Looking to give your home a lift without a full renovation? An interiors expert shares three simple ways to instantly “up” the look and feel of any room.

Toni Newman is the Founder of Toni + Co, a Melbourne-based design studio focused on helping our clients create homes that are not only beautiful and cohesive, but also deeply personal, functional and emotionally resonant. 

1. Colour drench with paint

Colour drenching is one of our favourite painting techniques and an easy way to freshen up a tired or ‘disjointed’ space, add colour and depth, create focus and tie everything together.

What is colour drenching?

To explain simply, colour drenching is literally ‘drenching’ the room with the same or a very similar tone/coloured paint: the ceiling, walls, trims, architraves and doors – even things like the fireplace or built-in storage can be painted in the same colour. The idea behind it is to create a space that has no visual joins or distractions.

It is a painting technique we have used in some of our projects for many years and really can take a room from looking just “OK” to “wow!” quickly, elevating the look and feel of virtually any space.

Success lies in the planning

The key to getting colour drenching right is to have an end aesthetic in mind before you start. We always create a mood board that includes the colour, furniture and decorating pieces to refer back to so that we’re certain that the chosen colour supports the look and feel a client is going for.

Also, ask yourself these questions: Are you trying to make the room feel larger? Smaller? Cosy? Intimate? Spacious? The answers to these questions will determine which colours are best to achieve the desired effect.

Choosing colours

Generally, lighter colours are going to make your space feel more open and spacious and darker colours will make it feel smaller, more dramatic and cocoon-like.

Once you select a colour, get a sample pot and paint three layers to get the best sense of what the colour really looks like in that room. Once you’re happy, off you go!

Some people may be hesitant to drench a room in a dark colour because they feel it will feel like a bat cave, but as you can see from the small formal dining room above that Toni + Co created, the colour does the heavy lifting to meet the brief of a dramatic and cosy formal dining room for dinner parties.

We also added in a large floor mirror for extra light, a lamp, lighter linen sheers, greenery and incorporated many different materials such as marble, brushed gold and greenery to encourage the flavour of elevation.

Remember, paint can be painted over easily in the years to come. It’s not structural, it’s cost-effective – and you can do it all by yourself.

2. Add a mirror or two

At Toni + Co, we nearly always include at least one mirror in our projects, for both residential and commercial. Here’s why:

• They don’t necessarily need to be hung on a wall. They can be propped up on a sideboard or leaned up against a wall.
• They come in an endless array of shapes, including curves, which is a great way to add ‘softness’ to a space that needs it.
• They help to add light to a dark space, bouncing it around the room.
• You can group them, just like pieces of art.
• They open up a space instantly.
• Strategically placed, they can reflect something fabulous like a plant or artwork.
• You can double them up on either side of the room to add next-level drama.
• They come in every colour and style aesthetic you can imagine, including Art Deco, Edwardian, Mid-Century, Hamptons and more.
• You don’t need to spend a fortune or shop high-end to find a mirror that will ‘up’ the look and feel of a space.
• Even the placement of a simple mirror above an entry table can make the space more inviting.

For the project we worked on above, the bedroom was quite small. To make it appear larger, open up the floor space and bounce light around the room, we incorporated a large floor mirror as well as a smaller version of the same style to sit above a beautiful antique piece we sourced for our client. The ornate style and gold frames of the mirrors support the aesthetic of the furniture and decor we selected, pulling everything together.

So there you go, mirrors for the win!

3. Embrace wallpaper

Gone are the days when wallpaper was deemed ‘daggy’ or screamed ‘Grandma’s house’. These days, even fashion designers are jumping on board to design their own range of fabulous wallpapers.

Wallpaper can and will instantly ‘up’ the look and feel of any room – Toni + Co even use it in bathrooms and powder-rooms.

Endless ways to style it

Nowadays, we are spoilt for choice with wallpaper options; even renters have ‘stick on/peel off’ options they can use easily. There are endless designs, patterns, colours, textures and styles of wallpaper ready to take your room to the next level, including murals and landscapes. Wallpaper can inject colour and mood into any space.

Think outside the square too, you’re not limited to just walls – think about the ceiling too! This can be a wonderful effect for a smaller room or hallway with the right pattern and colour, adding drama and height depending on the design and colour you choose.

Wallpaper not only adds depth, dimension, height or width, but can support your overall style aesthetic. For example, an Art Deco-style paper with arches or palm trees can help tie together the final look of a room that you are creating in that style.

For the bedroom makeover pictured above, the client wanted a room that felt a little like a luxurious hotel. While we had to repurpose the bedhead, work with the brown carpet and white walls, the wallpaper with golden oak leaves and lions on a navy-blue background instantly elevated the space.

Paired with layers of velvet, fur, mirrors, gold accents and fabulous large lamps, the room looks and feels luxurious.

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What are some of your favourite ways to spruce up a room quickly? Leave us a comment below!