35 Ways to Make Your Home Unique in 2024
Want to think outside the box when it comes to designing your home?
In this blog, we’ll explore 35 standout ways to make your home decor unique in 2024.
Let’s dive in!
1. Unique Architecture
To kick things off, adding unique architecture can provide your home with renewed character while altering and enhancing the overall aesthetic of one or more spaces.
Some of the most notable ideas to consider include exposed brick walls, arched doorways, vaulted ceilings, skylights and a spiral staircase. You’ll need a professional to plan and complete these sorts of designs (often, a team of professionals is needed).
They’ll need to first ensure any given idea can work safely and functionally in your home. If not, you could explore alternative ideas with them before deciding.
2. Opt for Natural Materials Like Rattan
The use of natural materials can add a natural and Earthy look and feel to your home. While natural materials like granite or porcelain (for stone tiles) and oak, maple or birch (for wooden floors) are commonplace for interior design, there are other materials less commonly used.
Some of the more obscure yet appealing natural materials for decor in 2024 are:
- Rattan
- Hemp decor
- Amethyst Geodes*
- Bamboo
- Linen decor
*These beautiful rocks can enhance the look and feel of a home. That said, it’s a good idea to research the provider/source if you’re keen to purchase ethically sourced amethyst geodes.
3. Local Made Ceramics or Pottery
Adding ceramics and pottery produced by local artists can add a unique and local flare to your home while being an opportune chance to support creative design in your area. The next question is where to place these decorations.
4. Include Vintage Decorations
From the newly made to those produced in eras prior, vintage decorations can provide an authentic and sophisticated aura to any space. This may include vintage decorations you decide to purchase, those you purchased prior or/and cherished family heirlooms.
You may want to think carefully about where to place vintage decorations if you are keen on creating a certain design. Sometimes including new and old decorations can make for a unique and stunning look.
Other ideas you may want to consider include vintage textiles, vintage pieces that complement the space’s architecture and vintage furniture that functions well and works safely.
5. Sculptural Chair
Sculptural chairs can add an artistic, quirky and yet wholesome feeling to a room. Sculptural chairs can range from those with slight variations from regular chairs to outside-the-box designs (e.g. a chair with legs that resemble human legs or a chair with a very unusual shape).
If you decide to buy a sculptural chair, just make sure it’s one for sitting on and not an ornament only. After all, sitting on an unusually shaped chair too often could cause back issues over time.
6. Asymmetrical Furniture
In general, adding asymmetrical furniture can provide a unique experience. This may be a bookshelf featuring unevenly designed shelves, a sofa with a curious design or a table with a strange but functional legs design.
Asymmetrical furniture may work well with geometric patterned decor (e.g. wallpaper), whether that be ‘organised geometry’ or more chaotic, quirky geometry.
7. A Bold Combination of Textures and Colours
Next, consider how you could add standout colours and textures to provide a bold yet appealing look.
Here are some interesting colour combinations:
- Purple and orange
- Green and blue
- Yellow and red
- Green and yellow
- Fuchsia and yellow
Beyond that, you may want to look at these bold texture combos:
- Brass and marble
- Concrete and glass
- Velvet and woven rattan
8. Funky Mirror
Fitting a funky mirror can add a humorous yet appealing look that can potentially work well on its own or alongside other unique and quirky features throughout the same room.
9. Neon Signs
You should also consider adding one or more neon signs as a way to add a new lease of life to your home’s decor and revitalise the character of one or more spaces.
Some great neon sign ideas include:
- Name signs
- Neon signs with phrases
- Cat and dog layout
- Thundercloud design
- Neon signs with quotes
- Butterfly neon sign
- Layout of a classic guitar
10. Novel Ornaments
Adding novel ornaments can add a mix of quirkiness, humour and character. These can be subtle and light-hearted or rudder and curse-laden, depending on what flies in your home and your personal taste.
11. Morphing Furniture
Transformable furniture (a.k.a. Morphing furniture) is capable of changing from one form to another, thus providing different uses after morphing from one state to another.
Examples of morphing furniture include a folding table, footstool with built-in storage, sofa bed, recycled barrel, Penelope board and Kali board.
12. Install a Gallery Wall
Gallery walls may not be the most out-there feature, but they can still add a unique flare to a home, especially if you opt for an interesting, standout approach.
Some unique ideas to consider are:
- Living wall*
- Mural gallery wall
- Themed gallery wall
- An eclectic combination of wall art
- Staircase gallery
- Symmetrical gallery wall
- Inspirational wall art
*A living wall involves mixing plants and nature- or/and earthy-themed framed art.
13. Fun Colourful Accent Chairs
Along with the option of sculptural chairs, you may want to include fun, colourful accent chairs. They don’t have to have an unusual design but opting for ones with standout colours can make for an interesting, unique visual, enhancing a given space in your home.
14. Custom Lighting
Hiring an electrician to install custom lighting can be a great way of enhancing your home’s interior. Some notable options include thundercloud lamp lighting, a beam wall sconce, a custom LED chandelier and more.
Ensure you use a reliable and suitable service to source the custom lighting. Also, again, a qualified electrician must perform the installation.
15. Humorous Toilet Paper Holders
Funny toilet paper holders can add a fun and unique touch to your bathroom(s). What might work best for your home will depend on what humour flies in your home while considering the taste of potential guests alike.
16. Use of Repurposed Materials
Repurposed materials like reclaimed wood, straw bales and recycled plastic can add a unique and sophisticated touch to your home.
Just make sure that any repurposed materials are safe to use in terms of their structure/security with regards to bacteria and other hazards (e.g. splinters and other sharp elements). Also, ensure you use the right products to disinfect as utilising the wrong products may damage the materials. If in doubt, consult a professional.
17. Custom Shelving
Bespoke shelves can contribute to a unique interior design. Custom shelves can be designed to provide a certain look or/and to fit in unique ways, with this option being particularly helpful for awkward spaces (e.g. you may want to have custom shelves added to the corner of a room).
18. Your Own Artwork
If you make your own art pieces or would like to, consider installing them in suited locations in your home. If your nervous about getting started, check out some online tutorials – Bob Ross videos can be very fun and relaxing to follow! It’s also worth looking up any local art classes or groups for beginners if this interests you.
19. Multi-Functional Rooms
A multi-functional room can offer the chance to create a more dynamic room while potentially saving space elsewhere and providing a unique, visually striking environment.
Some hybrid rooms to consider include:
- Living room-kitchen
- Playroom-living room
- Home cinema-lounge
- Kitchen-playroom
- Bedroom-home gym*
*If you decide to set up a home gym upstairs, just make sure that the equipment is not too heavy for the floor otherwise, it could be dangerous. Consult with a professional if you need to add heavy items or equipment to an upstairs space and learn what precautions must be taken.
20. Use Smart Tech in Smart Ways
Of course, smart technology is not especially unique in itself in 2024 with many households having smart speakers and smart thermostats. That said, adding many smart devices such that your home features ‘the internet of things’ and adding rarer devices can make for a more unique home experience.
Some less common smart tech includes:
- Automated lighting
- Smart security systems
- Smart mirrors
- Robot vacuums
- Smart irrigation systems
21. Pet Play Space
If you have any dogs or cats as part of your family, look at setting up a pet play space that is a safe and suited area of your home. You may also want to work with a professional interior designer to pull this off. Either way, professionals will usually be needed to create the space.
22. Unique Theme
Most homes keep themes to things like Earthy colour tones or geometric shapes. However, more standout themes to consider implementing include a 1950s diner, futuristic space station, rustic cottage, Nordic design and Bohemian.
If you want to go fully out there, you may want to look at options like an absurdist-themed room or one with furniture that appears to defy gravity.
23. Go Fully Self-Sustainable
You may want to make your home entirely or almost fully self-sustained and eco-friendly. This may involve setting up solar panels on your roof and having a heat pump installed.
When it comes to being environmentally friendly, you’ll want to ensure the energy used is either self-generated using renewable onsite tech or it is sourced from a green energy provider (e.g. using energy from a green energy provider to power an electric boiler or heat pump).
24. Other Custom Furniture Ideas
Along with the Bespoke furniture ideas discussed already, you may want to consider options like the following:
- Custom kitchen tablets
- Bespoke bed frames
- Custom-made work desks
- Personalised living room side table
- Tailor-made garden bench
Again, if having custom furniture made and installed, you’ll need to hire a professional and ensure that the furniture is well-suited and installed in a good location, among other considerations.
25. Optical Illusions
Some optical illusions to consider adding to your home include trippy wallpaper, ‘impossible stairs,’ and other illusory decor. Just be sure that new guests are aware of these illusions to avoid any confusion or falling over!
26. Handcrafted Additions
Handcrafted add-ons such as stools, ottomans, textile art, sculptures (e.g. timber-based sculptures) and stained glass art pieces are some other ways of enhancing your home’s interior.
27. Opt for Strange Materials
Some unusual materials you may want to incorporate in your home include Hessian, iron, crystal, melted wax and aerogel. If opting for a strange material to enhance your decor just make sure it is used safely and kept away from anything that may pose a hazard (e.g. flames).
28. Canopy Bed
A canopy bed is set up to be hung with bed curtains. These curtains can, along with adding a sophisticated aesthetic, keep the bed warmer (which is great for the winter) and obscure sunlight.
Of course, it’s important to think about how to use canopy bed curtains when it's warm. In many cases (throughout the summer and on warm days at other times of the year), you’ll want to keep the curtains open on warm days/evenings while considering the temperature the next day.
29. Spa-Like Bathroom
Having your bathroom revitalised to resemble a spa room can provide an enhanced comfort experience and feel of luxury in your home. This may or may not involve having a wet room installed. Either way, a new bathroom must be installed by professionals.
30. Mood Lighting
The purpose of mood lighting is to enhance the look and atmosphere of a space. Mood lighting may provide a cosy, energetic or even romantic vibe. If unsure how to achieve a specific mood, you can always consult with the electrician you choose to hire or an interior designer. Either way though, an electrician will be needed for the instalment.
31. Game Room
A game room can act as a thrilling centre of entertainment in your home. This can involve a mix of video gaming (e.g. PlayStation, Xbox and Wii) and physical games.
In terms of physical games to add, here are some standout ideas:
- Fussball
- Board games
- Jenga
- Card games
- Snooker or pool table
- Dartboard
- Ping pong table
Along with physical games and modern game consoles, it’s worth considering whether or not to invest in one or more home arcade games.
32. VR Room
A VR room can be a more enhanced version of a gaming room. That said, extra safety precautions will be needed to avoid anyone accidentally falling over or smashing a TV screen! That said, once set up right and used safely, a VR room can make for an exhilarating experience all from the comfort of your own home.
33. Freestanding Bathtub
Freestanding bathtubs can offer a range of advantages, including the ability to make a bathroom seem bigger, more accessibility and the opportunity to enhance your home’s aesthetic in general by having more design flexibility.
34. Reading Nook
A reading nook is a small space set up in a room that is dedicated to reading. It could be designed primarily for kids or adults or even set up in a way that works for both. Work with an interior designer to find a suitable spot in your home or if you’d prefer, go all out, and have a spare room converted into a home library!
35. Metallic Decor
Last but not least, consider adding metallic décor to suited locations in your home. This may include home ornaments*, ranging from small to eye-catching, glass wall art and metallic silhouetted vases. As with any possible décor or installation, ensure it is suitable and will work visually and practically for your home and preferences.
*If you have young kids or pets, just be careful that any small metallic décor or any small decorations, for that matter, are out of reach and unlikely to fall down to within reach.
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