4 (More) Simple Ways to Elevate Your Space

Fresh flowers and warm towels are welcome touches of luxury in any home, but, if you’re looking for some additional ways to elevate your space, you’ve come to the right place.  

Elevating your space doesn’t mean you have to make your home look like everyone else’s.  But, it does mean thinking intentionally about steps that you can take to make sure that your home reflects your values, meets your needs, and nourishes your spirit, all while looking cohesive and thoughtfully put together (in other words, elevated)!

This post lists four more easy ways to make your space look polished while staying true to your personal style!

1. Upgrade your bathroom(s) and kitchen!

There’s a reason that realtors always say that homeowners get the most bang for their buck on renovations to their kitchens and bathrooms.  Kitchens and bathrooms are places where we spend a lot of time and they’re often the priciest to renovate and update.  Whether you’re a homeowner or a renter like me, take the realtors’ advice — sink some time and effort into upgrading these spaces.

Elevate your bathroom accessories

Little things like decanting your plastic bottle of hand soap into a pretty soap dispenser make a world of difference to the overall look and feel of your bathroom. But, when choosing bathroom accessories, make sure to pay attention to any metallic finishes that you introduce.  I’d suggest more matte metallic finishes for accessories like soap dispensers, towel hooks, and the like.  A matte finish tends to look richer than its glossier counterpart.

Refresh a dated kitchen

It takes more effort and money to make bigger changes like covering up ugly kitchen tiles or creating a backsplash where there isn’t one already.  But, I promise your efforts will pay off ten fold when you’re cooking up a storm in a place that is, at the very least, pleasing to look at and create in.

Added bonus? Peel and stick surfaces are easy to clean.  I speak from experience when I say avoiding getting marinara sauce and vegetable curry on wall paint in a kitchen that has no backsplash is basically impossible.  Peel and stick wallpaper and tiles solve this problem instantly because they provide a nice smooth surface that’s easily wiped down and makes tidying up a lot easier.

2. Select good quality materials!

When you’re on a tight budget, the price tag of a piece of furniture often dictates whether or not it’s making its way into your space and rightfully so.  Who’s trying to go broke furnishing their space and then being miserable in it because they’re now in lots of debt for gorgeous furniture that they may soon not even have a place to put it in? Not me!  But, even when you’re on a tight budget, it’s important to pay attention to the materials that you’re bringing into your home if you want to upgrade your space .

Think twice when considering second-hand rugs and other textiles

When you can, spring for area rugs and large furniture pieces — like settees and dining tables — that are made of natural materials like cotton, wool, and wood.  If prices are too high (and, really, when are they not?), keep an eye out for some more affordable options from stores like HomeGoods and TJ Maxx.  I have a wool and cotton rug that I bought at HomeGoods a few years ago for just under $100.  Below are some options for similarly versatile rugs that are made of natural fibers:

TJ Maxx Wool-Cotton Blend Rug

World Market Textured Neutral and Burgundy Wool Rug with Wavy Edges

Safavieh Wool & Cotton Natura Collection Area Rug 

Some folks may be open to second-hand options for natural-fiber rugs from thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace too.  Honestly, I’d be a little more reluctant to buy an area rug or other textiles second-hand unless you can see, feel, and, most importantly, smell the textile up close.  You do not want to be bringing home something that’s holding any strong smells like stale cigarette smoke or playing host to invisible critters.  I say this with the memories of many an NYC bedbug outbreak still scarily fresh in my mind.

Source Affordable Well Made Wood Furniture

You can be more flexible when it comes to second-hand hard-surface furniture like dining tables and chairs, nightstands, and desks.  As a renter, I don’t have outdoor space that I can use to revive a piece of wood furniture.  Without a balcony or garden, there’s no room to be sanding, staining, and/or stripping a wood piece to reveal its true beauty.

But, if you’re in the same boat, don’t despair!  Second-hand purchases are great sustainable solutions if you don’t have the space for a furniture DIY project or just don’t want to be bothered adding another project to your to-do list (no judgment here!).

Last year I bought a beautiful Crate & Barrel dining table with an ingenious gate-leg function that allows it to double as a console table and a traditional dining table on Facebook Marketplace.  It’s real wood with a stunning grain and, full disclosure, there’s no way that this piece would have been within my budget had I bought it straight from the store.

Similar dining table alternatives

Kaiyo dining table with gate-leg (second-hand)

Pottery Barn dining table (splurge)

Wayfair dining table (small spaces)

I also managed to snag some gorgeous real wood nightstands that only had a couple of nicks on them — nothing that a little bit of elbow grease and one of these furniture touch up crayons couldn’t solve.  I had seen these pieces in stores, but couldn’t bring myself to pay the prices I was seeing.  Ultimately, I got  a set of two secondhand nightstands for the price of one brand new nightstand that I’d seen in TJ Maxx and HomeGoods.

Similar options for brand new nightstands

Solid Wood Nightstand (budget)

West Elm (mostly) wood nightstand with charging option (mid)

Article (mostly) wood nightstand with soft curved handles (splurge)

Quick Tip:If you live in or near a city that has a lot of transplants, check out Facebook Marketplace on the regular.In my experience, people who move frequently are more willing to negotiate prices just to get rid of their stuff and move on.  Make sure to be specific with your Facebook Marketplace searches — if you’re looking for a “wood midcentury 2 drawer nightstand” then type that search term into Facebook.  You’ll know it’s time to broaden your search if you only get a couple of hits.

3. Full-Length Curtains Add Instant Drama to Your Space!

Curtains are workhorses in a home for many reasons.  They dampen noise (perfect when you have noisy neighbors or live on a busy road).  They keep out the cold (perfect if you live in an older house or apartment with a perpetual draft).  And, perhaps most importantly, they add instant drama to a room!  Whether you’re a house or apartment dweller, lean into the luxe look with full-length curtains.

Installing Curtains in Older Apartments

When I’ve rented older apartments, I’ve almost always hung full-length curtains.  In many older spaces you can get away with hanging curtains more easily because the walls are often plaster — as opposed to drywall — so don’t require wall anchors for your curtain rod brackets to stay up.  And, at least in my experience, older apartments have so many battle scars from all the previous tenants that you adding a couple more holes to the wall to hang your curtains really won’t make much of a difference for purposes of getting back your security deposit.

Installing Curtains in Newer Apartments

If you’re renting a brand new apartment, give the installation method for full-length curtains a little more thought.  Drywall and brand new white paint are not as forgiving  as 50+ year-old plaster walls so opt for a no-nail, no-drill solution like tension rods and place them as high as you can within the window well.  I’ve had good luck with this Amazon Extra long tension rod and would recommend this option if you’ve got extra wide windows like me.

Quick Tip: Pay close attention to your curtain hardware to help ensure your curtain installation look more professional.  For example, if your curtain track is brushed nickel, look for curtain rings in brushed nickel as well.  Keep this in mind if you’re using curtains that have grommets as well. Unless mixing metals is part of your vision for your space, make sure your grommets or curtain rings coordinate with your curtain track.

4. Take your time!

Great things (often) take time and the same is true for your home.  You can purchase a house or rent an apartment on a pretty tight timeline, but making these spaces into “home” requires more time and that’s ok.  In this world of reels, shorts, and tv specials that depict 48 hour home makeovers, it’s easy to forget this.  But I promise that your home will work so much better for you if you take the time to let it speak to you and learn through trial and error what features of your home you need to tweak so that your space can better serve your needs.

Avoid Simply Searching “How to Make Your Home Look Expensive”

It’s too easy to confuse “expensive” home decor with curating a beautiful space that you love.  Just because something is expensive or even looks expensive, does not mean that it should be making its way into your space.  Elevating your space isn’t about making your home look unattainable or designer, upgrading your space is about intentionality and authenticity.  This means checking in with yourself to make sure that the space you’re creating would bring you joy whether or not someone else complimented your design choices.

It’s too easy to copy-paste the latest interior design trend into your space and call it a day.  Biophilic style? Nothing but neutrals? Pantone color of the year? All of these trends have their place, but that place doesn’t have to be your home if these aesthetics don’t truly inspire you (or you just simply don’t like them).

Take some time to learn the aesthetics that you like and then use this information to develop a vision for your space.  This is where the bookworm in me gets so excited because there are so many amazing home decor resources available if you don’t know where to start.  Blogs (like this one you’re currently reading — tell a friend!), books, and social media platforms offer tons of information on how to go about making your space.

Before You Elevate Your Space, Ask Yourself 3 Key Questions

I ask myself the following three questions every time I move into a new space :

(1) How do I want to feel in this space?

(2) What 1-3 function(s) will this space serve?

(3) What 1-3 thing(s) do you love about the space?

These questions have never led me astray so I’m sharing them with you in hopes that they also serve as a helpful jumping off point for you too when you’re developing your vision for your home.

Home Should Feel Special

“Home” isn’t about mindlessly copy-pasting your favorite influencer’s “design aesthetic” into your space.  Home should feel special and, most importantly, unique to you.  At the end of the day, “home” is more a feeling than it is a place and even (perhaps, especially)  when very few places in the world feel like home to you, your space should.  Happy home-hewing!

Looking for even more tips on how to refine your space? Check out these 5 other simple tips to elevate your space.