Seven tips to keep your home from looking dated

One of the biggest challenges homeowners face when it comes to interior decorating is time. Time passes and with it, trends come and go. What was in fashion just a few years ago looks horribly dated now and what’s trendy now will be outdated just a few years in the future. No matter how much time and money you put into decorating your home, you’re always battling to stay ahead of that dated look. Here are seven tips for staying ahead.

Figure out your personal style

The first step in creating a space that won’t look dated is to stop worrying about trends. That might seem counter-intuitive but if you base all of your interior decorating decisions on what’s currently trending, not only will your home soon feel outdated but you won’t even like it. It’s better to start with discovering your own personal style rather than focusing on trends. So ask yourself, what defines your personal taste when it comes to interior design. What colors and textures do you prefer?

Have a flexible color scheme as a base

Your base color palette should be flexible and easy to work with. Choose something that’s neutral but appealing to you. Use that color scheme throughout your home and build off of that. The advantage of a flexible color scheme is that as seasons come and go and as you swap out pieces from time to time, you won’t have a difficult time matching pieces to your color scheme. Choose something too out there and you’ll find that you’re constantly struggling to make things match.

Keep your paint job fresh

Don’t go too long between interior paint jobs. It’s easy to forget about your walls and not recognize when they’ve become dinged up and stained. But once you do a repaint, you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes. It’s one of the most cost effective ways to make your home seem new again. Remember the previous tip and select a neutral paint color that’s easy to work with.

Avoid themed rooms

Resist the urge to go all out with the African themed room or whatever other theme you have in your mind. You might be into it now but who’s to say what you’ll like two or three years down the road. The best odds of not getting tired with a space is to mix and match different styles. Fuse different elements together and avoid designing an entire room according to a single theme.

Layering is good, but don’t overdo it

Layering is good, it’s how you create a diverse space. Over time you’ll inherit or buy new pieces. But eventually, you can overdo it and a space could look cluttered. Every room needs a focal point and if there are too many things and no unifying principles of design in the space, it won’t look good. So as you accumulate new furniture and other pieces, occasionally take time to go through and get rid of things that no longer fit (literally and figuratively) in that space.

Embrace change

No matter how many precautions you take to create a timeless design, you will still need to make occasional changes. Don’t feel like every design decision is permanent. From time to time you can mix things up. Move furniture around. Maybe even move something that’s been in the same room for years into a different room. Don’t be afraid of change.

Budget for the next wave

Have in interior decorating budget that you are constantly investing in. When it’s time for something new, purchase it from that budget. Don’t ever exhaust it completely, just keep the money rotating in and out so there’s always some available when it’s time for a change.

Source: New Jersey Herald

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