7 Tips to Bust Your Home Out of a Style Rut
Do you ever find yourself staring at your surroundings and trying to figure out what could make them just a little bit better? Nothing is technically wrong, but it just feels like it’s missing something? If you’re bored in the house and bored of your house, I have a few ideas that may help you kick things up a notch!
1. Pump up the texture
If things are feeling a little flat, try pumping up the texture! You can do this in ways big or small — think a textured wall treatment or a fuzzy throw blanket. A woven wall hanging or a plush rug. There are so many ways to add texture! If you stick to a minimalist color palette, you can do amazing things by throwing in concrete, wood, marble, glass, velvet, metal and other materials.
2. Mix old with new
This has probably been the most helpful discovery for me — learning how to mix pieces that have a little bit of age and character with more modern pieces. Any time I think a room doesn’t feel quite right, I try to incorporate pieces with a history to them. In our kitchen, we have an old Salvation Army medical table that we use as a bar cart. In our living room, we have a row of theater seats under my favorite Anthropologie mirror. I love love LOVE the juxtaposition of old with new.
Everyone that comes over asks about our theater chairs. They even have funny things scribbled under the seats!
3. Switch your game up
If you buy everything in your house from Pottery Barn, it’s going to look like a Pottery Barn catalogue. Which is cool, if that’s what you’re going for! But if you’re in a rut, try switching thing up a bit and buy items from different sources. My favorite place to shop is Facebook Marketplace. Especially now, when I still feel kind of weird setting foot in a store. When most of the world was shut down over the summer, we got a new (to us) couch from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for $1,000 (which is a STEAL). Goodbye, Urban Outfitters futon! Also, because people are spending more time at home than ever before, they’re doing a fair amount of shopping, and lead times are long. FB Marketplace is instant gratification!
4. Add some vibes
Maybe all you’re missing is a little ambience! Candles are an easy mood-setter. And I’ve been spending more on fresh flowers lately, even if it’s just a few stems from the local florist. You can also play with lighting — string lights are whimsical, but if they’re too much effort, try switching out some of your light bulbs for the LED color-changing version. We have this one in our living room lamp, and we love using it. And when in doubt, put a disco ball by a window, and enjoy the sunlight bouncing around the room. Instant mood-booster!
Can you believe I scored this light for $22?!
5. Whip out your paint brush
Paint is the cheapest way to transform a space. If you have a little free time, giving some walls or a piece of furniture or even a picture frame a fresh coat of paint is a great way to spruce things up. Change can be a little jarring, so maybe sit with it for a few days if you don’t immediately love it. And if you decide you don’t like it, just paint it back. Easy squeezy!
6. Take a photo
Sometimes when I can’t figure a room out, I take a picture and use that to figure out where to plug pieces in, whether it’s furniture or artwork or a well-placed throw pillow. Seeing things in a flat photo can help determine what works and what just doesn’t. I feel like I do most when I’m trying to style a room.
CHEERS!
7. Have a cocktail
Listen, I know this isn’t the most conventional advice, but hey — we all deserve a cocktail right now. This world is crazy! And if you’re even a fraction of the perfectionist that I am, it may help you see things in a slightly different light. I finally hung up some of our wedding photos in our bedroom after 2 Truly Lemonade Seltzers (my official drink of quarantine PLS SPONSOR ME). If you still can’t figure it out, invite a neighbor over for their opinion. At least you won’t be drinking solo 😉
