How to make an old home look (and feel) new

My husband is a real estate agent and he often finds himself in homes that just look old and tired but many seem to have great potential, they just need a few updates to bring it into current day style.  He shares a lot of easy tips and tricks with his clients on how to make an old home look and feel new again without compromising on character.  As an interior decorator and home stager, I couldn't agree with him more. Plus these are great tips if you are thinking of selling your home in the not-so-distant future - keep it current looking - buyers will take notice

Here are some easy tricks to get an old home feeling new, again....

1 - Clean or replace carpets.
Make the space feel fresh with new carpet. It will instantly add a brand-new feeling to your home. If you are living there and like carpet than that's fine but if this is an update for sale - price out replacing the carpet with hardwood or a laminate (that looks like hardwood). 





2 - Make it cohesive.
A lot can be lost through the years—an update here and an update there can leave your house in a state of mismatched chaos. Determine whether you want room-by-room finishes to be the same throughout the house. The cohesive pattern will help your home feel polished, thus giving it new life.

 

3 -  Install new doors.
 If you really want to go all out, replace your doors with Shaker-style doors or six-panel ones. A front door can also add a lot of curb appeal. If that doesn't fit in your budget - paint the front door!

 

4 -  Update outlets, light switches, and plates
My husband and I have found that this is something that made a significant difference in all three of the older homes we've lived in. Some may have yellowed, been painted over, or have had various shapes and styles. Update your house by switching all of the light switches and plates. Note: If you're not experienced in doing this, hire a licensed electrician or find a great online video source and watch a few tutorials. It's relatively simple, yet tedious work. We also updated yellowed alarms, thermostats, doorbells and smoke detectors.

 

 5 - Repair walls.
In the past, we had purchased our home, it was apparent that years of poor quality DIY patching had taken place. We had our painter fix the blemishes and fill all 240 nail holes. Yes, 240. Now when the light shines on them, it looks like new drywall.

 

6 -  Add light...
 Whether it's adding curtains, replacing light bulbs, or removing screens, adding light in your home is an easy way to breathe new life into each room. Remove vertical blinds they are so dated!

 

7 - ...and paint.
A current and cohesive paint palette brings your home into the present and makes it feel fresh. If you stay away from yellow based tones that is recommended, when this get 'yellowed' they look aged.

 


8 -  Remove dated fixtures.
Updating lights and hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets are easy ways to make your home feel like new.

 

9 -  Refinish hardwood.
 Choose an appropriate stain and give your hardwoods new life. I remember being astonished at how inexpensive it was to do the living room in our previous home and it made such a huge difference!