This document provides 10 interior design tricks that can transform a home with minimal effort and cost. These tricks include painting smaller rooms in lighter colors, using decorative mirrors to add light and make spaces feel larger, mixing patterns and textures both old and new, adding slipcovers and baskets for storage, utilizing existing items as decorations, hanging pot racks in the kitchen, incorporating plants, painting bookcases for pops of color, and using area rugs to soften hardwood floors. The tricks are designed to refresh, brighten, and add personality to living spaces.

1. 10 Clever
Interior Design
Tricks to
Transform Your
Home

2.  Whether
you’ve just moved or are looking
for a quick, little home pick-me-up, or
perhaps something more significant, there
are some well-known interior design
tricks that designers employ that you too
can easily do with minimal effort and
cost. Sometimes the smallest things make
the greatest impact. It could be the
addition of a mirror, a painting, a lamp or
even a plant. Maybe you want to soften
your walls, brighten a room, or add some
warmth to your living space. Take a look
at these clever design tips and see how
they can inspire you!

3. 1. Paint smaller rooms in softer,
lighter colors to help make the room
feel larger.

4. 
The living room above is a great example of
how to maximize a small living space. A room
of this size has the tendency to seem
cramped, but the large windows, light
colored walls and ample use of mirrors not
only reflect the natural light pouring in from
the doors and the windows but the use of
mirrors also gives the optical illusion of space,
making the room seem larger than it actually
is. Conversely, darker colors will make a room
feel smaller. Even with the abundance of
natural light and the strategic placement of
the mirrors, this room in a darker shade would
have a more boxed-in feel to it.

5. 2. Use decorative mirrors to add
instant light to your living space.

6.  As
seen above, mirrors can also be used
to make a small space feel larger. For
larger rooms, or any room with a more
limited amount of natural light, mirrors
placed directly across from the windows,
will add instant light. Decorative mirrors
can also be used in lieu of art to fill empty
wall space. Large or small, mirrors add
light and dimension to your living space.

7. 3. Mix it up. Mix up patterns and
textures. Mix up old and new,
expensive and inexpensive.

8. 
There’s nothing wrong with placing family
heirlooms alongside your modern couch. All good
interior decorators will tell you that the most
important aspect to decorating your home is that
it reflects who you are, your personality and your
style. The antique Chippendale desk that was your
grandfather’s tells a story. It tells the story of your
past. The modern couch you fell in love with and
simply had to purchase also tells a story, your
present story, and there is no reason why the
present and past can’t co-exist beautifully
together. The same can be said for art. Now you
might not want to place a painting by Salvador
Dali on the same wall next to a Monet, but there’s
no reason why they can’t be in the same room
together. With fabrics whether it be furniture, rugs
or pillows, varied colors and patterns can bring
warmth and texture into your living space.

9. 4. Slip into something a little more
comfortable!

10.  Slip
covers often get a bad rap but they
are truly wonderful things. They can serve
as a means of changing your furniture’s
look to reflect the seasons. These easily
removed coverings allow you to have
a sophisticated look without constantly
worrying about people dirtying or spilling
on your furniture. Slip covers are ideal for
rooms used frequently by children. Above
the white slip-covered couches gives the
air of a casual, comfortable, easy yet
sophisticated elegance.

11. 5. Wicker baskets

12.  Wicker
baskets are an economical and
elegant way to add storage to any room.
Baskets can be used to store and display
books, architectural and decor
magazines, toys, towels and blankets to
name a few. Place a couple of small
wicker baskets on the counter-tops in your
kitchen to beautifully display and store
your fruit and vegetables.

13. 6. Use what you already have to
decorate.

14. 
We all have items in our possession, probably
packed up in boxes somewhere and haven’t
given them a second glance. Your home
needs some accessories. Instead of running to
the store, take a good look at what you
already have. Trays, wooden, acrylic, metal
or silver can be placed on top of luggage
racks, tea carts, trunks, bedside tables and
coffee tables for extra texture and dimension.
Arrange candles on them, frames or pile
books on top of them. Plates can be hung to
create wonderful wall art. Art from children’s
books can be framed and hung in nurseries,
children’s rooms or their bathrooms. You will
be amazed at what you can do with what
you already have!

15. 7. Add a hanging pot holder to your
kitchen.

16. 
Kitchens are meant to be warm and inviting.
We spend much of our time in them whether
it be for preparing meals, serving meals or
entertaining. A hanging pot rack is useful
elegance. Kitchens are meant to feel as
though they are in constant use and a
hanging pot rack certainly makes one feel this
way. In addition to looking so wonderful,
(there are many sizes and styles available)
additional cupboard space below is now
freed up to store other items. Seldom has
anyone complained of having too much
storage.

17. 8. Go green.

18.  Add
plants to your living space. Add them
to every room, small or large, few or
many. Plants are an inexpensive means to
accessorizing your space and adding
color and texture. Not only are plants
beautiful but many can clean household
air and balance humidity. They can
absorb pollutants and remove harmful
gases from the air. No home should be
without these wonderful greens!

19. 9. Paint or wallpaper your
bookcases.

20. 
This instant pop of color will brighten and reenergize any room! It’s amazing how
something so simple as a coat of colorful
paint can instantly energize and transform
your space. This built-in bookcase would be
simple and ordinary without the bright blue
interior. Perhaps the simplest and most
inexpensive way to transform a boring space
is to apply a coat of paint somewhere
unexpected. Bookcases are an ideal place to
start because you don’t need to paint a large
area. Other fun places to add a pop of color
include painting fireplace mantels, the insides
of closets, hallways and ceilings.

21. 10. Use area rugs to soften hardwood
floors.

22. 

Throw rugs give warmth and can add great
texture, color and personality to your living space.
Hardwood floors are beautiful and easy to
maintain but they lack the comfort that carpeted
floors offer, especially in the cooler months. Area
rugs can add fun and functionality to your living
space. Use several of varying patterns and fabrics
together to showcase your character. Or add
several rugs of the same pattern and fabric, or
different textures but the same color.
The possibilities are endless. You can change your
area rugs to reflect the seasons using warmer
tones and fabrics for cooler months and lighter
ones for the warmer days of the year. There are
many lovely cotton, washable area rugs which are
ideal for those homes with children. There really is
no reason why a home with young children
cannot also be a stylish one.

23.  What
inspired you? Personally, I’m just
mad about these animal hide rugs that
seem to be all the rage lately. The question
is, do I go for the cow or the zebra? Or
both, and just say that I live in a barn!

24. Source: Fresh Home Design
and Architecture
(http://freshome.com/2012/10/11/10-clever-interiordesign-tricks-to-transform-your-home)