The look and feel of your interiors matter if you want to make a lasting impression. That’s why outdated interiors fashion won’t cut it.
Fashion trends are just that – a trend. They come and go. The same goes with interior fashions, though they do tend to go out of style slower.
A trend will bubble up into the community, then slowly ebb away, only to be replaced with something else. Remember kitchen appliances that came in sea foam, salmon and olive green? In recent years the trend was stainless steel and now I hear it is either White Ice or Slate. At least white and gray are fairly neutral and will stand the test of time better than olive.
That prompts the question: What do you do with outdated interior fashions? It’s not as simple as giving away your shirts to Goodwill or selling your old jeans at a garage sale. Much of what makes up interior décor are somewhat permanent, like flooring and wall paint, or are big ticket items, like couches, dining room tables and appliances. These aren’t things that you can just replace on a whim.
That being said, don’t lose hope as there are things you can do to update your interior. Read on to learn five tips on what to do with outdated furniture and interior décor.
- Trend it forward. If it’s something you like, why change it? The interior fashion police are not going to come break down your door. Whether you display it prominently in your living room or stash it away in the den, keep it because you like it, not because someone else does or doesn’t think it is cool.
- Camouflage it. If you like it and you want to keep it, but it doesn’t quite fit with a new decorating scheme, see if there’s a way you can blend it in. Like clothing, your furniture, curtains, kitchen cabinets, most everything you decorate your home with can be accessorized. Changing out bathroom cabinet hardware can give the room a whole new look. A table cloth could cover up a table that no longer matches the rest of your new furniture.
- Give it a makeover. Some things are too big to camouflage and that’s when it’s time for a full-blown makeover. The wood doesn’t match? Strip it and stain it with a new color (if it’s old, you might want to find out if it’s more valuable with the original stain, first). Love your couches but hate the color? Reupholster them or buy sturdy couch covers in a color that you do like. The great thing about couch covers is they’re not permanent; simply switching it up for a season or two can do wonders to a room. Or repaint that one wall you tinged red a few years back to something less blood-like.
- Convert it to something else. Right now it is all the rage to convert existing furniture into different pieces of furniture. For example, turning a large old dresser into a kitchen countertop and utensil drawer. Or converting an armoire into a gardening center. There’s no reason why what you have now has to stay exactly as it is to find a place in your home.
- Get rid of it. Sometimes, there’s nothing else that’s going to work. Don’t like it anymore? Is it taking up too much space? Are you planning to move and don’t want to take it with you? Craigslist and classified ads are great ways to get rid of unwanted furniture, then you can put the money towards something new. Additionally, many communities hold a neighborhood cleanup day where furniture will be hauled away if it is left curbside. If you don’t want it anymore, life is too short to just keep living with it.
Interior fashions change. If you no longer like the decorating choices you made, you don’t have to be stuck with them. You can camouflage it, convert it, give it a makeover – or in extreme cases, just get rid of it.
Kurt Jacobson is a surfing enthusiast with a background in real estate. Having moved 10 times in the past 7 years, he thrives on helping others learn from his experiences. When he’s not out shredding waves he writes about rental houses for RentFinder.co, a rental search website helping people find houses for rent in the USA.
