interior; texture, line, light, form, shape or color to name a few.
To honor spring, let’s go easy on the budget, and for fun, here are 5 easy, quick and lower cost options that professional interior designers use….to up-level and refresh spaces for photoshoots! Yes…a little room polishing can make the image go from meh to amazing.
Pick just 1-3 of the following ideas and you’ll see the needle move in your spaces as you refresh them for spring.
Add a Floor Plant in an interesting container. The important note is the one easily missed: The container is AS important as the plant. Size color and style need to be spot on. This one move has saved countless rooms on photo-shoot days.
Update your Artwork. There are some choices here:
*Reframe something you own and watch it completely change.
*Switch out all of your art locations. Start by taking it all down and moving pieces to new locations – pure gold. Art changes when it’s in a new context.
*Splurge on a new piece, being sure that the scale is striking. Bigger than smaller is the rule here.
Artwork can reinvent a space.
Lean into the Power of Accessories to completely update literally any space. The secret here is this: It is rarely about 1 accessory. Instead, the power is held in the total curated combination of ALL the room accessories. That power is how we drive dramatic shifts in spaces. All 12-20 accessory items, the table top items, lamps/lighting, artwork and soft goods (like pillows), all of these correctly combined, placed and styled have massive power to change a room’s vibe and mood.
This spring pick one room and lean into the power of the accessories. Start by purging worn, dated, mis-matched accessories and fill in with new. You. Will. Be. Amazed. This is another room saving move that is used by design professionals on photography day if a client doesn’t complete a space. Magic.
Repaint (Only) Interior Trim and Doors. Hard to believe I know, but it’s amazing to see the brightening lift that happens when room trim is repainted. You can do this yourself or call in a pro.
Clean Your Windows Professionally both indoors and out. It may cost a few hundred dollars, but it’s incredible how much lighter and brighter spaces become when a season or years’ worth of schmutz is removed from all the glass in your room. The game changer here is the professional job versus you with your Windex.
Happy spring my design loving lovelies!
About Donna Hoffman: A multi-award-winning Bucks County based designer, Hoffman’s company, Interiors by Donna Hoffman, specializes in new construction, renovation, whole home and full room design, delivering livable luxury to discerning clients. Seen in Forbes, Real Simple, TV and radio, Donna is considered a design thought leader. Called the nation’s #1 design coach because she founded TheInteriorDesignAdvocate.com, Donna also loves providing on-line courses that empower DIY’ers across the country.