Here are seven home improvement ideas that can significantly enhance your home’s ambiance. All of these ideas are low-cost or free. You can make money by following the advice in one of them. Some of them require some work, others require very little. Together, they provide a strong foundation for creating your ideal home environment.
1. Color your world
Few things can affect a home’s appearance more than its paint’s color and freshness. The color of a room can have a profound impact on your mood, and the freshness of the paint can significantly influence the perceived quality and cleanliness of the space.
Painting can dramatically change the look and feel of your home’s interior at minimal cost. It is a lot of work, but the rewards are worthwhile.
You can also make a room seem larger and more attractive by strategically placing complementary colors and shades. For example, if you paint your ceilings a lighter color than your walls, they appear higher. I’ve seen many people use white paint on their ceilings to get this effect when their wall colors are a very light shade. Painting moldings, window and door frames, and structural features a different shade or color makes the room more interesting.
Each color elicits a different emotional response. Savvy companies have used the psychology of color to influence behavior for years. Some colors stimulate activity, and others calm and relax.
Here are some descriptions of how color affects us.
- Green – Balances, normalizes, refreshes.
- Pink – Soothes, promotes affection and congeniality.
- Yellow – Cheers, increases energy and creativity.
- Red – Stimulates, empowers, dramatizes.
- Orange – Increases appetites, conversation, and charity.
- White – Enlivens all other colors. Purifies, unifies.
- Purple – Creates mystery, comforts, draws out intuition.
- Blue – Relaxes, refreshes, produces a peaceful mood.
When it comes to home improvement ideas, painting is often undervalued. A fresh coat of paint can enhance the look of any room, and the color can make a dramatic difference. Consider a wide range of colors and take your time selecting one. I suggest that you test colors by painting a large square on a wall that you often pass. Then, live with it for a while and see how you feel.
2. Set the mood & conceal imperfections with lighting adjustments
By just lowering the lights, you can completely change the mood of a room and enhance its appearance. Lower lighting can also obscure imperfections on your furniture, room paint, and your own appearance. Everyone looks better when the lights are dim. In contrast, if the lights are so bright that you feel like you’re in a hospital operating room, every imperfection is vividly apparent, and colors look washed out.
You can achieve the level of lighting you want and save money on your electric bill by installing low-watt LED bulbs and dimmer switches. I use many of these around my home, except in areas where I spend a lot of time reading. In those locations, I use high-watt LED bulbs.
There is a tendency to have the brightest lighting possible in kitchens and bathrooms. I think this practice is a mistake. These rooms tend to get dirty quickly and accumulate damage more rapidly than any other room. If you lower the lights, you and your guests will not notice these imperfections.
I understand that there are reasons to have good light in a kitchen or bathroom on a regular basis. To accommodate these needs, install overhead recessed lighting that targets specific areas and/or use dimmers to adjust the light level throughout the entire room as needed.
During the day, you can create the atmosphere that you want by adjusting or installing window coverings. If blinds, shades, or curtains don’t do the job, install window tinting. This may be particularly necessary for windows that are out of reach and/or don’t have coverings.
The key is to decide what atmosphere you want to create and then design your lighting levels and fixture placements to achieve that end.
A change in lighting is one of the easiest home improvement ideas to implement, yet it can have a profound impact on the look and feel of a room. And it can save you money!
3. Light the Room on Fire
When it comes to creating a relaxed, elegant, or romantic mood in a room, nothing does it better than lit candles.
The more lit candles that you have, the more dramatic the effect. Scented candles can further enhance the effects. Aside from the kitchen, I would suggest avoiding candles that smell like food. The only exception is tropical fruit scents, which can evoke memories of vacationing on an island paradise.
Don’t leave out your bathroom. Not only will candles transform the appearance of your bathroom when the lights are off, but scented candles can also eliminate unpleasant odors.
To achieve the greatest benefit from using candles, be sure to turn off or dim your lights. Also, the more candles you place throughout your home, the better. This is especially true if you are trying to create a romantic atmosphere.
Important Warning: When using candles, it’s essential that you are vigilant when it comes to fire safety.
4. Stop the Noise and Turn On the Music
Irritating outside noise can destroy your ability to enjoy your home. There are several steps you can take to eliminate the noise.
Double- or even triple-pane windows can significantly help block noise and keep out heat and cold. If you have the opportunity to install these in your home, I recommend that you do. They really make a difference.
Close windows and doors that are nearest the source of the noise. This is a no-brainer, but sometimes we forget how minor adjustments can make a big difference.
If you have noisy neighbors, I feel for you. I’ve had extensive experience in this area. After a lot of trial and error, I finally figured out how to handle it successfully. I’ll give you some of the most important secrets I’ve discovered.
Always communicate noise complaints anonymously in writing, either by typing and mailing a letter or by contacting the police or other local authorities. When writing a letter, describe the problem clearly and remain firm yet polite. Although the police will ask you for your name, you do not have to give it. Your complaint becomes a matter of record either way. Other authorities might include a community noise complaints officer.
Although it goes against our natural inclination to be stand-up individuals and neighbors, for several solid reasons, doing it anonymously is often more effective. Believe me, I know. I’ve tried it both ways many times. Let’s move on to more pleasant issues.
Pleasing background music or sounds can add the finishing touch to creating a peaceful and inspiring home environment.
Instrumentals
If you wish to create a romantic atmosphere, get some romantic music
Some of these home improvement ideas are simple, but they can significantly impact your overall experience, whether you’re working, relaxing, or entertaining.
5. Pleasant Fragrances are Worth a Thousand Feelings
Nothing can ruin a home more than unpleasant odors. This is especially true for guests since they haven’t become accustomed to the smell like you may have.
If a home smells extra good, you will notice it every time you walk in, and so will your guests. The same is true if it smells bad, except you will not notice it as much after a while.
Fragrances affect your emotions just as color, lighting, and sound do. And once the scent registers in your brain, good or bad, it stays with you and affects how you feel.
There are many ways to make your home smell great! If you want to make your home smell fantastic, I suggest doing as many of these things as possible.
- Have your carpets, furniture, and drapes professionally cleaned. This should be done at least every few years.
- Thoroughly clean your entire home. If necessary, hire a service to do it for you. This should be done at least once a year, in addition to regular weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleanings, depending on the activity level in your home.
- Place vases of fragrant, fresh-cut flowers around the room. Carnations, gardenias, and stock are very aromatic.
- Put out bowls of potpourri. Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material.
- Hang pine or eucalyptus wreaths.
- Burn incense on a regular basis. The fragrances released during the burning of incense tend to penetrate surrounding materials and accumulate.
- Burn scented candles on a regular basis. The fragrances of scented candles are often subtly apparent even when they are not lit and prominent when they are.
- Install some plug-in air fresheners. These do a terrific job if you choose the right fragrance. I’d stay away from those meant to resemble the smell of certain foods.
The use of carpet, fabric, and room refreshers can be helpful, but don’t try to use them to mask a dirty home. It won’t work, and the practice is tacky.
If your carpet is too far gone or gets dirty too quickly, leaving an unpleasant appearance and smell, you may want to consider installing stone, tile, wood, bamboo, or laminate flooring. This investment would eliminate a major source of odors and germs, greatly improve your home’s appearance, and increase its value.
This suggestion should be at the top of the list, but I didn’t want to start with cleaning tasks. The truth is that a clean and pleasant-smelling low-cost home is much more inviting than a dirty, foul-smelling mansion.
6. Bring Nature Inside & Just Breath
Houseplants bring a feeling of nature and peacefulness into your home. Plants that get a lot of natural light absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Plants in low-light areas don’t do this as well. We, of course, take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Plants can act as natural air purifiers.
Tropical plants thrive particularly well in bathrooms that receive ample sunlight. They like the humidity that showers and baths create.
Dried plants and flowers are nice. They can enhance the ambiance of a room, and some of them have pleasant natural fragrances.
Most artificial plants, flowers, and grasses look tacky. It’s okay to use high-quality artificial plants in hard-to-reach places that are far enough away to prevent close inspection. It’s essential to keep them clean, or they will appear fake.
Keep it real and get live plants. They require a little work, but the look and oxygen production cannot be duplicated.
7. Remove the Clutter, Simplify, and Organize
When it comes to award-winning interior design and inviting environments, simplicity and logical order are the most important considerations.
Both shared and private living spaces look best when they are free of clutter and contain just the right amount of furniture. Having the correct size furniture is also essential. Having a large sofa or bed in a small room can make the room look small, crowded, and awkward.
The first step in simplifying your home is to eliminate clutter by removing unused furniture, electronics, appliances, books, and magazines. Once you’ve done that, you can begin the process of organizing everything, from arranging furniture to organizing the contents of cabinets, closets, and drawers. While organizing these storage areas, you can select items to discard. I suggest that you be aggressive in this effort.
A great way to begin this project is by having a garage sale. That way, you can have buyers haul away items you no longer want and earn some money to implement some of the other home improvement ideas I’ve discussed.
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Each of these ideas contributes to how you and others will feel in each room of your home. The closer each component is to your ideal home environment, the more you and others will enjoy being there. Living spaces like these can also foster greater creativity, productivity, and positive human interaction. You don’t believe me. How do you feel when you’re in an exceptionally beautiful home, hotel, or restaurant?
Leading hotels, restaurants, and stores leverage all the aspects I’ve discussed to create the most enjoyable experience possible for their guests. Why not do the same for yourself? These home improvement ideas offer a solid foundation for creating a dream home environment.