Small Renovations That Make a Big Difference

What Makes Interiors Look Old and Tired?

Materials that haven’t aged well can give even the nicest home a shabby appearance. They may be things that you’ve grown used to or never noticed. Examples we frequently see include brass-plated light fixtures that have begun to pit, cabinet doors that have warped or sagged, faucets that have begun to corrode, and doorknobs where the brass plating has rubbed off exposing the dark metal underneath.

The style of fixtures and finishes can also make a once-elegant home look dowdy. Here are some examples:

• Brass lighting fixtures look outdated compared to today’s sleeker more elegant style fixtures in brushed finishes like nickel or black.
• Light oak cabinets and floors also date a house. White cabinetry, deeper finishes like espresso, and even wood stains in blue or forest green make your kitchen look new again.
• Wall-to-wall carpet gives a house a very dated appearance these days. Even in bedrooms, hardwood floors are more desirable for their clean, rich look. Besides the style issue, nothing detracts from a home’s freshness more than wall-to-wall carpet that has seen better days.

Overall Impact of Updates

If you look around your home and decide it’s starting to look out-of-date but you don’t know where to start, we can help. There are many things that can be done that are high-impact but smaller-scale that will bring your home up-to-date with your needs and lifestyle today. Instead of knocking down walls, we can stay within the existing layout of your home, replacing worn-out elements. Stylish, high-quality new fixtures and finishes will not only update the look of your home but can also reduce maintenance time and expenses.

To give you an idea of the scope of an update, our work might include replacing the home’s lighting fixtures, corroded faucets, and worn brass-plated door knobs with handsome new ones. We can install quality wood cabinets in the kitchen and give that old master bathroom a spa-like feel with elegant tile and light fixtures and new tub, toilet and sink. For more contemporary-looking floors and stair rails, we can refinish the wood, stain the floors and handrail a deep walnut, and paint the balusters and stair risers white.

Many homeowners have the intention of staying in their homes for many more years and just want it to feel fresh and current again. Room by room, we can update your home so it does indeed look – and live – like it’s brand new. If you’d like to explore possibilities for your own update, just give us a call and we’ll help you get started!