Easy Ways to Redecorate Your Space Without Leaving the House

This is a guest post by Georgia Titonis, Uphams Corner Branch Librarian

By now we are all tired of our own four walls, but instead of climbing them, why not think about changing things up? Small changes to our home décor can make a big difference and need not include buying anything or leaving the house. Here are some easy ways to redecorate with what you already have.

Everyone knows about moving around the furniture in a room to get a fresh perspective, but have you tried moving furniture from one room to another? The concept is the same as when you look at your whole wardrobe to make new outfits.

• If you have a small couch or large overstuffed chair, try seeing what it looks like in a bedroom
• Move around tables, what does the bedside table look like as an end table?
• How does the dining room rug look in the bedroom?
• If these all seem to big, try something smaller like moving around lamps, or artwork

Books are portable décor, but so are bookshelves. See what it is like to have the whole family’s book shelves in one room as your own personal library. Or spread them out on shelves in the kitchen for cookbooks, and novels in the bedroom and the kid’s rooms…you get the idea.

You also may want to consider reorganizing your books.  Possible organizational styles are:

• Title
• Author
• Subject
  • Dewey Decimal
  • Library of Congress
• Type of Use
• Family member
• Or you could be like interior designers and organize books by size or color.

Instead of mixing things up; think about adding or removing items. If you have a cozy, over stuffed home, consider putting 1/3 of your stuff in storage for a while and seeing what the minimalist house feels like. Don’t get rid of stuff; just box it up and put it away in the basement, or a closet.

Or, you can pull your stuff out of storage and display your beloved collections. Apartment Therapy and Elle Decor both have really good ideas for ways to make your beloved objects shine.

What do you have on your walls? Walls are a great opportunity to change things even without changing paint or wallpaper. I already mentioned switching around artwork but what about your family photos? Try putting different pictures in your frames or moving the photos to a new place. If you are feeling ambitious try using masking, painters or washi tape to make a mural.

Finally, there is fabric. Not everyone sews, and not everyone has to! There are many no sew ways to use fabric in décor, including tablecloths, easy curtains, and slipcovers. If you do not collect fabric, look at the top sheets from the bed sets you're not using. Just be sure to not alter or glue any sheets you plan to use on a bed later. 

PressReader also has various home decorating magazines. Here are a list of books available at the BPL that might help with your home decorating:

List created by gtitonis

Six books to help you change up your nest just enough.

View Full List