Maybe you share an apartment with a bunch of buddies or you rent a small home all on your own. Regardless of your living situation, you know one thing for certain: You need to give your room and/or home a serious makeover.
It’s time to do away with the clutter, do some interior decorating, and transform your place into one that’s more sophisticated and modern.
For tips on how to do this, here are five ways to make your home more grown-up and sophisticated:
1. Make Your Bed Every Day
Want to start off your day with an instant success? Then consider making your bed every morning. Say goodbye to messy wrinkled sheets, and pull them up tightly and make sure the blanket is tucked in on top and then a quilt or comforter is smoothed over everything. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly a neatly made bed will pull together your room and make it look more sophisticated.
2. Add Art to Your Bare Walls
As a rule, every sophisticated home should have one piece of artwork that you love and adore. Who created the artwork or knowing its price doesn’t matter. What counts is that you think it’s beautiful and you’re proud to display it. If you have any antiques or family heirlooms to display, this can also boost the sophistication factor of a home. And if you don’t quite trust your rowdy roommates with grandma’s antique vase, keep it in your room.
3. Buy an Amazing Sofa
If your couch is filled with lumps and the cushions have tears in them, your home will never quite achieve the sophisticated and modern look you desire. Instead, invest in the most incredible sofa you can afford. For example, you can’t go wrong with a top-of-the-line sectional sofa. Between its modern look and soothing fabric, this couch will make your living room feel calm, cool and collected — not to mention comfortable.
4. Conquer Your Clutter
This doesn’t mean throwing away or donating everything you own and love. On the contrary, it means containing your clutter so that it does not take over a room or your entire home. If you routinely leave piles of clean clothing laying around, spend an afternoon going through your stuff, donate what you never wear, and then put the rest away. A mish-mash of magazines and papers will look better neatly stacked inside a low basket on the coffee table. And if you use ottomans that double as storage units, you can tuck away your blankets, books, video game remotes and other items in your living room.
5. Clean Your Windows and Floors
This may seem simple, but it’s quite powerful. Grimy and smudged windows and floors with spots of Lord-knows-what on them will bring down the sophisticated look you desire quicker than you can say “Windex.” So, grab a bottle of the blue window cleaner — you can also use a mix of vinegar and water — and get to work cleaning your windows inside and out.
You will probably be surprised at how grimy your paper towels or other cleaning cloths get after completing this chore. Then, tackle the floors; vacuum first to remove as much dirt and possible and then scrub the tile or linoleum with a mix of floor-safe cleaner and water to remove those mysterious stains.
In No Time, Your Place Will Look So Much Better
Having a sophisticated and collected-looking home doesn’t require a ton of money and time. By adopting some simple habits like making your bed, cleaning up unnecessary clutter, investing in a statement sofa, and adding a touch of class with artwork, your room or home will look great and feel more welcoming and relaxing in no time.