By Triana Griffith

Associate Interior Designer

Read Time: 5 Minutes

When my husband and I bought our first home, I was immediately excited about the prospect of finally being able to personalize our space without the oversight of a landlord. For months, I planned out the big stuff like furnishings, lamps and accessories. But once we moved in, something new grasped my attention: all the little details that frustrated me once we actually lived in the space. As a new homeowner and a designer, I can tell you that good interior design is all in the details, but these nuances can often be addressed with simple, cost-effective changes. Here are five smart upgrades to make your home more custom.

Front Door

Your home’s overall impression begins at the front door. Perhaps the current front door doesn’t express your style. If your HOA allows it, you can select a new style that is more your own. Otherwise, an easy way to start fresh is with new paint. This can typically be done in a single afternoon. You may consider going with a cheerful color or just adding a new coat. Not only is painting the front door great for curb appeal, but ultimately it is a way to set the tone for an inviting interior.

Washable Paint

Many homes, especially new builds, will come with builder’s grade flat paint. There is nothing less appealing to me, both experientially and functionally. From a tactile perspective, flat finishes feel dry and rough. They are also difficult to maintain, showing scuffs as early as move-in day. If there was only one change that I could make to upgrade any home it would be changing to an eggshell finish for increased durability and ease of cleaning. Of course, in high moisture areas like bathrooms one might prefer a satin or semi-gloss finish. Go with a semi-gloss on your trims to give them added strength against every day bumps and dirt and a little more polish.

Just as a pair of earrings or cufflinks are to an outfit, hardware is the jewelry to your home.

Hardware

Just as a great pair of earrings or cufflinks are to an outfit, hardware is the jewelry to your home. It’s a small detail that is relatively easy and low cost to change but it makes a big impact. While hardware may seem insignificant to each room, consider how many door knobs and cabinet pulls and towel bars a single home can have. Even in modest homes, that’s many opportunities to see something special. Changing out hardware is also an important consideration because hardware is designed to be used. Every time you open and close doors or need to use a towel, you are interacting with hardware. Why shouldn’t it be great? Whether you do it yourself or outsource the work, nailing these details will make your home express your style.

Bathroom Mirrors

Upgrading your powder room mirrors is one of the most expressive upgrades you can do, especially in bathrooms. Because people spend less time in a powder room than anywhere else in the home, they can handle bolder choices without being overwhelming. Go with something that has a unique frame to complement your design. In the master bathroom you may decide on something simpler, but finding something that suits your taste will still be a smart choice.

Lighting

Lighting is a crucial component to interior design. And while all projects should include decorative fixtures that complement other aspects of design, a really important detail is to consider upgrading your utility lighting. If you have a home that was one of the first to adopt recessed can lighting, you may not have noticed how the casings have yellowed over time or just how energy inefficient they are by today’s standards. Replace these old cans for smaller LED versions to clean up your ceilings and save a little in energy cost.

Whether you want to find an earring that you lost on the carpet or serve cocktails after a dinner party, with dimmers you’ll be able to adjust the room to the appropriate amount of light.

Of all the elements in a room’s design, I will argue that none of them impact the final experience more than lighting. In this case, I’m not even talking about lamps or sconces, but specifically about lumens and light temperature. Lumens are the volume of light, while temperature speaks to the warmth or coolness of the light a fixture gives. Our homes provide spaces that we use for different tasks at different times of day, so it is crucial to be able to control the brightness suited to those experiences.

The easiest way to do this is to upgrade your switched lighting to dimmers. Whether you want to find an earring that you lost on the carpet or serve cocktails after a dinner party, with dimmers you’ll be able to adjust the room to the appropriate amount of light. And while you're changing all of your switches to have dimmers, switch out dated plate covers for new ones. Avoid highly decorative designs; typically, simpler plates in durable materials are a better choice.

There are many choices, both big and small, to make when it comes to styling your home. Tackling these upgrades has made me feel more relaxed and are a great way to start small to immediately customize the overall look. If you think these recommendations sound like a great jumping off point, but you want professional help to take your design even further, fill out the project query below to get started.

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More Resources:
Busting 5 Design Myths
Not Just A Pretty Room: 7 Opportunities For More Joy In Your Home
What To Expect: How We Work