interior modern

interior modern KV Harper has been there. As the founder and principal of KEX Design + Build, she’s worked with clients

all over the country to turn houses into forever homes (not to mention her own space in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward).

Harper got her start in set design, and her firm works on renovation and design projects of all shapes and sizes

, from taking a kitchen down to the studs to choosing tabletop accessories that will give a dining room new life.

Whether you want a cosmetic upgrade that will make your backyard snapshot-ready or to turn a bathroom into your own

personal spa escape, Harper has shared ideas below for any budget.

It’s also a good plan to start with smaller projects, which can be the ideal jumping off point. One option, says Harper,

is to change up the look of the kitchen without doing a full renovation. “I actually did this myself,” she says. “I re-tiled my kitchen

backsplash and then changed up some countertops. So, not a full kitchen renovation but enough to really see a noticeable difference.”

If you’ve been dragging the same bookcases around since college, investing in custom shelving can also be a great project

that won’t cost a ton of cash (or turn your home into a construction zone). According to HomeAdvisor, the cost for adding

built-in bookshelves and goes up from there, depending on material, size, and labor.

“In this price range, I love new flooring,” she says. “If you currently have carpet or old, outdated flooring,

with that budget I think you could make a big impact.” And feel free to switch up the flooring in each room

—using decorative tiles can make an entryway pop against a more neutral hardwood elsewhere in the house.

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