You keep saying you’re going to re-tile the bathroom, replace the cabinets in the kitchen, or paint the living room once and for all. You have to magically add a closet where there isn’t one. The bedroom lacks light. But even minor adjustments – new blinds, an improved shower head, a rug – can make a house reflect its residents much better. Now is the time. Call it a New Years resolution or a promise of self-sufficiency, but hang up the phone (after you’ve read this, of course), go to the hardware store and hop over there. Wallpaper a room in dire need of personality or hack an affordable marble floor – your home deserves a little more this year. Here are 50 of our favorite ways to be smart in 2018.
1. Hardwire for less. The simplest lamp holder is also one of the most attractive, especially if you are using one of these lamps.
2. Or just clip a light wherever you need it. With this spotlight, it’s no longer just for photo sets.
3. Remove a minibar on a bookshelf, your end table in a closet, and much more.
4. Or skip the bar cart entirely and make space on a shelf (even mount one) for your favorite bottles.
5. Lay marble floors. They might sound like a luxury, but if you look around you might find enough junk to hack a cheap one.
6. Beadboard creative. This classic material will give interiors all kinds of cottage vibes, but will dress it up in a new way and it will look as new as possible.
7. Replace the minimal baseboards. Here are six modern ways to modernize moldings and baseboards, from the ultra-restrained to the stylish statement.
8. Cork your floors. Cork … as a floor covering? Yes, you should think of it as an affordable alternative to hardwood that is convenient to walk on, absorbs sound, and does more good things.
9. Hack an IKEA kitchen. This couple’s cheap IKEA kitchen will teach you all the tricks on how to customize your own.
10. Reno the bathroom – but don’t move the pipes. Here is the greatest way to drastically cut the cost of your bathroom renovation.
11. Don’t forget a shampoo corner while you’re at it. This is the add-on to consider with any bathroom renovation – be gone, shower trays!
12. Look for supplies when building a stove. Not really! If you want to repeat that statement fireplace, see if there are any stones on your property that will work.
13. Really don’t make the design of the fireplace too complicated. Give your fireplace a makeover by simplifying the fireplace you have (there are no mantels here).
14. Or just peel it down to the bricks and you’re done. If you’re already giving a renovation to a room with a fireplace, consider putting down the mantle, paint, or anything else that obscures its rustic beauty. There is also a trick to make it pop.
15. Upgrade your medicine cabinet. Two options: framed and flush with the wall.
16. Add ceiling joists. Yes, add. Take a couple of two-by-fours, a drill bit, and some three-inch long screws and transform a boring ceiling.
17. Repair the washroom. If you’re lucky enough to have a home laundry (and laundry room!), Here’s how to turn it into a space you actually look forward to – on a budget.
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