4 unconventional but effective décor ideas for your first home

Have you recently bought your first home? Congratulations! It will doubtless feel like you have reached a major milestone — but, unfortunately, having poured a lot of your money into buying a house, you could have few financial resources left for use in filling it.

However, sourcing an array of attractive décor for your new abode can simply be a matter of applying some creative thinking to how you spend your money — as the décor ideas below illustrate.

Make a big first impression by giving the front door a fresh coat of paint

It’s up to you what colour you choose for that paint — but it would be advisable for you to go for a fun, glossy hue.

“Red is a lucky color in many cultures,” the New Jersey-based stager Lara Allen-Brett has enthused to This Old House. Historically, a red door would serve as a friendly welcome to weary travelers during America’s early days.

Other hues you could consider for that door include orange and yellow — both of which have recently flourished in popularity and are often seen as representing joy and warmth.

Invest in large bookshelves — but don’t just fill them with books  

One reliable method for providing your home with bookcases that look more expensive than they actually are is buying bookshelves that will extend all the way between the floor and the ceiling.

However, you should be wary of just stacking books on those shelves, as doing so could leave your home overly resembling a stuffy library.

“Intersperse with a few framed photos and interesting bookends,” design expert Ana Cummings of CTV’s Homes & Lifestyles Canada has advised visitors to the Family Handyman website. “Make sure it is neat and tidy — that alone speaks volumes.”

Add an electric fireplace

A fireplace can certainly make a classy addition to a home, but you don’t have to opt for a traditional gas or wood-burning fireplace. Both of these options can be expensive to install and a hassle to maintain compared to electric fireplaces.

You can choose from many different designs for your electric fireplace. You would even be able to set up an electric fireplace yourself just by plugging it into an available electrical outlet. Once installed, your electric fireplace will likely last for roughly 20 years, The Spruce implies.

Replace the faucets in your bathroom

You might not be able to financially stomach buying more than one high-end feature for your bathroom right now. However, you don’t strictly need to spend too much to make a good impression there — as you could simply put your money into a quality tap.

This tap can look especially prestigious when paired with the backdrop of a wall comprising rows of plain, wallet-friendly tiles.

“If you look in the window of any high-end jewelry store, you will see that the finely crafted items, the gold and diamonds, are always displayed against plain neutral backgrounds which show them off much better … the same concept will work in your bathroom,” interior designer René Dekker has told Family Handyman.