Is it that time already for either a revamp or renovation of your home? Sometimes we need to accept hard truths about life and our homes. Deep in the guts of a DIY revamp or a renovation, we may tell ourselves a kind lie. “When this is over with, then there is nothing more to do, it’s finished!”.
But in your heart, you have to know that isn’t true. If you want to live in a home that looks right and feels perfect, then work on it is never truly finished. You can take long breaks, but if you reside in a house for twenty years, you’ll be working on it for at least nineteen.
The more comfort-focused among us might look at that information slack-jawed, wondering what the point is. If we’re going to have to do more in the future, why bother doing anything now? Bear in mind that eventually, what you love about it will feel less unique, and what you’re okay with will become annoying. You will want to change things. This would be a great time to contact All About Interiors.
So, having delivered that bad news, what would be the good news? That’s how it works, isn’t it? Well, yes. The positive thing is that you don’t need to make massive structural changes often. For much of the time, it’s simply about making little changes that don’t even require much spending or stress. Sometimes you’ll look around your house and know you want a change.
However, you don’t always have to renovate – sometimes you just have to revamp!
Revamp or Renovate: Your Bathroom
A bathroom can be one of the hardest-working rooms in a house, along with the kitchen. Although small in size, there’s plenty to pack in. It will see extremes of heat even in winter, and with all that water around it’s likely to need regular maintenance. Ask any structural engineer. Rapid changes in temperature, and sitting water, are among the biggest stresses on any material.
So your bathroom will be a spot where a lot of work is done. However, get it done right and you won’t need to do it as often. You can be more confident using a bathroom remodeled six months ago than one just finished.
Revamp It When: All the tiles are still intact. The fixtures (shower, vanity, etc.) aren’t showing signs of age. Maybe replace the shower curtain or towels.
Renovate When: Tiles, even if unbroken, are showing water damage that cleaning isn’t getting rid of. Water is draining slowly even after the pipes have been treated.
Revamp Or Renovate: Your Dining Room
One factor sits above all in the priorities for a dining room. Cleanliness – you’re going to be eating in there, and it needs to be safe to do so. So you can have an antique dining table, and as long as it is in good condition, it’s worth keeping hold of. Environmentally, there aren’t many other challenges in the dining room as long as you keep it from getting dirty.
Revamp It When: No matter how many times you wash that tablecloth, it comes up off-white and there are spots on it. Rather than trying to budge them, buy a new tablecloth. Fresh table runners can make it more luxurious, too.
Renovate When: There are obvious flaws that are only going to get worse. A scratch in the table can be a breeding ground for bacteria, and if the paint has seen better days, it’s easier for mold to grow. Replacing the furniture and repainting may be in order. The same rules apply to the kitchen – with the added proviso that appliances may need to be updated occasionally.
Revamp Or Renovate: Your Bedroom
There is an argument to say that the bedrooms are the most important rooms in a house. After all, few places embody what a home is – a refuge, a place to rest and a personal space – in the same way. So when it comes to having a home where you can feel like yourself, safe and sound, your bedrooms have to be on point. They need to be somewhere you and yours can sleep soundly and comfortably.
A bedroom also needs to look and feel right for the person who will be sleeping there. Particularly for children, this may mean that they need more regular changes. Did the same things excite and delight you when you were eight as when you were four? Bear that in mind.
Revamp Them When: Quilt covers and sheets are beginning to look faded and old. When curtains have been drawn on and it’s not coming out.
Renovate When: Mattresses are no longer supportive enough – good sleep means you don’t wake up with your back in spasm. Also, when they are no longer age-appropriate. The Disney Princess wallpaper your eight-year-old loved may make your 13-year-old cringe.
Revamp Or Renovate: Your Living Room
For all the importance of the other rooms in a house, your living room is the one where the family congregates. As the name makes clear, it’s the room where you live. As a result, it needs to be comfortable and warm. It needs to be spacious and welcoming – this is where visitors will be received, too. It needs perhaps above all to be versatile. Sometimes there’s going to be one person in there, and sometimes into the double figures.
Revamp It When: You can walk into the room with your eyes closed and immediately say where everything is. To stop it from feeling stale, change out ornaments and wall art every so often.
Renovate When: You sit down on the sofa, and the “down” part goes on for longer than it should. There should be some give in it, but then it should give back. If it doesn’t, it needs to be replaced. Also, when paint or wallpaper begins to peel and/or the carpets look old or tattered. Think about replacing carpet entirely with solid wood, which lasts longer.
Picking more durable materials will mean that there is less you have to do to keep a house looking fresh. What you’re aiming for is to have things you want to do to your house rather than need to do. “Want to” work is more fun and less time consuming than “need to” work.
This post is a collaborative effort and may contain relevant, relatable affiliate links. All opinions are our own and for informational purposes.