We have all seen them on Instagram: the beautiful homes with custom kitchens, beautiful built-ins, and amazing accessories. But, how can you achieve that custom look in your home? Today, I want to share 10 of my favorite tips and tricks to help you achieve the custom home of your dreams.

First, decide what mood you would like to express with the design in your home. Whether that is cozy, fun, relaxing, or energetic, use this feeling to guide the design of your home.

Remember to design your home to suit your personality. But most importantly, have fun expressing yourself! These tips can help you add quick character to your home and are easily interchangeable as you and your home evolve over time.

Tip #1: Highlight What You Love, Disguise What You Do Not

Do you have an architectural detail in your home that you love, like an arched doorway or tall ceiling? These are the perfect places to highlight what you love about your home. Bring attention to those items by planning your space around them.

We all have certain things in our homes that we would change. For example; don’t love the style of your trim? Try painting it the same color as your walls. It neutralizes the trim and creates a chic look.

Tip #2: Purposefully Select Your Hardware

Cabinet hardware is an easy change to take a kitchen or bathroom from cookie-cutter to custom. Remove builder-grade knobs and pulls and replace with hardware you love for an instant cabinet makeover.

Tip #3: Lighting Is Your Friend

If you have existing lighting that you do not love, change it out for something that you do! One of my favorite ways to add lighting to a space is with sconces. They instantly elevate any space by adding layers of light. As a bonus, some sconces do not even need to be hardwired! This means they can be installed anywhere, custom to your home.

Tip #4: Artwork and Accessories Are Important

The easiest way to add a personal touch to your home is with artwork and accessories. Adding personalized or unique items sets the tone in your home. These items express your personality and make your home custom, so with that said, don’t be afraid to be bold! Bring in pieces that speak to you, and fill your home with accessories and artwork that you love.

Tip #5: Reflections of Light

Mirrors can be used to reflect additional light back into darker rooms. They can also be used to disguise a detail you may not love. I love using mirrors in my designs to highlight smaller spaces, as well. Have fun with your mirror selection, especially the frame! There are many, many options to give you the custom-look you desire.

Tip #6: Mix Textures Whenever Possible

Don’t forget to customize the physical feeling of your home, too!

Layering textures is an easy way to achieving the custom look in your home. The key to creating spaces that look like they have evolved over time is to layer different material and textures together, especially when you are trying to design an intimate space that feels “cozy.”

Tip #7: Use Your Outside Voice!

Bring your personality to the exterior of your home! This is the ultimate first impression. A custom exterior can be achieved with paint and landscaping. Painting your exterior a color you love gives your home more personalized character. Landscaping also plays an important role in your home’s appearance. Select plants and flowers that fit your style and maintenance ability. Remember that layering happens on the exterior as well as the interior. You want to consider the materials and textures of your home throughout.

Tip #8: Want Big Impact on a Low Budget? Paint!

I love adding moody paint colors to spaces to make them feel a little more special. However, if a statement color is scary to you, try painting only the ceiling! This allows for some drama without being overwhelming.

Tip #9: Wallpaper Instantly Adds a Custom Feel

Creating an accent wall with wallpaper is an inexpensive way to instantly add character to your home. My favorite places for wallpaper are powder bathrooms, dining rooms, and any little special nooks. I love wallpaper because it can bring pattern, color, and/or texture into your space. It can pack a big design punch!

Tip #10: Form AND Function

What ultimately creates a custom home is customizing it to your lifestyle and desires. Do you love to read? Add a reading area into your home! Home customization means it works for you in the best way possible for you. We want our spaces to look aesthetically pleasing, but ultimately they need to function to fit our needs. I believe that form follows function and when beginning your interior journey, you have to consider the space and how it can best serve your needs.

I hope you are able to incorporate some of these ideas into your home to achieve the custom design of your dreams. Remember the goal is to create a space that feels custom to your personality and lifestyle.

Have you used any of these tips in your home? Have a tip I did not mention that you love? Leave it in the comments below.

My Top 10 Cookie-Cutter to Custom Design Tips