Personalizing Your Home Without Overdoing It

Experts say that you should avoid adding too many personal touches to your home, since it takes away from the value of the home. This is true even if you do not plan to sell your house, since it gives everyone who comes even for just a meal or short visit too much of a view into your family's personal life. Personalizing your home without overdoing it is important, since you want to be proud of your family's history but it is critical to learn when enough is enough.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so you do not need a thousand pictures to tell a great story in your home. Keep the photographs to a minimum, offering a few pictures throughout your family's history to tell a brief story. You can always use photo albums to store many other pictures, and these can be safely and neatly tucked away in an entertainment center or on a bookcase shelf when not being browsed. Consider keeping only current pictures on the walls, and storing everything older than just a few years. When this arrangement becomes outdates, such as when new, more recent photos are available, simply swap the old ones with the new ones.

When you get bored with the picture scheme, you do not have to add more pictures to change things up. You have several options available instead of adding more pictures, such as using different pictures or changing the arrangement of the pictures. For instance, if you have pictures that are all recent on the wall, consider creating a retro theme with pictures of the family from a specific era. Another idea would be to use baby pictures for each family member, showing the differences and similarities between each member of the family from an early age.

Do not change the pictures, change the frames instead. There is no rule that says you have to keep using the same frames for the same picture to make it a great decoration. If you really like the photo, but are tired of the look, change the frame for an inexpensive way to begin a renovation or style change. You could sand and stain, paint, spray paint, or add decorative accents or distressing to create something that looks new without spending much money. Combining methods is creative and unique, such as painting and distressing the frame, or spray painting and adding decorative accents.

Instead of a wall banner with your family name, find a slogan or quote that is special for your entire family. It may sound like a great idea to hang a print with your family's name ("The Parker's Home"), but this type of personalization tends to look tacky and takes away from the home's aesthetic value. Keep it simple and modern with a quote or slogan instead, especially those that are special to your family, and make the same statement within your home. For example, in a modern space, "Carpe diem" works very well, reminding everyone to make the most of each day.

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Home decor specialist, Alyssa Davis, is a regular writer for Metal-Wall-Art.com, and she offers many ideas on how to design your favorite rooms with Tuscan metal wall decor and porch metal wall art.


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