Interior designers recommend that you update home decor at least once every five to ten years. If you’re planning to buy a new home, or if you just want to make the one you have look like new, you can’t go wrong with great home decor ideas.

Whether you’re buying a home, building a home, or working with the one you’ve got, you’re sure to love these home decor ideas.

Switch Out Old Throw Pillows

Those throw pillows piled on your couch, chairs, and beds offer the perfect opportunity for upgrading your home decor. Switch out the throw pillows in your bedroom or living room for some with new prints, colors, and designs. This is an easy way to get a fresh look.

Find a Nice Stool for the Bathroom

If you can make room for it, place a nice wooden stool in the bathroom next to the tub. Besides providing much-needed extra surface space, it can go a long way in helping the entire room feel a bit more luxe.

Focus on the Walls in Small Rooms

If you have a powder room in your house or live in a one bedroom apartment, you know how easy it is to overlook the decor in tiny spaces. There just doesn’t seem to be enough room for decor or furniture.

But don’t let these rooms go bare. Instead, emphasize paint colors and wall art. By choosing a soft, non-overwhelming wall color for a tiny room, then placing stacks of color-coordinated artwork on all sides, you can transform an unremarkable powder room into a charming accent.

Find and Create Affordable Art

If you liked the last decor idea but fine art is a little outside your budget, don’t fret. With a little time and attention to detail, almost anything can be art. Old stamps, bits of wallpaper, postcards, and even sections of nice wrapping paper can be framed and pass for beautiful artwork. And if nothing in your home strikes you as being very artsy (or if you don’t have that much faith in your own creative ability), you can often find affordable wall art in consignment shops.

Replace Old Curtains

You don’t have to buy new windows to make yours feel like new. If you’ve been using the same old curtains for years, or if the curtains or blinds you have are too dull to feel inspiring, why not replace them? It can be a cost-effective way to completely change the feel of a room.

Setup a Canopy Bed

If a bedroom fit for royalty sounds like something you would enjoy, try installing a canopy over the top of your bed. Made with white gauze fabric, it can add an ethereal look to any bedroom. It works best if the rest of the decor in your bedroom is fairly minimalist.

Take Inspiration from Nature

If modern minimalism isn’t really your style, then natural textures might be more your speed. Look for furniture and accents made with seagrass, jute, rattan, wood, marble, and brushed concrete.

If you have the budget for a larger makeover, getting a new floor from hardwood flooring suppliers is a classic example of utilizing natural themes in your home decor.

Reupholster (or Put Covers on) Your Furniture

Reupholstering your furniture automatically livens up tired home decor. Do some quick research to learn what colors and patterns go well together, and then match these with your paint colors and any wall art you wish to use.

If reupholstering furniture is a bit beyond your budget limits, buy covers for your worn-out furniture instead. High-quality couch and chair covers can drastically improve a room’s aesthetic while hiding worn upholstery.

Focus on Kitchen Enhancements

For many people, the kitchen is where they spend the most time. It’s also a well-known fact that good kitchen design can go a long way towards increasing a home’s overall value, which would be helpful if you’re considering selling. For these reasons, consider making your kitchen an important and major part of your home decor project.

Color-Block Your Wall

Color-blocking the walls can give a dramatic graphic statement to a room. To achieve this effect, simply paint the top or bottom half of your wall with a bold accent color. You could also use two neutral tones together.

Make an Accent Wall with Wallpaper

We’re all familiar with accent walls — where you paint a single wall in a room a bold color to contrast with the other three walls — but have you considered using a striking wallpaper for one wall? Besides making for a cool look, it’s faster and easier than wallpapering the entire room, while still getting the wallpaper’s design.

Install Subtle Home Security Equipment

Home security solutions are important for keeping any home and its family safe. However, you may feel that having cameras and other equipment scattered around the house can detract from otherwise great interior design. To avoid this, get security cameras that are small and blend into the environment. A specialized home security company can help you choose and setup the ideal system, both for your family’s safety and your home decor.

Introduce New Colors with a Throw Blanket

Placing a colorful throw blanket on the end of your bed or over your sofa is an easy yet transformative design trick. Besides being a simple way to make a big change, it’s also helpful for experimenting with new colors and patterns before fully committing to one with a new piece of furniture.

Install New Light Fixtures

This idea will take a little more commitment than others on this list, but if you’re up to the challenge, few things are more effective for transforming an area’s look. Just be careful to match each light fixture to its room and the decor around it.

Try Painting the Floors

For an unusual yet stylish appearance, try painting a smooth floor with a bold color. This is especially effective for causing a central object, such as a bed or a bathtub, to stand out in contrast to the floor around it.

Combine Styles Tastefully

You can create an interesting contrast within a room by mixing traditional with strictly modern designs. For example, a black geometric coffee table in a room with gold trim and crown molding would make for an interesting contrast of styles.

Place a Chest Bench at the End of Your Bed

If your bed doesn’t have a footboard, you can achieve the same effect (with added practical value) by using a bench that doubles as a storage chest. This will help to anchor your bed within the room’s design, besides serving as a spot to sit while you put your shoes on, and a chest for storing extra pillows and linens.

Create a Makeshift Reading Nook

Some houses have charming window seats or corners with builtin benches and bookshelves. Even if you weren’t that lucky, you don’t have to miss out on having a nice reading nook. Improvise by placing a bench in front of a matching bookshelf, with maybe a cushion or two on the bench.

Simply Rearrange Your Furniture

Sometimes all a room needs is to have its existing decor switched around a bit. Try some unconventional arrangements and see what sticks. Move the couch to the center of the room, pile floor cushions in one corner, and arrange chairs and end tables without bothering to make them symmetrical. It doesn’t have to be conventional, it just needs to be comfortable for you.

Paint the Bedroom Black

If you thought black was a scary color, think again. It can look totally sexy painted on the walls of a master bedroom. To avoid having your room feel too dark, use white bedding, and try to keep plenty of natural light in the room.

Display Your Collectibles

Lots of people accumulate knickknacks and collectible items over the years, often without even realizing it. If you’ve been collecting something for a while and you aren’t sure what to do with your collection, try putting it on display with a floating shelf in any room. Done right, just about any kind of collection can make a room feel nostalgic or charming.

Lay Down an Interesting Rug

You can change the entire look and feel of a room just by laying down a nice rug. Think about what aesthetic you want the room to have, and choose a rug that carries that influence with it.

Install a Colorful Lightbulb

You can add an unexpected pop of color to any room by swapping a classic lightbulb for a colored one. This adds the same sense of fun that a neon sign brings, without cluttering up the wall or taking the trouble of setting one up. Try using this tip in an entryway or hallway, since home decor tends to be limited there because of limited space.

Use Flowers to Brighten Up Your Home

Something as simple as a nice floral arrangement can revolutionize a room’s look all on its own. A nice vase can really add to this theme, too.

Set Up a Breakfast Nook

If you don’t have a cozy nook near the kitchen for quick meals, try this instead: place a small bistro table in front of a window, with two chairs and a patterned rug underneath. Hang a pendent lamp over the set, and you’ll be good to go with a lovely new breakfast nook.

Replace the Lampshades

Here’s another idea that can change up a room without much effort. Instead of buying new lamps, why not just buy new lampshades for the ones you have? This simple step can completely change a room’s appearance.

Update Bedding with the Seasons

Home decor and design experts recommend owning at least two sheet and comforter sets, matched to the different times of year. This lets you switch them out with the seasons. In the winter, you want something warm and inviting, like faux fur and bulky blankets. In the summer, you need something considerably lighter and more airy.

Use Wallpaper in Unconventional Ways

Wallpapering a closet, entryway, or small room can give it an unexpected edge. Or if you like, you can create a statement ceiling by using wallpaper there. You can also use scraps of paper to line drawers, cabinets, and backsplashes. Using wallpaper in smaller spaces is easier than applying it in an entire room, and it’s a fun way to change up your home’s design.

Rethink Your Bookcase

Who says bookshelves have to be filled with books? Instead, place a few books on the sides and edges, held in place with stylish bookends. Then use decorative accents and accessories, like vases and sculptures, to round out the display. This helps to break up the monotony of a blank wall of books.

Conversely, you could color-coordinate your book collection, which will give it a more cohesive feel. If you have several bright colors in your library, they will stand out even more.

Move Furniture Away from the Walls

Floating furniture out away from the walls can create a more intimate seating arrangement, as it draws the seats closer together towards the room’s center. Since couches and chairs are typically expected to be along the wall, this can also add considerable visual interest. Simply shifting the furnishings by a few inches can completely transform the vibe of an entire room.

Show Off a Family Heirloom or Antique

Using an antique or vintage-style piece of furniture as a room’s centerpiece can really leave an impression. This is especially effective if the rest of the room follows a consistent, more modern theme. Placing an interesting rug underneath the antique furniture to either contrast or blend in with the rest of the room can add visual interest.

Lay Down Layers of Rugs

Why limit yourself to just one rug per room when you could have three all on the same floor? Try layering rugs in different colors and textures. This will increase the cozy vibes in your room and add a lot of visual interest to an otherwise monotonous floor.

Mix and Match Dining Chairs

Getting bored with your formal dining room set with matching chairs? Why not switch that up with some different, more casual-looking seats? Look for rustic metal chairs in different styles and colors. This can help create a more casual, laid-back atmosphere in your dining room.

Use a Curtain in Place of a Door

If you have an open doorway that really needs a covering for privacy’s sake, or you just want a more interesting entrance to your family room, try hanging a colorful curtain where a door would normally be. This can add rich texture and exciting color to any space.

Add Color to Open Shelf Space

Open shelving in your kitchen or dining room presents a great opportunity for adding a splash of color to the room. If you have matching dining ware sets, try setting these up next to each other on the shelves. Arrange them by color, letting bright colored plates and cups take the spotlight with most of the space taken up with more neutral tones. This color aesthetic can be applied to just about any arrangement, from collectibles to kitchenware.

Hopefully this list has given you some ideas of your own for easy home decorating. Do some research on color matching and combining textures and patterns to get a better idea of what you want. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Before you know it, you’ll have an inspired aesthetic that looks beautiful, without feeling like it came out of a magazine.