Easy ways to update and beautify your home

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Our homes are important to us, and we want them to look and feel their best. And with housing prices on the rise, it’s an even better time to invest in making some improvements. But which changes will create the biggest impact and provide the biggest bang for our buck? We’ve come up with eight great ways to update any home without taking on major renovation. 

Flooring – Make an underfoot update with beautiful new floors. It’s one of the few updates that truly increases the value of your home. The hottest trend in today’s flooring is tile that looks like wood. Try a neutral gray with varying lengths.

Counter Tops – There are so many choices now in solid surface counter tops it can be hard to know where to begin. Try choosing a selection based on your neighborhood's price point. Don’t put in marble when quartz is what homeowners gravitate towards. You’ll be glad you did if you decide to sell.

Paint – It can update almost anything on virtually any budget. Its versatility makes it a natural for perking up tired kitchen cabinets, bringing new life to old floors, adding a pop of color to an accent wall or refinishing an old piece of furniture. Think light and bright in soft grays and whites.

Kitchen Hardware
– Think of this as the jewelry of your kitchen. Like putting on diamond earrings, new knobs and pulls give your kitchen a facelift. It’s a change you can make quickly at a cost anyone can afford. With options in gold, bronze, brushed nickel, copper and stainless, the possibilities are endless for a beautiful finished look to your kitchen.

Lighting – Brighten things up with new lighting fixtures, trendy bulbs and even dimmer switches. Try installing under cabinet light strips in the kitchen. And for a big wow, replace boring ceiling fixtures with can lights around the room.

Backsplash – An affordable and stylish update to any kitchen is tiling a backsplash. It’s a project that can be done in a weekend and doesn’t have to cost a lot to bring big results. Not only will you delight in a new focal point in your kitchen but an added bonus is the easy clean-up factor. A new backsplash is a smart choice for any homeowner.

Window Treatments – Replacing old fashioned draperies and hardware with simple panels or fabric shades gives a modern look to any home. Choosing plush fabrics brings the atmosphere of luxury to any space. Try a fabric with a metallic sheen or add embellishments to store bought panels.

Wallpaper - Looking to add that “wow” factor to your walls without the costly expense of stone or tile? Current wallpaper looks will do a great job achieving that goal. Wallpaper can also do a great job of mimicking the looks that can be created with exotic paint finishes, often in much less time and at a fraction of the cost. With the advancements in printing, a few rolls of wallpaper will give your space a look of luxury and make any wall grand.

Donna Mancini is an interior designer with Donna Mancini Interiors & Flooring located in The Shoppes of St. Johns Oaks in Ponte Vedra.