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Spiff Up Your Space! Update Your Home and Give New Life to Your Lifestyle
By Bette Johnson
Just because you have a new lifestyle doesn't mean you need a new home.
Active, mature Southern California residents can make small changes in their homes to accommodate their new interests and activities now that they are, or soon will be retired and their kids have moved away.
As a specialist in providing complete interior design services to 50+ homeowners, I've discovered that many residents prefer updating and upgrading their current living space -- rather than relocating -- to meet their changing lifestyles.
They can follow basic space planning, remodeling and replacement strategies that will make a dramatic difference in the appearance and usefulness of their homes.
Here are some of the suggestions I share during my interior consultations with homeowners in Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties:
+ Make a Plan, Stan. Are you into exercise now? Want to start a home-based business? Looking to try your hand at handicrafts? Create an activities wish list to help you decide on new uses for old spaces. Create a "reason" for every room, based on your lifestyle wants and your physical needs.
+ Build A Budget. Know what you're willing to spend, and where. Prioritize rooms, based on how much time you'll spend in them. Count on construction (from bathroom overhauls to moving walls) costing the most, space planning the least. You might budget for the worst first, remodeling the most "worn out" room --such as the family room -- before moving on to the others.
+ Make Your Home YOU-nique. Now that the kids have moved on, your home is exclusively your domain. Remodel it accordingly. Personalize and differentiate your space with faux finishes, murals, wrought iron ceiling inserts and a fountain on the lanai. Differentiate your front door with fresh paint and new hardware.
Revamp and Reuse. It doesn't take much to convert yesterday's bedroom into tomorrow's arts and crafts studio, home theater facility, storage area, playroom for the grandkids, exercise room -- even a wine cellar. Small steps, like replacing worn carpeting with chic area rugs, can have a big impact.
+ Color Your World. If you're serious about entertaining now, get serious about updating your home's interior color palette. Fresh paint can brighten up your space, make old cabinets look like new, and give your home a cozier and warmer feel.
+ Make Your Kitchen More Current. Now that your lifestyle has changed, perhaps your kitchen should, too. Start small – with fancier faucets or cabinet hardware and newer countertop appliances – or go for a full makeover, including new cabinets, granite countertops, and a new barstool or two. Remember the R.O.I: kitchen remodels require the biggest payout, but often have the biggest payoff when you're selling your home.
+ Upgrade Your Bathrooms. More energy efficient faucets and fixtures, and enhanced lighting make a big difference. Installing taller toilets and outlets on the countertop, and replacing the tile are simple ways to make your bathrooms better and safer.
+ Stash Your Stuff. Now that you have new interests, chances are you use more space at home to pursue them. Decluttering and "editing" makes your inside space look and feel larger. Storing needless furniture and knick-knacks opens up the interiors and helps simplify your residence.
+ Modernize the Master Bedroom. You can convert this private place into a luxurious personal retreat. Add intimacy with a new piece of furniture, upgraded window treatments, new bedding – or a piece of art. While you're at it, create a sitting area. Wallpaper is in, again. It can add patterns, texture, fiber and Wow! to your walls.
+ Play It Safe. Even if you're fit as a fiddle now, physical challenges may lie ahead. This is as good a time as any to consider lowering the cabinets and/or the microwave and other appliances, installing drawers under the dishwasher, and adding non-slip flooring. Then, too, think about making your home accessible to wheelchairs.
These and other steps can make your home "work" better – whether you want more space for leisure and exercise, better accommodations for visiting grandkids or aging parents, or have other needs.