How to Add Character to Your Home

Today we’re sharing the best ways to add character to your home no matter what type of home you live in!

This month mom and I have been diligently working on my primary bedroom. The room had no character, so when designing we wanted to make sure we added a dose of it! One way we chose to do this was with a vintage door from our favorite local antique shop, Antique & Vintage Texas. This door will lead to the master bathroom and make the room instantly feel unique. Below are a few other fun ways to add character to your home!

NATURAL ELEMENTS

I feel like we say this daily but nature really is the simplest way to bring character and life to a home. We are always inspired by nature and as we’ve said, God is the best designer. Adding wood beams to the ceiling or stone to walls can quickly elevate a space. Landscape art is a great way to bring the outdoors in! Trees, plants, and furniture in natural warm woods make a home charming and cozy. Adding character through with natural elements is always my favorite!

In mom’s home, she has a stone fireplace that gives that earthy feel to the living room. In the dining room, she has rustic beams in the ceiling. These calls to nature made these once builder-grade rooms into well-designed havens for the family.

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MILLWORK

When we say millwork we’re talking about wood accents in your home specifically on the walls. Board and batten, beadboard, shiplap, picture panel molding; all these treatments are an easy and cost-effective way to add character to any space. And it’s not your grandma’s shiplap! The design possibilities are endless!

I have board and batten in my living room, shiplap in my son’s nursery and in the kitchen, and beadboard in the hall bath. All of these features bring character to my house and make these rooms special.

If you’re interested in a tutorial on how to install vertical shiplap follow the link here.

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Have you seen examples of non-traditional millwork in varied patterns and materials? The millwork is in all shapes, squares, rectangles, and even triangles. And shiplap is no longer just white. You can see it in every color of the rainbow. The most fun new treatment is fluted wall panels. This is character-rich and unique! I’m looking for a space in my home to use this millwork!

You might think if you have shiplap in your home that any additional millwork won’t work. But nothing could be further from the truth! You can not only use multiple types of millwork in one home, you can use multiple types in one room! Shiplap and board and batten play perfectly together! Our friend at The Old Barn does it so well! You can tour her entire home here.

WALLPAPER

Wallpaper is back in style! And you don’t have to be afraid to use it! Choose a secondary space like a bath or guest room. You can do an accent wall or even a little nook somewhere.

I have wallpaper on the back wall in our playroom. I love that it adds whimsy to a space dedicated to the kids, but also adds character and sophistication in view from the living room. This wallpaper is from Woodchip & Magnolia!

We also have wallpaper paired with bead board in the hall bath. This is a great example of how you can combine both millwork and wallpaper creating a ton of character in a room. I also have a vintage barn door in this space, so I went all out!

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DESIGNING UNEXPECTED PLACES

Painting a ceiling a pop of color or making a unique feature in a nook are great examples of designing unexpected places. One space we have done this is in Quinn’s playroom at my mom’s house. It was a cute room that needed an extra pop so we chose to paint the ceiling Sherwin Williams Mellow Coral! It took us an hour and the room was completely transformed.

Our friend K recently hung chairs on the exterior wall of her shed and set plants on them. It was a cute feature that is an unexpected way to use a chair! This is a really fun way to get creative.

FURNITURE

Furniture is the easiest way to add character! We all seem to buy furniture from the same big box stores making many of our homes look cookie cutter. I’m not knocking any of the more popular stores or those popular pieces because I shop at the same places for myself. The best way to make these popular pieces have a unique feel in your home is to mix a vintage or antique piece of furniture.

In my living room, I have the Joybird Lewis Sectional and a Ruggable rug, both very popular pieces. I mixed them with a vintage chair mom found on Facebook Marketplace, a vintage coffee table, and a second-hand piece that I DIYed to make the perfect media console for me. This perfect mix created a unique feel for my living room! The best thing about mixing in vintage furniture is they have often been my lowest-cost pieces. I find great pieces at Estate Sales and on Facebook Marketplace!

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I hope this post helps you add character to your home! Every room can feel special with a couple of small accents. Which idea to add character is your favorite? Do you have any ideas we missed? We love to hear from you in the comments.

Also, if you haven’t watched the YouTube video that corresponds with this video be sure to follow the link here to do so. We include our time treasure hunting for the barn door for my room and it was a lot of fun!

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