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HOW TO TRANSITION BETWEEN INTERIOR DESIGN STYLES
Aug 31, 2025
✨ Ready to refresh your home without starting from scratch? In this video, I’ll show you how to transition between interior design styles with simple, practical tips. Whether you’re moving from farmhouse to modern, traditional to contemporary, or just want to mix in new trends, these strategies will help you create a seamless look without wasting money or losing your personal style. | CHAPTERS | 00:00 Intro 01:45 High Impact Items 05:50 How to Transition High Impact Items on a Budget 09:09 Decorative Accessories & Accent Furniture 11:45 How to Transition Accessories & Accents on a Budget 12:42 Maintaining a Flexible Canvas 14:04 Outro | BLOG POST | How to Transition Between Interior Design Styles - https://diannedecor.com/blog/advice-tips/styles-decor/transition-between-interior-design-styles/ | LINKS | How To Choose a Timeless Color Palette for Your Home - https://youtu.be/3kjUWl82A5U
View Video Transcript
0:03
Hi, it's Lindsay Diane from
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dianecor.com.
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In this video, we're going to talk all
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about how to transition between interior
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design styles. Inevitably, over time,
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your taste in home decor will evolve. At
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one point in your life, you may have
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been all about modern farmhouse and now
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you're leaning a little bit towards
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modern minimalist. Or you may have
0:28
really loved coastal, but now you want
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to go a little bit more traditional. And
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starting from scratch, unfortunately, is
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not an option for most of us. That's
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something that's best left to reality
0:40
TV. For most of us, we need to
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transition our style intentionally by
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changing certain things at certain times
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to give us the most visual impact. And
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so in this video, I'm going to share
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with you exactly what those things are
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that you should start to transition for
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the biggest impact and then the things
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that you can leave for later on that you
1:04
can change in like a second phase of you
1:08
moving into a new design style. This is
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a budgetconscious way of going about
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changing your interior style so that you
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can have a nice refreshed feeling in
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your home without having to, you know,
1:25
buy all new furniture and all new decor
1:28
and repaint your home and do a full
1:30
renovation. This is more about being
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intentional with the pieces that we
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choose to swap out so that we can get
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that new fresh style in and do it over
1:40
time and do it in a way that makes sense
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for us. So, let's get started. When you
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begin to transition between interior
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design styles, the best thing to do
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first is to swap out those high impact
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items.
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High impact items are those that hold a
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lot of weight visually. So these are the
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things that really give you a strong
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impression when you walk into a room.
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These are the things that you notice
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visually first. They don't always need
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to be a focal point in your room, but
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they are strong supporting characters
2:18
for your interior design style. And so
2:20
these are the things that you want to
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target first. Here are some examples of
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high impact items. Area rugs, coffee
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tables, lighting and lamps, wall
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accents, pillow covers, and textiles,
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and large statement furniture are all
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high impact items. Let's talk about why
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each one of these is a high impact item
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and what it's doing for your space, and
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then we'll talk about some budget
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friendly ways to transition these items.
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Rugs. An area rug swap is really
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important because rugs ground a space
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and they set the tone. So, for example,
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replacing a Persian style rug with one
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that's a natural jute rug can help you
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transition from a traditional style to a
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more coastal style. Coffee tables.
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Coffee tables define a room style. A
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glass top table style leans more modern,
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whereas a wood rustic table would lead
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more farmhouse or even uh French
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country. Lighting fixtures are subtle
3:30
but impactful. A bronze chandelier
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communicates more of a traditional
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style, while a sculptural pendant can
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feel more contemporary. Wall accents,
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artwork, mirrors, and wall signs. Either
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reinforce or fight with your style
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direction. Think about removing or
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replacing these items to help ease your
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transitions. Now, one of the things that
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we know for sure that went out with the
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modern farmhouse style is all of the
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signage, that sort of word art signage
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that was all over people's walls, that
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you know, the pantry sign that was above
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the pantry in the kitchen and, you know,
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the fork and knife and all these sort of
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um kind of kitsy wall art signs. Those
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are some of the first things that you
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should think about swapping out. one,
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they're rather inexpensive, but two,
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they really, really scream one style or
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another. So, instead, look for some more
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traditional pieces of artwork.
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By traditional, I don't necessarily mean
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the traditional style, but something
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that's either like a watercolor or an
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acrylic painting, an abstract painting,
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a landscape. Things like this stand the
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test of time and transition well between
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different styles instead of something
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that is screaming one style or another
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with either its wordage or the symbols
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that it uses. Pillow covers and textiles
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are another thing that is a high impact
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item. They're also one of the easiest
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and most affordable things to transition
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out. New patterns or textures can
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refresh a sofa and a bed instantly.
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Large statement furniture like sofas,
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dining tables, and beds are defining
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elements in a space and they will really
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anchor you into a particular interior
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design style. So, this is something that
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is a high visual impact item that should
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be swapped out in your sort of phase one
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of transitioning.
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A tufted sofa looks classic while a
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modern lowprofile sofa says modern.
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Think about the pieces that you're
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choosing that are high impact and that
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are large furniture pieces to swap out
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first before you go with some of the
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other items. So now those high impact
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items that we just listed run the gamut
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as far as cost goes. Not everyone is
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going to run out and swap out their
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sofa. Sofas are expensive. Beds are the
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same. They're investments and you keep
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them for multiple multiple years on end,
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especially if you bought something
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that's high quality. So then the
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question is, how do I transition out of
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this style without repurchasing this
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item? Here are some ways where you can
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transition some of these things in a
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budget friendly manner. One, you can
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layer rugs. So instead of buying a full
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11 by14 new Persian rug, consider buying
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something a little bit smaller or
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something secondhand that you can layer
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on top of an existing rug. Think about
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using contact paper as a vehicle to
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update coffee tables, countertops,
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desks. You can use a faux wood finish or
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you can go to a faux marble finish very
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easily by using contact paper. you'll be
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able to retain your original furniture
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piece, but just give it a freshened up
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look that goes a little bit more with
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the new style that you're trying to go
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for. Lamp shades are another thing that
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you can swap out instead of full
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lighting fixtures. Swapping shades to
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change the silhouette or texture of an
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existing lamp is a great way to go about
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updating your lighting on a budget. Make
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sure to swap out pillow covers as
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opposed to replacing pillows altogether.
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There's no reason for you to get rid of
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your pillows. Simply buy new covers to
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put over them. They're very inexpensive
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and you can get them easily online at
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Amazon. They're easy to rotate out from
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season to season or in this case to help
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you transition from one interior design
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style to another. When it comes to
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furniture, there are two ways that you
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can update your furniture in a budget
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friendly manner to give it a new style.
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The first is to swap out the legs on
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your furniture. If you have legs that
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you can easily screw in, think about
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swapping out the legs on your furniture
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to give your piece a new silhouette. You
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can swap out, you know, traditional legs
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on a sofa for something a little bit
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more of like a tapered peg leg to give
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it a more mid-century modern look. Or
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you could swap out wooden legs for
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metal. You can create a pedestal table
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and you can maintain like your dining
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room tabletop, but give it a whole new
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base. Maybe give it a metal base instead
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of a wood base or a wood base instead of
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a metal base. These are ways where you
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can update your furniture without buying
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whole new pieces. Another way to update
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furniture is to update your upholstery
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by using slip covers. There are covers
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for sofas. There are covers for chairs.
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There are covers for stools. They are
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all very, very affordable and easy to
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get your hands on. And they will really
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go a long way to updating the look of
9:02
your furniture. You can change the
9:04
patterns, you can change the textures,
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you can change the colors without having
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to invest in a whole new piece. Once
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you've worked your way through some of
9:11
those high impact items, move on to
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phase two of your transition plan. In
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phase two, you're going to tackle your
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decorative accessories and your accent
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furniture. These details are like the
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jewelry of your home. They refine the
9:25
overall look and make your style feel
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intentional. Updating them is a key step
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when you want to transition between
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interior design styles smoothly.
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Decorative accents are things like vases
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and statues,
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canisters and bathroom accessories,
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hooks and hangers, baskets and bins.
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Here's how swapping out some of these
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things can really change the style of
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your space. You can replace ornate vases
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that are keeping you in a more
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traditional style with some sleek glass
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options that will lean a little bit more
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modern. When it comes to canisters and
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bathroom accessories, these are small
10:11
everyday items that are really
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affordable to swap out. You can find
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little bathroom accessories like
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toothbrush holders, tumblers,
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soap dishes, soap dispensers. You can
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find sets of these online, and they're
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very easy and inexpensive to swap out if
10:32
you want to update your style. Hooks and
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hangers are another thing that will
10:39
scream one style versus the other. So
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swapping out like rot iron for a matte
10:45
black or a bamboo for a brass will help
10:49
you move towards one style versus
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another. Swapping out baskets and bins
10:55
can also help you transition between
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styles. Woven baskets and bins suggest
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more of a boho or coastal style, while
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acrylic bins suggest more of a modern
11:09
cleanline style. When it comes to accent
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furniture, think about things like side
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tables and stools, cabinets and
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bookcases,
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console tables and coffee tables and bar
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carts and ottomans. When it comes to
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side tables and stools, rustic wood side
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tables read more farmhouse, while sleek
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metal ones lean more industrial. Open
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shelving feels more modern, while closed
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cabinetry feels more traditional. So,
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think about swapping out some of these
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smaller furniture pieces in the second
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phase of your transition. Here are some
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budget friendly ways to transition your
11:49
decorative accessories and accent
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furniture. The first is spray paint. You
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can spray paint vases, trays, and tables
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to give them a whole new finish. The
12:00
next is to update your hardware.
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Swapping out cabinet poles and knobs
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will give you a totally new style. So,
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think about swapping them out on your
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kitchen cabinetry or your bathroom
12:12
cabinetry. You can also swap out knobs
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on dressers or console tables or even on
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a china cabinet. Covers are also an
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inexpensive option to update stools and
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ottomans. When you're transitioning your
12:27
accessories, think about going
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secondhand and thrifting some new items
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from a secondhand shop to replace the
12:36
old ones that are in your home. This is
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a more budget friendly way to go about
12:40
it than just buying all new. And lastly,
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let's talk about maintaining a flexible
12:45
canvas. This is creating a backdrop of
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classic colors and a classic timeless
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color palette so that you can transition
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between interior design styles easily.
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Number one is to keep a neutral
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backdrop. Think about keeping your
13:02
walls, your large rugs, and your
13:05
foundational furniture neutral. Try to
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steer away from too many busy patterns
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or trendy finishes. Instead, keep them
13:15
nice and neutral. Number two is to go
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with a classic color palette. We talked
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all about this in how to choose a
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timeless color palette for your home. I
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will link that video in the description
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below, but choose versatile hues like
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warm neutrals, muted blues, or greens
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that work well across multiple design
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styles. By maintaining this flexible
13:40
canvas and a neutral backdrop, you'll be
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able to sprinkle in decorative
13:45
accessories, small accents, and wall art
13:49
and accent rugs here and there, the less
13:52
expensive items to achieve that style
13:55
that you're looking for versus having to
13:58
replace large pieces of furniture each
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time you want to transition your home
14:02
into a new style. That's it for this
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video. I hope you found it helpful. If
14:07
you liked it, please give it a like and
14:09
consider subscribing to my channel. And
14:11
don't forget to visit me at diancor.com.
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I post all about home decorating ideas
14:16
and inspiration over there. I thank you
14:18
so much for watching and I'll see you in
14:20
the next one. Bye.
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[Music]
#Home & Interior Decor
#Home Furnishings