HOME IMPROVEMENT: 5 eye-catching ways to update your home – The Tribune

FAMILY FEATURES — Your home is a reflection of you, and your decor should match your tastes. With some simple home upgrades, you can create the perfect space for you and your family, even if your design preferences change over time.
“When we’re designing our ideal home, too often we may only think about what we want others to see and enjoy when they visit,” said Jack Goldman, president and CEO of the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA). “The reality is visitors account for less than 1 percent of your in-home time.”
Consider these ideas to get started:

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint
One of the easiest home improvement projects, a fresh coat of paint can change the entire look of a room. Whether you choose to paint the entire space one new color, opt for an accent wall in a vibrant shade or simply freshen up the trim, paint can go a long way toward adding visual appeal and reflecting your personality. Patterned wallpaper, board and batten, stone and tile can also be added to create textured accents.

Bring Warmth and Ambience with a Fireplace
“A fireplace is for you and your family, a personal addition that serves you and your household in more ways than you may realize,” Goldman said. “October is National Fireplace Month, a time to celebrate the warmth, comfort and ambiance a fireplace or stove can bring to a home.”

More than 3 in 5 homeowners have a fireplace or other hearth product in their homes, according to the HPBA, and including a fireplace in your construction or renovation plans is a gift of warmth, comfort and ambiance you can give yourself. Whether it’s a centerpiece for your living room or family room, or an accent to your bedroom, bathroom or study, a fireplace can provide an artful design element for your home and a safe, reliable heat source in the event of unexpected weather.

Update Lighting Fixtures
Proper lighting can bring rooms to life and make spaces look larger and more welcoming. You can brighten up your home in a variety of ways, from strategically placing table and floor lamps that fit your design style to replacing older ceiling and wall-mounted fixtures with more modern styles.

Give Cabinetry a Fresh Look
There are numerous easy ways to update your kitchen and bathroom cabinets to create a more updated look. One of the easiest is swapping out older cabinet pulls and knobs for more modern options.

With a variety of finishes – stainless, bronze, brushed nickel, black, copper and more – and styles available, you can match your cabinets to nearly any design style in a matter of minutes.

Adding a coat of stain or paint is also a relatively quick and easy way to update some of the most-used spaces in your home without completely replacing the cabinets.

Upcycle Furniture
You can breathe new life into your current furniture by making simple changes.

The easiest would be simply rearranging your pieces and moving some to different rooms to create an updated look.

You can also add decorative covers to sofas, chairs, throw pillows and more, or take your upcycling a step further and refinish a bookshelf, table or other wooden furniture with a fresh coat of paint or stain, or give it a more weathered look with some sandpaper.

Find more ideas for upgrading your home at HPBA.org/house-warming.