10 Best Projects to Add Character to Your Living and Dining Room
5 min read
Whether you have a home that was built more recently or an older home, part of the joy of it is making it your own. Adding some character to your living room or dining room is a fun way to help you make your home your own. In this article, we will look at some of the best projects to add some character to your home.
Best Projects to Add Character to Your Living Room
Your living room is one of the rooms in your home where you spend the bulk of your time, so you want it to feel special and give it character that reflects your personality and tastes. Let’s take a look at some of the best projects to give your living room more character.
1. Add Some Color
You may not want to have a completely bright color living room, but a fun way to add character and give the room some of your personality is to the room. You can have some brightly colored throw pillows, a rug, or an ottoman. A bright and colorful picture can also be fun to add to the room. Have fun with it, and don’t be afraid of making your living room stand out.
2. Customize the Windows
It can be expensive to get custom shades or drapes for your window if you can’t sew to make them yourself. Instead, you can add some trim to your plain curtains to jazz them up. Inset the trim by an inch or two and run along the leading edge of the curtain. This is a great way to transform your curtains on a budget and give the room more character. It does not require you to be a pro at sewing, but if need be, you can always work with a seamstress to have the trim added to your curtains.
3. Create an Accent Wall
Is there a specific wall in the living room that you want to draw someone’s eye to? This can be the TV wall, the fireplace surround, or another wall that you want people to look at. Turning that wall into an accent wall is a great way to make that happen. You can paint it a bright color, hang wallpaper, or install a faux stone accent wall. No matter which one you pick, you can find something that shows off your personality and draws attention while still working with the rest of the room.
4. Change Hardware to Create a New Look
A great and easy way to give your living room more character, try changing out the knobs on the doors, drawers, cabinets, and side tables. Whether you love a vintage look, something rustic, or a sleek, modern look, you can find different knobs to fit your style. The hinges on doors are another part of a room that is often overlooked when redesigning a room, but these can be a clever little touch that gives the room more character.
5. Update the Lighting
How old are your lamps? What about the light fixtures? This is another part of your living room that can add some unexpected character to the room. Update your light fixtures to give them more personality. Try new lamps or lampshades to change the lighting up in the room. The lamps and fixtures themselves will not only add character, but they can help you highlight new features you add.
Best Projects to Add Character to Your Dining Room
Now that we’ve looked at the living room, let’s take a look at some of the best projects to add character to your dining room.
6. Add Molding
A great way to give your dining room a little more personality and character, try adding some crown molding to it. It is easy to DIY install, and it will add a touch of elegance to your dining room. If you want to add a pop of color to the room, you can paint the molding so it stands out.
7. Adding Shelving
Do you have a lot of fine China dishes or vintage cooking and serving dishes? Why not make them part of your dining room’s decor? You can hang floating shelves in the room, or if there is enough space, you can build shelves into the wall so it looks like they belong there. To keep those dishes clean on your shelves, add some glass doors to keep dirt and dust out of the room. If you want to make the shelves stand out better, you can paint them a bright color to draw the eye.
8. Create a Gallery Wall
Turning one of the walls in the dining room into a gallery wall is a great way to give it some character. There are so many ways you can go about this. You can take some family photos and frame them for the wall, hang up art, or even use a bunch of mirrors to add some depth and make the room feel bigger than it truly is. Have fun with it; this can be a unique feature that guests will enjoy looking at.
9. Add a Chandelier or Pendant Light
Dramatic lighting is a great way to give your dining room character. A big, beautiful chandelier or pendant light will give the room the soft, comfortable lighting you are looking for while also upgrading the decor.
10. Add an Upholstered Bench Seat
While most dining rooms have standard chairs surrounding the table, if you want to add a truly unique feature to the dining room, try building an upholstered bench seat on one or both sides of the dining table. If you have kids, these seats are great because they are spill resistant and are usually protected from sticky fingers. Using an upholstered seat also can open up your dining room to be used for more purposes than just big dinners. It can be a place to do homework, work on projects, sit and chat, and more.
