Designers Say These Are the Easiest Tweaks You Can Make to Upgrade Your Home

Organizing your home might help you start the new year on a practical note—after all, nobody wants to live in clutter—but who is to say your setup can’t also be stylish? “A simple and affordable swap you can make in your home is decanting everyday products, such as coffee pods and [cotton swabs],” says BANDD/DESIGN’s Sara Malek Barney, who splits time in Texas and California. “Organize these items into pretty containers that are meant to be left out for a more stylish display.” If you want to give your space a cohesive, polished edge, incorporate the same organizational accessories throughout your home. While glass or BPA-free plastic canisters are great for smaller items, woven bins or baskets are suitable for bulkier items like throw blankets and stacks of important papers.

Speaking of organizing, your stuff needs somewhere to go. Floating shelves might be an obvious choice, but Bay Area-based designer Kendall Wilkinson thinks cabinets can hold your belongings in style. “Cabinets not only improve functionality, but they also elevate the room’s dimension,” she says. If installing cabinets sounds like it requires a lot of elbow grease, don’t sweat it: A credenza or dresser is an easy, affordable, and effective way to recreate the look—just look at this space from Wilkinson. She says: “Here, it provides plenty of storage while also being lower, creating another surface for me to hang art above and style with a planted oblong hand-carved alabaster bowl.” 

Did you know that the average person spends a third of their lives in bed? Between hitting the snooze button on a particularly chilly morning to snuggling while enjoying your latest streaming obsession, the beginning of the year seems like a better time than any to pay extra attention to your bedspread. “Swapping out old sheets for fresh ones in a neutral color will not only give you a better sleep, but will also create the perfect canvas for a new duvet and pillows,” says Los Angeles designer Candace Shure. “Even if you’re not in the position to spring for a whole bedding makeover, you can choose an element or two you want to update and still achieve a big impact.” From leveling up your sheets to a buttery sateen or crisp percale to adding a lumbar pillow for extra support, your bedding can be an extension of yourself and your style.

As the design pendulum swings back toward maximalist, you might be tempted to embrace bright colors and zesty patterns in 2024. Fortunately, you don’t have to upend the rest of your home decor to stay on trend. “If you’re like me and love a neutral palette, keep your base minimal and punch up the space with pops of toile, animal prints, and other fun designs on pillows and chair coverings,” suggests Los Angeles-based designer Breegan Jane. “These accents will instantly liven up any room with a sophisticated, but fun touch!” Colorful runners, throw pillows, and table linens are all fair play to bridge the gap between subtle and statement.

Just because we’re still in the throes of winter doesn’t mean you can’t flex your green thumb. “As we step into 2024, it’s becoming beautifully obvious that this year is all about making our spaces deeply personal and sustainably chic,” says Karen Rohr, a senior designer at Mackenzie Collier Interiors in Phoenix, Arizona. “It’s all about creating a look that’s not just stylish but also kind to the earth. This way, your home doesn’t just look amazing; it also tells a story of sustainability and care.” Once you’ve completed your winter garden checklist, pepper your home with flowers or herbs that can tolerate colder climates. (Dill, mint, and rosemary are options that are winter- and kitchen-friendly.) Just don’t forget to place your greens in some fun, fabulous planters.

From closets filled with clutter to corners collecting dust bunnies, we all have those underutilized spaces that could use some tender, loving care. So, why not make 2024 the year you do something about it? We love how Linda Hayslett transformed this overlooked closet into a stealth wet bar.

The secret: A fun pattern to bring this area to life. “Think of wallpaper as something that can also be artwork as it can really bring in extra interest if you’re struggling with figuring out what to put on the walls or ceiling,” the owner and principal designer of Los Angeles-based design firm LH.Designs explains. “You can’t go wrong with the new and improved reputation of wallpaper when making over your space.”

There’s more to a bookshelf than… well, books. From framed photos to small figurines, it can also be an extension of you. (Less shelf, more shelfie.) Show off your own evolution by switching up your setup. “Take everything off a shelf and start fresh: Put some accessories away and bring out something fresh,” says Andrea May, a designer who lives in La Jolla. “Just this one simple change can be the design equivalent of cracking a window and letting a little fresh air in.” For inspiration, check out these bold and beautiful bookshelf ideas.

A picture says one thousand words, so sprinkling some art into a space will speak volumes. “One easy and stylish thing to tweak to instantly make a space feel like it’s had a mini-facelift is to add artwork,” Hayslett explains. “But not just a piece here or there: Think of something that’s oversized or in an unexpected place like a coat closet, so you see it every time you leave the house.”

To give your walls an artful-yet-unexpected attitude, Hayslett says adding a piece to a kitchen or bathroom can “make the room instantly come alive.”

Embrace your DIY muscle by taking a cue from decorative painter Caroline Lizarraga, who wowed the walls in her Oakland home with a mural.

“I decided to forgo art and create a desert oasis trompe-l’œil mural that felt fun, sophisticated, and yet whimsical enough to grow with my daughter as she moved into her toddler years,” she explains. “I carried it throughout the room, which made us all very happy every time we passed by the open door.”

If you’re crafty, creating your own mural will give your space that made-for-you feel; however, wall decals and peel-and-stick patterns are excellent, low-maintenance alternatives. “I treat all rooms the same, and every one of them, no matter how large or small, can be transformed into a jewelry box,” Lizarraga adds. 

Looking for a bright idea? Consider sprucing up your home’s lighting. “Layer in lighting and swap out outdated light fixtures,” recommends Denver-based designer Nadia Watts. “Lamps and sconces go a long way in elevating your space.” Scottsdale-based designer Alisha Taylor recommends hanging a large pendant over a high-trafficked area like a living room or kitchen, but Watts argues that smaller fixtures can also make a big difference. “Sconces are a great way to make your space look more expensive and pulled-together,” she shares. “There are tons of options for sconces and art lighting, including battery-powered or rechargeable so you don’t have to worry about wiring.”

Whoever said that the devil is in the details was definitely talking about home decor. Anyone who wants to inject some quiet luxury into their space should double down on the details and upgrade their home in upscale finishes. “By using quality materials, you’re guaranteeing that your home is built to last and instantly increasing the value of your home,” says Taylor.

While upscale wallcoverings and slabs of marble will turn any home into an opulent oasis, you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money to upgrade your space. “Elegant finishes like brass hardware add those essential, polished details to make your home truly luxe,” Taylor explains.

Believe it or not, distressed and outdated furniture is packed with plenty of design potential—just ask Mary Beth Christopher, who recently sanded and stained some older pieces during a recent renovation project. “Rather than ripping everything out and rebuilding, or in the case of this dresser and vanity table, buying new furniture, we breathed new life into them by painting them a creamy greige color and adding new hardware,” she says. Whether you score a rustic look with a whitewashed dresser or use a bright orange or Barbiecore pink to go for a bold design, the results can be transformative.