Three Low-Effort Decor Upgrades To Try This Weekend
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Deciding how to prioritize time and money to make the greatest impact on design is hard. And this issue plagues me because when I find something I love, I can make up any excuse or find untold amounts of energy to make my designs come to fruition.
But, doing this is not for everyone, and there should be options for when you want to make a big impact but don't necessarily have the funds or energy to pull out the table saw and paintbrush!
So, what options do you have... Let's get into a few of my low-ish effort design choices to quickly upgrade a room.
Easy & Affordable Apartment Upgrades
Hardware
Like I said in my Never Too Small home tour, hardware is one of the best ways to upgrade your space because switching out the ugly ones your landlord installed doesn't cost a ton of money, nor does it require advanced DIY skills - all you need is a screwdriver and handles that are the same size as what you already have.
Recently, I added these 128 mm Antique Brass pulls with knurled detailing to my PAX wardrobes, and I cannot tell you how amazing they look even without an ounce of paint or fancy trim work.
And if you really want to take your cabinets up a notch, change your hinges out for soft-close hinges. There's something about the sound of doors clanging shut that drives me insane, and at $30-$60 for a set of 50 - this is a great project to tackle after work or over the weekend.
Lighting
If I'm being honest, upgrading lighting *can* get pricey, but it doesn't have to. IKEA, Amazon, Mitzi, and even Target all have great options for chandeliers, pendants, and lamps to help jazz up your space. Changing out hardwired fixtures requires basic knowledge of electrical, which, if you don't have it, you'll have to pay for an electrician.
But I promise you—it's not that hard. This article from The Spruce is very helpful. After 4 years, I finally feel comfortable doing light electrical work, and it's significantly decreased my home decor budget.
You don't always have to worry about electrical anyway because hanging light cords exist and you can add funky shades onto it or you can buy adorable wall sconces for like $60.
Sourcing vintage hardware is great, especially for upcycled projects!
If you really want to get into it, lamps are your best friend. In my studio apartment, they were my secret weapon because I had at least five lamps in 300 square feet. Each room, no matter the size, should have at least three types of light sources: ambient, accent, and task lighting.
Should I do a YouTube video about this?
I could talk about lighting all day but do the Homies want it. Let me know!
Clean Your Shit
Back when I could afford to have a cleaning person twice a month, I noticed a massive difference in how my apartment felt when it was clean versus when it was dirty.
I'm sure there is some real psychological evidence that someone with a PHD has spent their life working on, but all I know is that having lines vacuumed into my velvet sofa was all I needed to make my apartment look good - it didn't matter if I still had plastic blinds up or my rug was too small.
That brings me to my final point of how to upgrade your space - simply clean it.
Clean your windows, inside and out. This is the best window cleaner, btw. Clean up the dust bunnies that have built up in the corner of your bedroom. Wipe down your picture frames. Use a Swiffer duster on your glass fixtures so the bulbs shine brighter.
My Favorite Cleaning Products
And for the love of God, clean your baseboards. I just did this, and I could feel my entire aura glow brighter as my baseboards went from tan to white.
I know cleaning isn't a "low-effort" thing for some of us (shout out to the ADHD girlies), but with the help of the Homies, I've developed a laundry routine —Wednesdays are for clothes, and Sundays are for sheets and towels. And now that I have my dishwasher back, it's been so much easier to keep the space clean.
So, yeah! If you have nothing—no money—no time to search on Facebook Marketplace—you do have two hours, some soap, a rag, and the ability to spruce up the room.
And if time is your issue, you can always spend some money and get someone else to do it! Which I highly recommend to do at least 4x/year.
xoxo,
Imani
