Have you ever noticed that when your house is really, really clean, it just looks better? I don’t mean cleaner, I mean its appearance actually improves. Something as small as wiping away dust can make a mirror or shelf look totally different. I remember reading once that Nate Berkus said if you want to give your house a facelift but don’t have money to spend, deep clean it. So true!
The same goes for other little tweaks, like switching out your vent covers or buying better switch plates. Take this photo, for example. The chair is fine, and the blankets are cute for fall, but that outlet cover and especially those wall vents are so whaa-whaaa. I’m going to keep the white outlet cover, but those vents need an upgrade.
Buying floor and wall registers can be ridiculously expensive, but my husband and I just bought a whole box of them from Decor Grates that are a serious upgrade from those scratched-up white jobbies and didn’t cost a million dollars either. We bought enough for our whole main floor (minus the powder room) and upstairs and spent only $158.
As for outlet covers and switch plates, we splurged on dark ones for our bedroom. They blend in so much better with the dark walls than white ones would. Do we need special plates in every room? I don’t think so, but in this room they blend in better, which is just what we needed.
So analyze your home and see what little changes can make the biggest difference. Sometimes the little things go a long way. Happy Friday! •
Boulevard West 