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A kitchen with black and white cabinetry and a island countertop with gray chairs
Walker Woodworking

Design Notes

How To Modernize Your Outdated Home

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Does your home feel old and out of touch with the times? Have you wondered how to update its style and make it trendier? But do you also worry about the cost and effort of such a project? If you answered yes to these questions, we have the answers for you.

Every house eventually gets old. It doesn’t matter how well-designed the home is; this is bound to happen. As TEJRentals.com explains, that’s because popular house design trends are constantly changing as technology advances and buyer preferences shift.

And when preferences shift, you can’t go back and rebuild your home; you have to stay with what you have. But you don’t need to rebuild the house to bring it into the modern era. Updating your home does not require making massive changes to the property.

You need to understand the difference between style, class, and function. Although a house’s style may become outdated, it does not have to lose its class. Every home can remain functional regardless of its style and age.

An old-style home is one thing, but an obsolete home is an entirely different matter. In this article, we outline simple things you can do to pull your outdated home out of the past and into the modern period. You will be able to restore its appeal without giving up the quiet dignity that’s associated with old homes.

Declutter and Clean Your Outdated House

Giving the home a deep clean gives you the chance to look at the house with new eyes. You will be able to audit your belongings and reassess the usefulness of each item. You don’t know how much clutter you have accumulated until you do this process.

Simply getting rid of unused stuff and cleaning your carpets will make the home feel fresh. Doing a deep clean helps you see the actual state of the house. You can accurately assess the condition of various areas or objects in the home to determine the next steps.

Walker Woodworking custom cabinets peg drawers utensil drawer organized kitchen deep drawers dovetail drawers

Create More Space In Your Outdated Home

Modern homes have simple furniture and a lot of open space. They are designed to maximize airflow and allow ease of movement, unlike older homes, which often have huge furniture pieces.

Creating more space introduces the streamlined flow of a modern home into your old home. A few ways to do this are to replace large furniture with sleek modern ones, rearrange furniture to make rooms look bigger, get rid of carpets, discard old appliances, remove stacks of paper and other stuff, and rearrange cords and cables to hide or make them less messy.

Update Window Treatments

Blinds, shutters, and drapes determine how much light gets into the home and serve as a backdrop to the entire room. They can make a room feel confined, and just by looking at the window treatments in a home, you can guess what year the house was designed.

In place of inefficient old window treatments, use modern options like bright-colored drapery panels, sheer curtains, eco-friendly blinds made of rattan or bamboo, metal blinds with a wood-like appearance, or roman blinds.

Graber Window Treatments
Greenbrook Design

Repaint The Outdated Home

The color of the paint on walls and ceilings blankets everything in the home. If the paint is dull, faded, or old-fashioned, it will cloak everything in the home with these qualities. When painting your house, you must approach it strategically.

Merely applying a new coat of paint is not enough; the color palette you chose matters. Choose neutral interior colors to make rooms feel brighter, roomier, and airier. You should pay special attention to the colors of trims and crown moldings.

Update The Light Fixtures and Power Outlets

If the rooms in the home are poorly lit, most of your redesign efforts will become invisible at night. Poor lighting also makes rooms feel cramped. Additionally, aging light fixtures will feel out of place against the now redesigned home.

Replacing light fixtures and power outlets with modern versions that are more efficient and attractive will create a better overall result. The position of lighting also matters. By having sufficient lighting at various levels of each room, you will achieve the most illumination.

a kitchen with a marble island and stainless steel appliances
Walker Woodworking

Update Hardware

Door and cabinet handles, as well as plumbing fittings, draw a lot of attention. Swapping worn-out old designs for modern ones will have an immediate impact and lift your outdated home into the current. Visitors’ eyes instinctively go to the handles on doors and drawers, as well as the faucets on kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Small changes in these areas can have a significant impact. When changing the hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, it is also a good idea to refresh the cabinets themselves by refacing or repainting them.

In closing, although far from being everything you can do in your home, these steps will get you on your way to a more modern home. Enjoy doing them. Cheers.

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Graber Window TreatmentsGreenbrook Design

How to Modernize your Outdated Home

Design Notes

You need to understand the difference between style, class, and function. Although a house’s style may become outdated, it does not have to lose its class. Every home can remain functional regardless of its style and age.

An old-style home is one thing, but an obsolete home is an entirely different matter. In this article, we outline simple things you can do to pull your outdated home out of the past and into the modern period. You will be able to restore its appeal without giving up the quiet dignity that’s associated with old homes.

Read more
November 1, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Graber02.jpg?fit=1010%2C647&ssl=1 647 1010 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-11-01 15:15:052025-07-30 15:15:32How to Modernize your Outdated Home
a kitchen with blue cabinets and a white wallWalker Woodworking

10 Ideas for your Spare Room

Life, Styled

You moved into a house that allows you to have an extra bedroom, or maybe the kids have finally left, and you have a spare room, but now what? We would all agree that it is nice to have a spare bedroom, but should it be a guest bedroom, craft room, home gym, or something else entirely? Extra space is a good thing, but if it goes to waste, it has no value. Take the time to evaluate what you need and what could benefit you the most. A good plan yields excellent results and a space that will benefit you now and add value to your home later. Let’s explore some ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.

Read more
October 21, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Guest-suite-under-counter-beverage-unit-Walker-Woodworking-custom-cabinets-boathouse-suite.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-10-21 17:24:432025-07-30 17:25:0110 Ideas for your Spare Room
shower

What Will It Be: Soak or Shower?

Design Notes

The master bathroom is considered a special retreat for the owners, a place of relaxation. Over the years, the design has changed from a garden tub and shower combo to walk-in showers and soaker tubs. Some wonder if both are needed or if one is more essential than the other. We want to explore the pros and cons of each and help you know which one is the best fit for you, or if you should have both.

Read more
October 14, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Walker-Woodworking-custom-cabinet-walk-in-shower-rainfall-shower-head-white-master-bathroom-soaker-tub-brass-hardware.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-10-14 17:29:242025-07-30 17:29:45What Will It Be: Soak or Shower?
two women standing in a kitchenGreenbrook Design

Virtual Liver Mush Festival 2020

In The News

Liver mush. Cleveland County is famous for its liver mush and the festival that has celebrated it for the past 30 years. Due to COVID-19, however, our community had to do some quick thinking to enjoy our yearly tradition still safely. This is how the first-ever virtual liver mush festival was born, and we at Greenbrook Design are honored to be one of the sponsors. Individuals were invited to share a video of themselves preparing their favorite way to enjoy liver mush for a chance to win cash and prizes valued at over $1,000.

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October 14, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_2449-773x1030-1.jpg?fit=773%2C1030&ssl=1 1030 773 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-10-14 12:59:002025-08-04 13:11:15Virtual Liver Mush Festival 2020
Walker Woodworking custom cabinets exposed wood beam double kitchen island waterfall countertops black hardware

Simplicity And Clean Lines: What is a Minimalist Design Style?

Life, Styled

The bare essentials. That is how some would describe a minimalist design style, one void of color and personality. A house designed with this style will only have the necessities needed to function, but that is not the case. While it is true that the minimalist style lacks the extra fluff and sparkle of other styles, it is still a beautiful choice for those who are looking to create a space with simplicity. Let’s unpack this style to see if it suits your home.

Read more
October 7, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Walker-Woodworking-custom-cabinets-exposed-wood-beam-double-kitchen-island-waterfall-countertops-black-hardware.jpg?fit=844%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 844 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-10-07 19:13:092025-07-30 19:13:35Simplicity And Clean Lines: What is a Minimalist Design Style?
Page 39 of 49«‹3738394041›»

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Link to: 10 Ideas for your Spare Room Link to: 10 Ideas for your Spare Room 10 Ideas for your Spare Rooma kitchen with blue cabinets and a white wallWalker Woodworking Link to: What’s Right For You? How to Choose your Kitchen Appliance Link to: What’s Right For You? How to Choose your Kitchen Appliance Walker Woodworking custom cabinets beige kitchen cabinets beige kitchen wolf kitchen appliances white countertop white tile backsplash oven hood kitchen farm sinkWhat’s Right For You? How to Choose your Kitchen Appliance
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