Quick Ways to Update Your Dated Home

Whether prepping your home for sale or just wanting a fresh new look, you don't need to redo the whole house completely. Instead, change out a few critical pieces for something more modern or timeless. Here are a few ways to bring your dated home into the Twenty-first Century.

• Wall paint: Okay, this one is an easy decision, but, don’t just repaint the same old way. Instead, give each wall a slightly different shade of the same hue to create a dramatic effect. Even neutrals like gray and taupe come in a vast variety of colors. Pick one for your main wall, then one with twenty-five percent white, and then one with fifty percent white for a simple version. In the kitchen, paint above the cabinets a darker shade than the walls to give the appearance of depth and dimension. If you have architectural alcoves or niches, give them the deeper shade. Nothing says so-last-year like chalkboard walls and stencils. Keep the blank slate in the kid’s playroom and update your kitchen with a sophisticated adult color.
• Ceiling paint: If your ceiling still has the contractor color (the same as the walls), consider changing it up with a bright white. White with a hint of blue reflects light with a more natural sunlight color while white that leans slightly creamy gives the room a warm glow. 
•  Smooth ceilings: If your home has popcorn ceilings, an immediate update comes with scraping off the texture and smoothing the plaster. Before you begin this project, however, check with a professional to see if your ceiling's surface contains asbestos. If that's the case, you'll need to hire certified asbestos abatement to remove the existing ceiling.
• Stair railings: Nothing dates a house like an elaborate wood railing with turned spindles or an iron railing with curls and swoops. Swap out the existing one for a simple, yet classic style that spans the decades.
• White appliances: While moderately expensive, changing out white devices for stainless steel moves your kitchen into the current decade and won't look too out of place with the rest of the kitchen. But, if you're going to upgrade the entire kitchen, go one step further with graphite, blue-gray, or slate units, in high gloss or matte finishes.

If you’re curious about what trends are popular in your neighborhood, visit open houses to see what others are doing, and check with your local realtor.