Here’s a challenge: take a moment and think about one space in your house that just makes you cringe. Whether from procrastination or life in general stunting your remodel, it is extremely difficult to find potential in a lackluster nook that has yet to change in over a decade. However, your dream kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, or even laundry room can be created in the spaces you already call home. Meghann Landry, interior designer with McMillin Interiors, is an advocate for exploring the best way to work with what you have in your home already. She states that “a cosmetic facelift can transform and update your space if your budget does not allow a complete structural overhaul.”

The first and most important step is to carefully select your finishes, since these small details become responsible for the new look of the space. In one of her recent kitchen renovations in Perdido Key Beach, Florida, Landry admits to falling in love with a handpainted marble backsplash tile. She then chose to build the rest of the room around it. “I selected a timeless and durable quartzite countertop, updated fixtures and appliances, and found the perfect shade of white for the dark existing cabinetry,” she says.

In other words, you’re not crazy for wanting to center an entire room around your beautiful antique vase, the subtle colors found in the marble on your island, or even that throw pillow you constantly obsess over. Our advice is to use these small items and bouts of design creativity as inspiration for your cosmetic upgrade and avoid the hassle of rebuilding.

For more on Landry, McMillin Interiors and more, check out mcmillininteriors.com. And for more design inspiration, check out Landry’s past tips here and here.