Dear Landing,
I’ve spent so much time in my apartment lately and I’m getting bored with my space. Seeing the same thing everyday is getting old, but I also don’t want to spend money on adding anything new. What can I do to add variety to the same old space?
Signed,
Less of the Same
Dear Less of the Same,
When looking to add variety without new purchases, moving around what you have is the name of the game. Of course, that is easier said than done! Here are some tips that we hope are helpful. If you want a second set of eyes or need additional help, we’re offering free 15m design consults with our support team who would love to brainstorm with you!
Move furniture around: Moving furniture can be tricky, especially in small spaces. Large, “anchor” pieces like couches, beds, and dining room tables can be particularly hard to rearrange, especially if your space is optimized.
In general, moving around smaller, decorative pieces like mirrors, accent chairs, drawer units, side tables and floor plants can give you a big visual change for a relatively small amount of effort.
Manipulating mirrors is one of our favorite ways to create visual variety quickly. Moving a standing mirror, especially close to a window, multiplies the light in your space. Add a floor plant close to or in front of it to optically multiply your greenery.
Side tables are another great way to create some change. Switching side tables from living room to bedroom can keep the functionality of the piece while changing look and feel of the space.
Create “vignette” moments: It’s common to think of your space in rooms, but here at The Landing, we also like to think of space in “vignettes,” or moments within the room. These are areas like a kitchen counter, a bathroom shelf, or a side table spread that, while small, grab a lot of your attention due to frequent use.
While it might not be realistic to rearrange your whole room, you can add visual variety to these small areas you look at frequently.
A bathroom counter is a great place to focus, as we often begin and end our days there. Messy counters can be visually overwhelming. If you have a drawer, try moving your toiletries into it and clearing the counter. Then move some favorite items onto the counter instead; displaying small framed art, small potted plants, candles, your favorite necklace, or anything you love (even a stuffed animal!) can bring a bit of joyful change to the space.
Create a temporary gallery wall: Gallery walls can feel both overwhelming to execute and can feel like a lot to commit to. Rather than pressuring yourself to find the exact right pieces that go together, think of a gallery wall as a collage of moments that bring you joy. From photos, to menus from your favorite restaurant, they can create another nice visual cue that changes up the space. In these unique times, creating a temporary gallery wall using something as simple as masking tape to hang unframed pieces can be a great way to change up a space and bring in something new.
Perspective shift: We spoke about perspective shift to reinforce routine last week and it can also be used to create visual variety. If you find yourself staring at the same wall over and over again while working, shifting your work place - even just moving your chair to a different side of the table - can create some visual change.
We hope that helps! Again, we’re here for you for all the design help you need and spending a lot of time thinking about how we create space during shelter-in-place.
Yours in #CreatingSpace,
Alex and The Landing Team
