When you own your own home, you have the opportunity to make every single room of that home look and function exactly as you want it to. With all of this freedom, though, the options may seem a little bit overwhelming. It can also be hard to choose whether you should focus on letting a room be more functional, or focus on making it more beautiful. Here are a few tips to do both at the same time.
Take Advantage of Vertical Space
If you have really tall ceilings, you can really take advantage of the extra feet of wall space by installing some tall bookcases, cabinets, or shelves. You can use these shelves for almost anything, so they don’t entirely have to be functional to store things. Store unsightly things behind cabinet doors, but use open shelving for books, small plants, and picture frames.
Create a Nook
If you have an empty corner in one of the rooms of your home, turn that space into a nook. You can use this nook as a work space, in lieu of an actual office in a dedicated room. Add a desk, a comfy chair, and adequate lighting to make that small space a functional work area.
Use Furniture That Has Multiple Purposes
The best kind of furniture is the kind that has hidden storage, or not so hidden storage, so you can keep that room from getting too cluttered. Like a coffee table that has a shelf for storing things like magazines and extra blankets. Or a bed frame with drawers so you don’t need to get bedside tables, and can therefore keep your room open and not cluttered. Keeping clutter out of your house not only makes it more inviting and functional, it also keeps you from attracting pests, like spiders. Pests love clutter, so if you get rid of clutter, you lower your risk for a pest infestation.
Efficient Exteriors
The interior of your home isn’t the only thing that needs to be both efficient and beautiful. You should make sure that the exterior of your home is also optimized for efficiency. Make sure that your home is properly insulated, and that your siding is updated. Another area of the exterior of your home that can be updated for efficiency, is the roofing. Solar panels are incredibly useful, and aren’t as expensive as a lot of people think. And they don’t have to be ugly! Some companies have released solar roofing that looks like regular metal shingles.
Give Every Space in Your Home a Purpose
Don’t let a room go unused. Make sure that there’s a dedicated reason for every room that you use. This helps you contain the messes to each room with only items that belong in that room. Making sure that cleanup is quick is easiest this way. Toys should stay in your children’s room, work equipment should live in your office, and dishes stay in the kitchen. If there’s a room of your house that you don’t use often, figure out ways to begin utilizing it. If you don’t use your front room, maybe dedicate it for reading and relaxation. Giving it a purpose helps you compartmentalize and actually use the rooms for what they’re intended for.
Hide Unsightly Cords
Especially in work spaces and family rooms with a television, you’re going to have cords and cables. These cords can be unattractive and a real eyesore. Luckily, there are a few way to hide these cords to make your home look effortless and still beautiful, while remaining functioning. One of the easiest ways to do this is to hide these cords behind furniture. TV Stands or entertainment centres are great for hiding these cords. For work spaces, attach the cords to the underside of the desk, so rather than hanging freely from your computer monitor, the flow gently down the side of your desk, out of sight. And therefore, out of mind. You can also strategically place other pieces of furniture, and things such as decorative baskets and plants, to cover up the unsightly cords.
