Design projects for 2020
You don’t have to build a new house or launch a whole-home remodeling project to live in a more functional and stylish space. There are plenty of things you can do on a smaller scale to better enjoy the place where you live.
Here are seven ideas for 2020, if you’d like to try something new at home.
Replace your front door
Everyone knows about curb appeal: keeping a nicely landscaped front yard, a decent front door and an inviting porch or entrance. This year, consider refreshing or replacing your front door.
Missy Stewart of Missy Stewart Designs recalls one client who had her refresh the exterior of their home in a remodeling project. The tan stucco became white and old windows with mullions painted tan were swapped out with single-sash windows with black frames. An arched entrance to the porch was squared off and covered in planks of wood for a more contemporary look, and the new door reflected the same, while still having a thin vertical window to see out.
Even if you don’t want or need to change your whole entrance, a new door or even a new door color can make everything seem a little fresher. Stewart advises using a favorite color, which will provide a glimpse into your personality. (Hers is Sherwin-Williams’ “Dignity Blue.”) Looking for something modern? Try a metal door with a large glass panel.
Refresh your bedroom
New bedding can instantly change the look of your bedroom. A comforter, quilt or duvet with new sheets,
shams and decorative pillows range in price, too, from discontinued patterns you’ll find at discount stores to luxury bedding. And if you haven’t bought a new mattress in several years, consider replacing that, as well. You’ll be amazed at how much better you sleep.
Get rid of your light box
Anyone living in a production home built in the 1980s or 1990s — maybe even some newer that that — could have a big light box filled with unflattering fluorescent tubes over their kitchen island.
Interior designer Lynne T. Jones of Lynne T. Jones Interior Design had a light box, too, and one day decided she was done with it. She bought pendant lights, hired a contractor and had him remove the box to install the new lights, add sheetrock over the hole and then paint the ceiling. Her Facebook post on the transformation inspired me to do the same in my own home, and I love the new look.
It’s an instant upgrade for your kitchen, and you can find attractive pendants in a variety of styles and price points. Hire a contractor or even a skilled handy man, and it’s a project that can be completed in a single day, yet make your kitchen look dramatically different.
Reinvent your laundry room
The “It” room for 2020 surely will be the laundry room, a space that many designers are holding to the jewel-box status relegated to powder bathrooms. They’re opting for nice stone counters, designer lighting, bold paint colors and, sometimes, wallpaper. At the very least, paint it your secret favorite color and add nice hardware to cabinet doors and drawers — because if you have to spend time doing laundry, do it with style.
Wallpaper your pantry
Amid the trend of all-white kitchens and soft neutrals in every room, home décor can get a little boring. Inject a pop of color and pattern in a place that will make you just a bit happier every time you enter: your pantry. It’s usually a smaller space, so it won’t cost a fortune or take a lot of time. The only inconvenience is that you’ll need to empty out your pantry — though that might also be a good time to check the expiration date on canned goods and invest in some matching storage containers. “Wallpapered pantries are my favorite. It is so fun to make the places in your home where you go everyday so special, where it will make you smile every time you open the door,” said Houston interior designer Courtnay Tartt Elias of Creative Tonic. “Every home should be colorful — even the pantry.”
For one client, Houston photographer Julie Soefer, Elias used one of Soefer’s photographs, an iced doughnut covered in sprinkles, to create whimsical wallpaper for her pantry. Another client in Galveston got lively Katie Kime wallpaper with oysters and lemon wedges.
Use all of your home
Do you use every room in your home? If not, or if there’s a room that you barely use — an extra bedroom perhaps, a formal dining room or even an upstairs den where you store mismatched furniture — consider converting that room into something you’ll need. A few ideas: Turn the den into a craft center, the extra bedroom into an athome gym, the dining room into a quiet reading room, a lounge, wine room or even a stylish office.
Install a smart thermostat
Houston Chronicle tech writer Dwight Silverman recently wrote about his experience with the Nest Learning Thermostat, which is now in its third generation. He had his eye on one that cost $279, and when Black Friday offered a much better bargain, he bought it.
Whether you get a Nest or another brand, smart thermostat prices and features vary, but in general, they keep the temperature of your home at your fingertips. The Nest product tracks your habits, so it knows what time you routinely raise or lower the temperature and can do the work for you. Also, you can change the temperature from an app on your smartphone so your home can be appropriately heated or cooled when you arrive. And except for the size of the junction box where thermostat wires terminate into the wall, Silverman installed the device himself, pretty much without any major glitches.
All of this can help you save energy, which results in lower bills. For safety, be sure to change any default passwords and security settings, since smart devices are a way for hackers to enter your life — and your financial data.