How Do I Add Character To My Home?

You want to add character to your home because no one wants to live in a faceless, soulless, bland stucco box.

Character can come from your “interior design” – your furniture, art, collectibles, and accessories. It can come from architectural elements like niches, moldings, built-ins, and fixtures. You can also have character with landscape design – both softscape (plants) and hardscape.

Here are some simple ideas on how to add character to your home without an expensive remodel and inject a little soul into your living space.

1. Tear out your resource hogging lawn and install plants native to your area.
2. Add whimsy to your landscape with art, vintage toys or elements that attract birds, butterflies or wildlife. A character home is filled with life!
3. Don’t leave your front door or porch naked. Add containers planted with colorful foliage or flowers, create a sitting area or hang a wreath.
4. Personal collections can lend a lot of character to a home, but it is easy to veer into the hoarding category if you aren’t careful. Designate specific display spaces and curate your collection like a museum – only set out a portion of your collection at any one time.
5. Paint is a great design element. While we always recommend neutral white when we are selling a home, you do you as you live in your home! Is your favorite color Pepto Pink? Go for it!!
6. Change your light fixtures. Great light fixtures are an amazing way to add character to your home.  LampsPlus.com is your friend. Get rid of your contractor grade light fixtures and install a little character with feature lighting
7. Add vintage pulls to your cabinets. You can shop your average home improvement superstore for cabinet hardware, but we are talking character, right? How about checking out local flea markets, garage sales or an architectural salvage company? Great hardware can get spendy really fast but no one said all the cabinet pulls have to match. Treating your hardware like art will definitely add character to your home!
8. Add trim, moldings, and wainscot. If you are a skilled DIYer it is dead cheap to add architectural flair to your ceilings, windows and doors and walls.

These are just a few ideas on how to add character to your home off the top of my head! Check out my post “What is a Character Home?” to see just a few great examples of character homes in Glendale CA.