Decorating Ideas for the ‘Cookie-Cutter’ Home

Today, I’m sharing my favourite decorating ideas for the ‘cookie-cutter’ home (like mine!). Whether you’re moving into a new home or need some fresh inspiration for the space you’re already in, the following are my tried and true ways of taking a ‘basic’ home and turning it into something special.

Best of all, none of these tips require expensive renovations. All that’s needed is a little creativity and a few strategic design choices to give your home a bit of a style boost.

Ready to dive in?

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DECORATING IDEAS FOR THE COOKIE-CUTTER HOME

In a world of mass-produced homes, it can be hard to make our homes stand out. Harder still is imagining how we might do so without investing in expensive renovations (of course, I write this while dreaming of renovating our kitchen some day – but I digress!).

And yet, after living in our ‘builder-basic’ home for over 14 years – oh, how the time flies! – I believe that it IS POSSIBLE TO INFUSE PERSONALITY and style into a standard home.

This was our home just a few short years after moving in (a typical suburban home in this part of Canada).

Like most suburban homes, the INTERIOR boasts FEW ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS (mainly floor boards and crown molding), and has the most BASIC WOOD FLOORING (no special patterns there), and – I don’t mind saying – quite BLAND CERAMIC FLOORING (a basic beige grid pattern) in our foyer and kitchen.

But we have MADE THE MOST OF IT by focusing mainly on FURNISHINGS and DECOR to reflect our unique style and personality (well, mainly mine, as my husband is happy to let me get creative in our home – lucky me!).

So you could say that I’m more than a little confident that ANYONE can breathe life into their home simply by getting A LITTLE CREATIVE and by making a few STRATEGIC DESIGN CHOICES. 

Here are my favourite decorating ideas for the cookie-cutter home:

 

1/  Vary Your Shapes

This goes for either (or both) FURNITURE and ACCESSORIES.

This is because when you add interesting shapes into your space, you will be making up for the lack of architectural details you might otherwise find in a custom home with built-in charm.

Taking a room from ‘boring’ (whatever that looks like for you) to interesting, often comes down to adding AT LEAST ONE piece of FURNITURE OR ACCESSORY that has an INTERESTING SHAPE.

Interesting shapes are, of course, in the eye of the beholder. But, typically, it may simply be something that is DIFFERENT FROM MOST OF YOUR FURNITURE OR DECOR in a particular space.

If you have lots of BOXY FURNITURE with straight lines and edges, then a ROUND TABLE may be that ‘interesting’ piece.

If you have a TRADITIONAL DINING ROOM TABLE, this may be an EDGY, GEOMETRIC VASE with OVERSIZED BRANCHES (like ours, below), to create a show-stopping ‘moment.’

Or maybe you have a BASIC SOFA that you can make more interesting by flanking it with A PAIR OF Geometric FLOOR LAMPS.

If BUDGET is an issue (as it so often is!), FOCUS ON ACCESSORIES (which I do most of the time) like VASES, BOWLS, LAMPS, and any SCULPTURAL PIECES that add a bit of quirk or personality.

Whether you have a show-stopping piece of furniture with an interesting shape or accessories that fit the bill, these will help level-up your builder-basic home into a stylish space.

 

2/  Vary Your Textures

ADDING A VARIETY OF TEXTURES through FURNISHINGS and ACCESSORIES is another way to make up for the lack of detail and texture in the surrounding floors, walls, and ceiling of a basic home.

For example, mixing SMOOTH with ROUGH, METAL (or GLOSSY) with MATTE, and HARD with SOFT, adds depth and interest to an otherwise bland or boring room.

Here are some quick examples from our home:

High Gloss Flooring with Textured Rug

Smooth Vase and Textured Pampass Grass 

High Gloss Bench and Matte Planter (along with other matte elements)

Taken one step further, if you can afford it, invest in some REAL (instead of faux) MATERIALS for your larger furnishings and primary accessories. Things like REAL WOOD, NATURAL RUGS (e.g., wool), REAL METALS (e.g., brass, copper, nickel, etc), CERAMICS, STONE, etc.

That’s because NATURAL MATERIALS have DEPTH AND VARIATION already BUILT-IN that changes naturally, over time.

REAL WOOD, like this ACACIA WOOD DINING TABLE has natural variation that’s hard to replicate through manufactured means.

Natural rugs like JUTE or WOOL, for example, are durable and vary naturally in both hue and texture.

REAL BRASS will develop a natural patina.

Unlike real materials, FAUX PIECES REMAIN STATIC and typically lack the depth and variation that will naturally evolve over time.

While I have my fair share of inexpensive, faux materials – can’t be avoided when budget is a concern – I’ve also invested in a few real and natural pieces that have made up some of the difference in our home.

 

3/  Add Some Contrast

Another way to make your space a bit more interesting is by introducing some contrast. Without some contrast – whether subtle or obvious – even the most luxurious rooms can fall ‘flat.’

There are so many varieties of ‘contrast’ that you can play around with, depending on your personal style.

TYPES OF CONTRAST may include such things as:

Dark and Light/Black and White

Warm and Cool Tones

Smooth and Textured/Rough

Angled and Round

TIP: For added interest, opt for VARIATIONS WITHIN THE CONTRASTS YOU CHOOSE. For example, if you like using black and white, use different SHADES OF BLACK to keep things interesting. 

The same goes for using an ACCENT COLOUR to an otherwise neutral space. WHETHER YOU CHOOSE BLUE, GREEN, OR ANY OTHER COLOUR, USE VARYING HUES throughout your space to add DEPTH AND INTEREST.

 

4/  Vary Your Wall Decor

One of the easiest ways to create interest in your space is with a range of wall decor. 

This may include ART OR ART PRINTS in varying combinations from STACKED PAIRINGS,

To GALLERY WALLS.

But if you feel your walls are feeling a bit ‘boring’ then try getting creative with how you decorate your walls. It could be as simple as adding AN OVERSIZED MIRROR.

Or you might consider a WALL TAPESTRY.

Or FRAMED EMBROIDERY.

Or maybe you’re a DIY’er or crafter and need something a bit different like this HANDMADE PAMPASS GRASS WREATH.

Or this DIY RUSTIC WALL SWAG.

By introducing variation to your wall decor – beyond framed prints and artwork – this may help add that dose of personality that your home may be missing.

 

5/  A Word About Greenery & Floral Arrangements

Adding greenery or floral arrangements is another affordable way to add interest to a cookie-cutter home. 

In fact, they CHECK MOST BOXES discussed above:

☑️ Texture

☑️ Shape

☑️ Contrast

Even TALL PLANTS can add VERTICAL INTEREST along an otherwise bare wall.

If you can, using REAL PLANTS ARE ALWAYS BEST; but if you have trouble keeping plants alive or you have pets (like we do), you may be concerned with introducing toxic plants. 

There are plenty of FAUX OPTIONS these days that look INCREDIBLY LIFELIKE (like THIS OLIVE TREE in our foyer). 

Or THESE TALL FLORALS from Michaels and THESE SHORT FLORALS (a mix of greens and YELLOW POPPIES LEFT OVER from a lemon wreath I recently made).

While REAL greenery and florals are the ideal, if that’s not an option for you, don’t short-change yourself! There are plenty of FAUX OPTIONS these days that look INCREDIBLY LIFELIKE. 

 

FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

I hope you found these decorating tips helpful. Some suggestions may not work for you, but I hope some of them do. Even implementing just one of these decorating ideas for the cookie-cutter home can go a long way in adding depth, interest, and personality. The longer I live in our builder-basic home, the more I see just how achievable that is.

I hope this post has you inspired by the ‘blank envelope’ you have to work with. A space – like a blank canvas – on which you can create something unique and special.

 

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For more simple decorating ideas, see these other related posts from A Pretty Fix: