2023 Design Goals to Love Your Home

5 Things to Incorporate in Your Home's Design

This is the year we get back in the groove and resume some normalcy. Now is the chance to renovate our homes in such a way incorporating some trends we see on social media, while also seeing an opportunity to add our own personal style. We want to be proud of our homes and how we have evolved over the last few years.

As more of us are inundated with so many design trends that are beautiful in pictures, we must keep in mind that not all will work in your home. Exterior architecture can dictate what can work for your home. So embrace what you love about your abode and incorporate some of these suggestions to freshen up and update.

1. Adding a Wood Element

I love to encourage my clients to add some type of wood to their design, for the exterior it is often a new wood-stained door, wood shutters, gables, or adding tongue & groove stained wood on the porch ceiling.

This gives you an opportunity to add some warmth and it adds something unique and special to your home's aesthetic.

For the interior, add wood shelving, or a reclaimed wood door for the pantry or an area that can support it. There are so many old nostalgic doors and furniture pieces you can source from your local thrift store. I like seeing the real wood grain, so often advise clients to sand the piece down to bare wood, then clear coat it for protection and to see the natural beauty of the wood.

2. Paint a Bold Color for an Accent

For exteriors, this can be the front door or shutters choosing something with some punch but also keeping in mind to choose something that will add some interest but not be obnoxious. The brightness of color can be accentuated outside as the sunlight plays a factor. So a somewhat subdued blue tone will look much bluer outside. And the neighborhood plays a part, you can get away with brighter coastal colors in areas by water.

For interiors, this is a great way to add some personality to your color palette by adding a bold color to your space. This can be an accent wall, with a specialty trim like vertical shiplap, wainscoting, or squared paneling. Doing the entire room in a bold color is especially exciting. Enveloping the room with color carrying that color throughout painting walls, ceiling, and trim the same just changing the finishes. It's bold and dramatic and really makes a statement.

3. Limewash/Painting the Brick

I am a huge advocate of using Mineral paint for this process, it not only looks authentic but also prevents maintenance issues that can occur like peeling off when the masonry is damp underneath.

This is an area where my clients are often apprehensive but if using the correct material and following the proper protocols, your outdated brick or stone can get a huge update.

Not all brick should be painted, it's important to take into account what you have, and if you are just not a fan of the color this is a great way to change it.

Be assured, you will get the naysayers that criticize painted brick. Everyone has an opinion so don't spend time worrying about that.

I am very conscious of not advising a client to do something trendy or that may not be popular down the road, especially with the commitment that painting your brick can be.

I always take the architecture into account as well as the neighborhood.

Hiring a professional Exterior Designer to help evaluate the choices for your home will help ease your mind and implement something you are proud to drive up to every day.

4. Adding Wallpaper to a Special Area

The number one area that I like to add wallpaper to is the powder room. I know to spend that much in such a small room is hard to justify, but the flip side is since it is the smallest room in the house you CAN spend that extra.

So get a pattern that you absolutely LOVE. I always gravitate to the higher-end quality wallcoverings, save the peel-and-stick for accent walls and closets.

Back in the day, the powder room could be seen by guests visiting and we all wanted to show off that space with a beautiful completely put-together room.

Choose a classic style that will stand the test of time. I still get excited when I go into a home and see a Chinoiserie-style or Toile pattern used in a space.

These prints are like a work of art and can often define the space.

Splurge on a high-quality printed wallcovering in a colorway that is part of your signature colors. I have found that clients rarely change the colors that they really love, so putting that extra thought into the decision will ensure it will be in your house for years to come. When choosing wallpapers for clients, I always ask what is your favorite color. This can lead to a direction for creating that ideal palette throughout a home.

5. Buy Vintage Furniture or Art

This is a big one for me when I see so much good quality furniture and art that can get a renewed existence when brought into a home. Not only is it good for the environment to buy vintage and keep these older pieces out of the landfill, but these items have character and history often just need some updating.

Personalizing by painting and adding new upholstery will give you a treasured piece for years to come, and you will want to pass it down to the next generation.

I enjoy the process of "thrifting" too, there are so many thrift stores to visit in small-town America. And when you get a chance to have that "know it when you see it" moment it's special.

The process of hunting and finding that certain piece can be very entertaining and something you can do with a friend. Not only are doing something good, but you are getting a great deal that you can add so much value to. Vintage furniture had increased awareness online and there are websites that sell it for a premium as designers are constantly searching for these older classic pieces to incorporate in their designs.

For me, part of the excitement is to see how you can transform a piece to customize it for your own home. These vintage pieces are almost always higher quality than what you can purchase new in today's furniture markets.

Getting to put together that before/after DIY project is something I live for.

Most of the suggestions here are relatively inexpensive compared to a full-on renovation, and if you are an experienced DIY'er you can tackle any of them. When it comes to Limewash or Painting your brick exterior definitely check Romabio's website for product information and for contacting local pro's in your area.

Exterior Lighting in Post from Shades of Light

Thibaut Wallcovering Lincoln Toile