Updating Your Home’s Decor

Try these tips when you update your home

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

If your home is swathed in minimalistic gray or (shudder) still boasts the Tuscan theme, it’s a great time to freshen up your home.

The quarantine period of the pandemic caused a lot of people to take a frank look at their homes. Now that home centers have supplies in stock, why not renovate?

To avoid a dated look, Julie Ann Shahin, owner of Julie Ann Rachelle Interiors, LLC in Rochester, said that the first step is to assess what you have. There’s no need to chuck all of your home furnishings—in fact, it’s a mistake to do so.

“It’s like making dinner,” she said. “You have some ingredients already on hand.”

Keep anything that holds significant sentimental value and is good quality, yet don’t be afraid to use things and alter things in ways that make sense for you, such as repurposing or painting furniture.

“I love when people refinish tables or wood to a lighter finish,” Shahin said. “Or you can paint to match your color palette. If you’re not a huge lover of wood, make sure it comes in as an accent somewhere.”

She likes mixing modern and vintage, such as an antique mahogany dining table under a modern, minimalist chandelier to balance the look.

“You’d want to add a modern centerpiece and contemporary tableware to complete the look,” she added. “Your overall vision for your space should stay in your mind. Keep your precious antiques and focus on combining old and new furnishings and décor. It’s a curated look, not a collected look.”

Holding on to pieces that represent you can help your home reflect you, even if they don’t perfectly match your design concept.

No design concept? No problem.

Shahin recommends reviewing ideas on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) for inspiration for a few minutes for a few weeks. Once you’ve collected numerous images, pare them down to about 10 or fewer that are your favorites and try to incorporate the colors, styles, textures and shapes you see.

“Make a list of those and then point out what are your favorites,” Shahin said. “That gives you a good base to start with. A secret to making a home look coordinated is to come up with a color palette for the whole home. The five colors on your palate will be repeated throughout the home. In one room, color A is used 80% and you also use an accent color from the palate. It’s not the same colors in every room.”

It’s OK if a beloved item doesn’t really “fit” with the rest of the house. In fact, Shahin said that’s an ideal way to create a focal point for a room, with an item that sparks curiosity from visitors.

The “canvas” for all the furnishings should be neutral if you want your décor to remain timeless. Shahin said ceilings, floors and walls should be neutrals such as cream, tan, taupe and wood.

“Gray is out,” she said. “Now warmer tones are what is going to make a space look fresh and contemporary. Bring in pops of bold color in small doses: your pillows, curtains and accessories. And that makes it a lot easier to update your home.”

Shahin also said that wellness, including physical and mental health has become a lasting trend in home décor that won’t fade anytime soon. This can include structural changes that support aging in place like walk-in showers and reinforcements behind the bathroom sheetrock for future grab bars, to incorporating green plants and introducing plenty of light.

“Get the curtains off of your windows,” she said. “You should be able to pull the curtain to the edge of the windowsill, so have the rod go five to ten inches beyond the window so you can expose the entire window.”

If it seems too overwhelming, working with an interior designer can ease the process; however, Shahin encourages homeowners to communicate with the designer and to speak up when they feel things aren’t working.