Dusting off my blog for a meaty post. I’ve been hibernating a bit this winter but April is almost here and I’m finally feeling creative again thanks to some extra sunshine and warmer weather. 🙂

Last week I was asked to teach the Young Women’s group (age 11-18) at our church about Interior design. To be honest I cringed when I was first asked and tried to think of an excuse to get out of it. Winter is very hard on my mental health and I was feeling a bit of imposter syndrome and that I didn’t really have anything useful to share with them. I wallowed in self-loathing for a bit but then decided to suck it up and agreed to help out.

Needless to say, it was a successful night. I actually had fun teaching and they said they enjoyed it and learned a lot. It always impresses me how being nudged to do something you don’t want to do can be exactly what you need to get back on a roll again.

First I talked a bit about style and how they can learn more about what their personal style might be. Then I talked about how they can improve their own rooms through simple design tips. The things I shared with them were fairly simple but things that I think everyone can do if they want to spruce up their home a bit even, AND should I say especially if you are on a budget! So without further ado…

1. PAINT!

Paint is your best friend! Well, Paint IS MY best friend! I honestly believe you can paint ANYTHING if you use the right products! Paint a wall or a whole room. Paint your furniture to add a pop of color or be more in a style you want to achieve. You can spray paint picture frames, lamps, etc. Paint is an inexpensive product and in the worst-case scenario you paint something and you don’t like it, no big deal, YOU CAN PAINT OVER IT! It honestly never ceases to amaze me how much the power of paint can change a room. 🙂

In our basement guestroom, I almost left it white, but look at how much depth and beauty the green paint added! The color is Sherwin-Williams ‘Oakmoss’.

Here is another example of the power of a little paint on some sad-looking furniture that gave it a whole new life. I never showed this side of our bedroom before but now I love it just as much as the rest.

2. ART

Adding art or changing the artwork in a room can completely refresh it. Artwork can be used to display a certain design style you want in your home, or you can just put up pictures of people and places you love. There are so many affordable shops that you can buy digital downloads from. Etsy is my favorite place to source prints. I actually have my own Etsy shop and have a few of my own and some family pieces listed in my Etsy shop. I also love Juniper Printshop and BFF print shop.

And of course, you can always create your own artwork and hang it up too. When I was in England serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I collected wildflowers in a journal as I walked around, and once I was home again I collaged them into an art piece. I feel nostalgia and love for my time in England every time I see this piece. Full details for my pressed flower art are here.

3. LIGHTING

Lighting is so crucial to creating the right mood in your home and it can elevate your design significantly. If you have an older home with dated light fixtures, changing those out to more modern fixtures can instantly upgrade your home. Another thing to consider is the layers of lighting. You should have general overhead lights for everyday activities and then secondary lights like lamps or wall sconces for extra light or to create a cozy mood on their own.

Now if you’ve spent time finding beautiful lights for your home, don’t forget about the lightbulb temperature! The lower the Kelvin number the warmer the light. My personal favorite is 3000 Kelvin. When it comes to Lumens just think about how bright you want the light to be. Lower lumens are ideal for exposed bulbs or multiple sources of light in a chandelier. Higher lumens are great for a single source of light in a room.

And as always you can even make your own light fixtures. I updated the basic builder light in my daughter’s room with a little spray paint and some skewer sticks. Read the full tutorial here.

4. PLANTS

There’s just something about adding a living thing and a bit of green to a room that just completes it. Now I know not everyone has a green thumb but there are some incredible faux plants out there too! Click here to see my favorite faux plants.

If you want to try real plants there are so many great beginner ones to start with. Snake plants, spider plants, and succulents are all very low maintenance and need very little water. Another benefit of real plants is that they clean the air so that’s a win-win for form and function.

5. TEXTILES

Now textiles are a broad category but what I am referring to mainly are curtains, pillows, throw blankets, and rugs! These are the final styling pieces that really pull the whole room together. You can also change the whole look of space by just changing out the textiles for a different color or style.

In my daughter’s room I really wanted it to feel bold and colorful so I chose a bright mustard yellow for the curtains, but if I wanted it to feel more neutral I could have gone with white, and then the art would have been more of a focal point.

When I went to style our deck I wanted it to feel cozy and casual so I brought in lots of rugs, poufs, and pillows to cozy up the space. Without those extra textiles, it would feel very different. See the full deck tour here.