7 Interior Design Tips for Your Home

Creating a cohesive feel throughout your home while still allowing each space to shine with its own purpose is important for your home’s interior design. There are many styles, depending on where you live and what style of home you have, and it’s important to factor these things in while also weighing your own preferences and any plans to sell your home in the future.

If you’re planning to sell in a community such as Sudbury, MA, which is located about 22 miles west of Boston, upgrading the interior design of your home will help you take advantage of the strong seller’s market, where the median list price has almost tripled in one year means that sellers can call the shots and wait for the offers to roll in. Homeowners here will most likely entertain not only multiple offers for their homes, but some can hit the real estate jackpot with offers that exceed their asking prices.

There are many attractions in Sudbury for the whole family to enjoy. Foodies will delight in the resurrection of the classic Sky Bar, a milk chocolate-covered candy bar filled with four different, compartmentalized fillings: caramel, fudge, peanut, and vanilla. Outdoorsy types and history buffs will love visiting Ford’s Folly. In 1923, auto magnate Henry Ford built a village where residents lived as pilgrims. It features the old Howe Tavern, which dates back to 1686. Also on the property are a chapel, an operating stone mill, an inn, and a schoolhouse. Its name, Ford’s Folly, came from a nearly 1,000-foot-long dam that, despite Ford’s engineers’ efforts, never became functional. After you’ve spent the day noshing and exploring, spend some time back at your Sudbury home to consider which interior design tips can spruce up your space.

Does your bathroom suffer from the outdated bathtub/shower configuration with a built-in double frosted glass door? Take a hint from the pages of your favorite design magazine and tear out the tub, shower, and door. Replace it with floor-to-ceiling tile and a glass door that runs to the floor. If you want a bathtub, leave one in another bathroom! If you miss sitting with hot water raining down on you, use a sturdy, stylish teakwood shower bench that blends with the tile color.

Invest in the most well-made couch you can afford. Stick to neutral colors and fabrics or leather. You can always add color or pattern with throw pillows or a folded blanket. If you have a sofa that’s well-built but has seen better days, invest in re-upholstering and re-padding. Leather generally holds up well to rambunctious kids and pets where cloth may suffer from tears and spills. If you have a fabric-covered couch, you absolutely can't live without, protect it with washable throws or stylish, waterproof fake fur hides.

For decades, Sudbury homeowners were discouraged from painting anything dark for fear that doing so would make a room feel and look small. Walls and ceilings were almost always finished in the palest shades of white, cream, biscuit, or the lightest pastels to make them seem spacious. The paint trend focused on a single accent wall that boasted a vibrant or dark hue in recent years. Now, it's no surprise to see dens, bedrooms, and even living rooms finished in rich, dark tones such as indigo, espresso, and evergreen. These dark tones work to create a lush, warm, comforting space for reading, sleeping, or relaxing.

If you're planning on revamping your décor, don’t use anything fake. If you're selling your home and are working on staging it, use real flowers and set out actual cookies. Don't use an air mattress if you're missing an extra mattress for that spare bedroom. Either invest in a real bed or repurpose the room. This tenet holds for realism in living. Don’t set out a formal Buckingham Palace state dinner setting for 12 guests. All of this holds even if you're not planning on selling your home anytime soon.

Curtains are sometimes considered frumpy and outdated, but they don’t have to be. Many Sudbury homes for sale have sleek window blinds, and they can sometimes rid a room of its warmth. An effective solution is to replace—or even just "mask" blinds—with floor-to-ceiling curtains that are lightweight and light in color. This gossamer pairing softens sharp angles in a room. It elongates the perception of height while allowing more light to shine in. For example, light curtains in an indigo bedroom can keep the room from feeling too closed in but still cozy.

Instead of just using bookshelves to house every single book you own, pare them down and organize them in a unique way. For example, remove the slipcovers from hardback books and group them by color. Don't squeeze every book you have onto the bookshelves, either. Leave some air for bookends or occasional paperweights, or similar art pieces. You also don't have to keep all of the books on their end. Stacking some horizontally, but not all the way to the top of the shelf. Follow the "2/3 Rule," which dictates that the most pleasing way to decorate shelves is to fill each one 2/3 full. Shelves that are too empty feel cold and uninviting, while crammed shelves can feel overwhelming.

Not every chair or couch has to be framed with side tables. They work as clutter catchers that can make a room feel smaller than it actually is. Try replacing one side table with a floor lamp. Replace a second table if you can live without the extra surface. Not only will the change make you more aware of clutter, but you'll also benefit from better room lighting.

The realtors on The Semple & Hettrich Team are ready and eager to help you find your gem amongst Sudbury real estate for sale. Contact them today!