10 Quick And Easy Tips For Making A Room Look Prettier
Do you have a room in your home that is looking a bit tired? No problem! Here are 10 easy-to-do tips for making a room look prettier!
We probably all have a room or rooms in our homes that look a little tired around the edges. One that needs a bit of polish and a decorating shot in the arm! These rooms are not awful but they could be so much prettier! Do you have a room that needs a little updating and editing! I can help you! Let’s talk about 10 tips for making a room look prettier.
Most of us have “that room”. The one that needs a little help!
The ideas for making a room look prettier in this post are not hard or time-consuming. Some are super easy and you can do them in minutes and some might take a little longer but they are all e-a-s-y.
These ideas are tried and true and will make a big difference in how the rooms in your home will look!
Ready to have a pretty room?
Pick Up Clutter
This is the best thing we can do to make our homes look nicer! Neat equals a pleasant and pretty room.
Pick up everything that does not belong in that room and put it away! Just try this one thing and you will see how much better your room will look!
This tip really goes without saying but often we get clutter blind. We tend to overlook and look over the clutter in a room the longer it is there. It sort of becomes part of the decor.
Our sunroom gets the most cluttered out of all the rooms in our home. So I keep it picked up and encourage everyone else in our home (Bobby) to do the same.
Here’s how to Declutter Your Home In 15 Minutes A Day.
Put Nicknacks And Collectibles Away
What is it about collectibles? You buy one and poof, all of a sudden you have 20 or 50 or 100! They seem to multiply.
They may be fun to collect but they make a room look cluttered.
Pick one or at the most two or three collectibles and display them if you must. I know this is a bit of tough love for some of you but I’m telling you the truth!
Create An Easy Vignette
Create a vignette! An attractive vignette will go a long way toward creating a pretty room.
I recently challenged myself to see how many different vignettes I could create using only 10 items. It was really easy!
The secret was to keep the vignettes simple. Simple is pretty when it comes to vignettes!
Our eyes will focus on a vignette. Just creating this one pretty thing will help a room look better!
You can see the 14 Vignettes I Styled HERE.
Know And Use Your Color Palette
One of the best ways to make a room look cohesive and attractive is to use one color palette in a room. Too many colors are confusing to our eyes and our mind thinks that is unattractive.
Choose three to five colors and stick with them!
Look around a room you want to make prettier and take out anything that does not work with your color palette!
I love neutrals. And sticking to a neutral color palette creates serene beauty in the rooms in our home.
You might like to read WHY COLOR IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN DECOR.
Add A Little Black To A Room
A tad of black will add drama and depth to almost any room!
Some think this is sage designer advice and some think it is an old wives tale. But, I adore using black as an accent.
I believe that black or dark brown or charcoal or colors that are very very dark can help a room! Especially if the room is neutral.
The trick is the balance. Not too much and not all in one spot!
I’m not a drama mamma AT ALL in my life. But, when it comes to decorating… bring it on!!!
Learn to use a little bit of black to pretty up a room in our home!
Add Something Metallic
Don’t overdo this tip, but DO IT!
Put something that has a shine or a little sparkle into a room that needs a little oomph!
There is a little bit of magpie in all of us. We love shiny things!
And don’t be afraid to mix metals in a room. LONG gone are the matchy-matchy days of just one metal per room. Thank goodness!
Metals not only add something shiny to a room they add a smooth texture too.
Use the 70-20-10 rule. Seventy percent of one metal, 20 percent of another, and 10 percent of another. If you are only using two metals then use the 80-20 rule.
You might like to read 7 Tips For Mixing Metals In A Room.
Don’t Use Overhead Lighting
This is such a common mistake.
Most overhead lighting just kills the mood in a room! It’s too harsh! Opt for great lamps with nice shades!
The lights in a room should overlap one another. Not blind us from above like we are being interrogated! And overhead lighting is the most unflattering light of all!
The only exception to the no overhead light rule is a great chandy! And if it has a shade even better!
If you do have an overhead light, put it on a dimmer!
Think about lighting if you want an easy way to add beauty to a room.
Unless you need to work, use softer lighting! And if you want an extra pretty room light some candles.
Candles hide so many room flaws and add amazing ambiance! Oooooh, think lanterns too!
Pillows And Decorative Throws Are Like Jewelry To A Room
Add a few gorgeous pillows that will pull your room together. I say, pillows are the jewelry of a room, and that is so true. Nothing can quite change the look of a room like pillows!
Shop your house for pillows to add to a room that is in need of a bit of prettying up!
Another thing to know is how to add pillows to a sofa or bed in an attractive way. A pretty room needs pretty pillow arrangements!
You might like to read How To Build A Better Pillow Collection, 5 No-Fail Tips For Arranging Pillows, and Bed Pillow Arrangements You Will Love.
Flowers And Plants Are A Must
This is probably the easiest way to create a pretty room! Add flowers or plants in great containers!
Faux or real, flowers and plants will always add a big dose of fabulous attention to a room! Our eyes love organics!
I love to cut flowers from my garden and at those times of the year when my gardens are not producing I grab flowers from the grocery store or faux from the basement!
And how about succulents? They are trending right now. Pack them snuggly into a lacquer box or a round bowl. Keep it simple!
ADD A FEW DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES
Using accessories adds your personality to a room. Add just a few and don’t overdecorate!
Count the number of flat surfaces in a room and add one vignette to the main flat surface and then add two to five things to all the other surfaces, not counting a lamp.
You might like to read The Overdecorating Dilemma.
Now, it’s your turn! Use these tips when a room in your home could use a little sprucing up! You will have a pretty room in no time!
I love that your first tip was to clear the clutter! I dislike clutter so much, especially small nicknacks. We are empty nesters and downsized a few years ago. I have a lot less storage room in our current house. I’m looking for larger, versatile pieces that can be used throughout the year. The large dish on your coffee table is a perfect example! I see it being utilized throughout your home. Can you please link the source? Also, a post on the most versatile decor, and how to use it would be very helpful! Thanks so much for the inspiration Yvonne.
I found the bowl locally. You are so right about clutter and choosing larger pieces for accents.
Thank for for these great tips. Have you talked before about choosing area rugs? I love your choices and I never know what to choose. For our small bedroom I’m unsure whether to try & fit one under the bed or just purchase a small bedside rug.
Hi Holly, Here is a post about mixing and matching rugs in your home:https://www.stonegableblog.com/how-to-mix-and-match-rugs/
Great tips. Still working on implementing these in my home. No tchotchkes, other than those gifted items that I put out when the donors visit. Haha. Using larger and fewer decor items, as well as vignettes, which lends a calmer, more relaxed ambience to the home. As always, much appreciation for all you do.
Thank you, Jane! Sounds like you are creating a beautiful home!
Now that we are empty nesters I find I am donating more of my seasonal decor or giving them to my children or grandchildren. This Easter my style of decorating is very much reduced though like you I do have a couple of rabbits and some pretty eggs I still love, but mostly I rely on spring flowers,real and faux, pillows, birds and nests and some citrus and herb scented oils in my infuser. I find the best way to bring spring into my house is to open my doors and windows when the weather permits and just breath in this wonderful season of rebirth.
I so agree about opening up windows, Kathy1
Love your décor – you are so talented! I was wondering if you had a source for your little metal table beside your white couch in your living room.
Hi,
I am so glad I found your blog. I love your style. I wanted to I ow where you purchased your beautiful dining table. Also do you contract your services to help your readers decorate?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for your sweet comment. Did you join our newsletter? Lots of great inspiration and decorating there. Sign up at the top of my blog. The table came from Ethan Allen and it is truly beautiful! It comes in different finishes too. I used to have a design service, but not anymore. My blog keeps me very busy. Keep reading StoneGable for tons of lessons in design and decorating ideas. So glad you found us!
I love the rug in your sunroom! Do you have a link for it? You always make everything seem so easy and the results are just beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing. He is Risen!!!
Hi is risen, indeed! Amen! You can find the rug on rugs.com.
Do you know the name of the rug on the website?
Hi Sandy, here’s the link;https://esalerugs.com/products/heritage-rug-silver-gdja?variant=41406216568991
I love it! I have realized simplifying to the absolute favorites has worked best here. I realized it with my cloth napkins! I realized the napkins I kept choosing when I could pick among my napkins were always my highest quality white linen ones. I liked rotating the choice of napkin RINGS I used, but my favorite napkins were the white ones. Instead of rotating my napkins through the year, I switch up the rings. And though I do have some napkins I may put in a jar or basket additionally to the white ones, mostly I am just using my favorite white linen ones all year round, or at least I will now that I know my preference.
Hi There! I was wondering if you have a link for the pills in the “pick up clutter” photo? the antelope pattern one and the burlap trim one? Thank you! And also- do you have any tutorials on how to style shelves? I am struggling!
Here you go Patti, the antelope pillow is here:https://rstyle.me/+gux2JnW9NnHzLYfRZhxXTg
and the gray pillow with the burlap is here:https://rstyle.me/+JDytF6_POfRGxAnb1OZXoQ
Hope this helps.
Thank you so much! Love your blog!
Hi Yvonne do you have a source for your sofas in the sunroof and living room? In the market for a sofa for our new cottage in a retirement community. Thank you.
I am looking for the urn lamp you have. I love the simplicity and size.
I found that lamp locally. However, I just got this lamp and it is very similar:https://rstyle.me/+RkA4o-8WprRnwx-NXkwHNQ
After spending a lot of time and money doing the usual spring gardening things, I decided to do a refresh in July to a few things. I purchased a new dining room table runner and matching placemats – it made such a nice update. Then I picked up a new creamy white quilt set at all places TJ Maxx. After spending much more on bedding over the years I decided to take a look there, and I am very pleased with it. Then I decided to “shop my home” and rearranged a few decorative items from one room to another. What a difference these things made, and I am thrilled with the way things look. Sometimes it takes more imagination than $$$ to make a big impact.
You are so right Lyn!
I just enjoy reading your posts, Yvonne! They are always so helpful with decorating our homes. Thanks for always taking the time to give us such wonderful posts. There is always something that we can do to improve our own home. Hope you and Bobby have a wonderful week!