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If you’ve ever wondered what types of upgrades interior designers like to prioritize in their own homes, now is your time to find out.
Here, three professional designers share five of the most impactful upgrades that they have made in their own homes. No matter whether you’re looking to add more personality to your walls or are looking to jazz up the bathroom, you’ll appreciate learning more about these choices.
Meet the Expert
- Natalie Papier is the founder of Home Ec.
- Nicole Cole is the founder of Vestige Home.
- Elaine Burns Thompson is the founder of Pistachio Designs.
Replacing Light Switches
The light switches in your home may not seem like something that would make or break a space, but interior designers feel otherwise.
Natalie Papier, the founder of Home Ec., likes to replace standard, builder-grade light switches with designer or vintage-style toggle switches.
“From porcelain to metallics, upgrading light switches in prominent areas levels up functional design,” she says.
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Reconfigure Your Lighting Scheme
In addition to bringing in new fixtures, think about ways you can improve your lighting scheme to better suit your day-to-day life.
Nicole Cole, the founder of Vestige Home, has started to weave push-button dimmer switches into each room of her historic home.
“I love the satisfying click of the on-off,” she says, adding that being able to adjust her lighting scheme as needed has also been impactful.
Like many people, Cole is averse to what has come to be known as “the big light” and appreciates having control over the brightness in a given room.
“There is nothing more jarring or unpleasant than harsh overhead lighting,” she says.
Sprucing Up the Shower
What if every shower in your home instantly transported you to a luxe hotel? Level up your beauty routine by opting for dual shower heads in your space, as Papier has done in her own bathroom.
“Dual shower heads are a total game changer as far as luxury upgrades go,” she says.
Papier explains how combination shower heads like a deep massaging shower head and steam mister can create a spa-like experience in any bathroom.
Upgrading Plumbing Fixtures
Speaking of the bathroom, why not go all out with your plumbing fixtures?
“Great plumbing fixtures can be like jewelry for the room,” Cole says.
She has opted to invest in higher-quality plumbing fixtures, which she sees and appreciates every day. Her favorite material to use? Unlacquered brass. Cole loves the patina look that develops over time since she’s not fussy about everything being perfect or polished.
Adding Intrigue to the Walls
Your interior walls give you so much opportunity to express yourself, whether you’re looking to think outside the box with paint, wallpaper, or another medium entirely. Best of all, you can opt for a different approach in every room of the house if you’re feeling a bit indecisive.
Cole has gotten creative with her own wall decor, taking a few different approaches within her house. Firstly, she chose to introduce a custom wall treatment in one room of her home. She worked with Carla Weeks, an artist, to create a meaningful mural—the work represents places that she and her husband have visited together over the years.
Cole also transformed the walls in her home using lime wash and wall plaster to add an eye-catching, textured look that is popular these days.
“The uneven, ethereal texture gives a casual feel to our spaces and it feels very freeform and organic,” she says.
Bringing in Special Window Treatments
Say goodbye to bland, builder-grade blinds at home and give your windows some love.
“Even in a rental, having luxe-material shades or blinds elevate a space and bring a sense of warmth and that lived-in feel,” Elaine Burns Thompson, the founder of Pistachio Designs, says.
Let your window treatments really enhance your experience living in your space. For example, consider opting for blackout curtains in the bedroom to add hotel-level darkness to your sleep space.