Many people want their homes to look like a magazine.
In order to do that, you need to add finishing touches to your room to give it a designer look that is worthy of a design magazine.
Here are a few finishing touches that may work in your home.
Lamps
Most homes have one overhead light fixture that lights the entire room.
Consider adding lamps or wall sconces to bring the light down from the ceiling.
Light at a lower position in a room provides more flattering lighting and it is able to direct the light directly on the task at hand, such as reading.
Lamps give a room a custom look and helps refine the decor, like homes in design magazines.
Dimmer Switches
Dimmer switches are relatively inexpensive and can usually be installed by a skilled homeowner without hiring a professional electrician.
They allow you to set the mood of your room by adjusting the light level.
Really bright light is good for reading and cleaning, but not so nice for an elegant dinner party, when watching TV, or relaxing at the end of the day.
Plants and Flowers
Plants and flowers add a live element to your home and brings the outdoors inside.
Most design magazine photos have at least one plant and/or floral arrangement.
Live plants and flowers are always preferred over faux ones.
If you can't keep a plant alive, faux plants and flowers are acceptable in minimal quantities if they are high quality and cleaned regularly.
A bowl of fruit or nuts is also a good way to bring nature inside your home.
Fire
Candles provide a nice warm glow that tends to make people feel more relaxed and look better.
A fire in the fireplace also works well.
Make sure you actually light the candles, not let them collect dust.
If using candles around food, make sure they are unscented.
Styling
You can have nice things, but they will not look design magazine quality unless they are styled properly.
Look through magazines to see how accessories are grouped together.
A popular interior designer styling trick is to use decorative accessories in groups of 3, all of different heights (short, medium, and tall).
See how beds in magazines are made - its probably not the way your mother taught you.
Removal of Clutter
Clutter in the room can create clutter in the mind.
Clutter includes stacks of mail and newspapers, visible electrical cords, too many accessories, kids backpacks, shoes, remote controllers, loose change, and much more.
Make sure everything has a designated place that is out of sight to make your home look good enough for a design magazine.
photo courtesy of kaboompics.com/photo/4181/elegant-black-designer-chandelier-with-a-lit-lightbulbHigh Quality
Design magazines want to show homes of high quality filled with furniture and decor of high quality.
Keep in mind that high quality does not always mean expensive.
Avoid decorating your home with mass produced decor from the large arts and crafts store down the street. Everyone has seen that stuff and it is not high quality. You will likely end up throwing that stuff away within 5 years.
Instead, invest in fewer higher quality pieces that are unique and will last a lifetime.
If budget is an issue, consider shopping at estate sales and on Facebook Marketplace for second hand high quality items at much lower prices.
Avoid Trends
Trends go in and out of style so quickly, especially since images are easily circulated via social media so everyone has access to the latest information.
Design magazines take a while to publish, so they don't want to publish trends that might be out of style before the magazine gets printed.
Interior design trends have a tendency to last 3-5 years. The trends typically (but not always) start in multimillion dollar homes the first year, then go to the million dollar homes the second year, then end up knocked off for a cheaper and lesser quality at mainstream furniture stores in year 3. By year 4, they are at big box stores and are being mass produced at a low price and low quality.
If you are just now seeing trends at a nationwide popular furniture store or big box store, then the trend is likely on its way out, so skip it so your house does not look dated.
Unique Items
In order to be in a design magazine, your home needs to not only be beautiful but also unique.
Design magazines are not interested in publishing images of homes that are all very similar.
Find at least one unique item or concept to use in each room of your home.
A unique item could be an original piece of art or a one-of-a-kind antique piece of furniture.
A unique concept could be combining colors that don't normally get used together (such as pink & orange) or combining styles that don't normally go together (such as a modern piece of art over an antique table).
For more information, see the article Unique Decorating Ideas.
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