Give some love to less-enticing rooms
Cultivate sense of style, decor
WHEN IT COMES TO DECORATING, THERE ARE SOME ROOMS IN THE HOUSE THAT GET ALL
THE LOVE: new granite countertops for the kitchen, curtains and cozy linens in the bedroom, a photo gallery wall in the living room or leading up the staircase. But don’t forget about the more utilitarian rooms of the house.
Cultivating a sense of style and decor in these rooms not only brings a dash of cheer to otherwise menial tasks (does anyone like folding laundry?), but it designates these spaces as important areas in your home. Having these rooms beautified and modernized can lead to major resale bonus points when it’s time to put your home on the market.
bathrooms
We spend considerable amounts of time in bathrooms. Make yours a retreat. Hang photographs — or any type of art for that matter. Place a little greenery, whether a fern that spills over its container or a simple, tidy succulent on a shelf. Store your necessaries (think Q-tips, cotton balls, lotion) in attractive canisters and bottles. It’s all about how to display what we already have and use.
laundry rooms and mudrooms
Laundry rooms and mudrooms are notorious for clutter. An attractive aesthetic can be achieved most dramatically by organizing the space. Don’t let laundry sit in piles on the floor, or in a basket on top of the washing machine.
Consider changing out plastic baskets for wicker, or create a labeling system to separate whites and darks. Maybe your laundry room not so much a room as it is a closet. Make an easy, dramatic upgrade with peel-and-stick wallpaper. This wallpaper comes in a variety of colors and cheery patterns. Best of all, it is incredibly user-friendly. If you misalign the edges, just peel off and start again.
closets pantries
These areas routinely suffer from neglect precisely because you can literally shut the door and forget about them. Their doors and small square footage make it easy not only to stuff them with items, but to see them as only a feature of another room and not a space all their own.
Keep your pantry organized and more accessible by facing canned goods outward. Keep smaller grab-and-go items such as individual cups of fruit or bags of chips in colorful bins that match your kitchen decor. Stock your basics (flour, sugar, cereals) in clear, coordinating canisters. This not only looks nice but makes it easy to notice when you are running low on something. For bedroom closets, hang your clothes on matching hangers. Whether wood, felt, or plastic, matching hangers create a clean look that puts the clothes front and center.