It is surprisingly not difficult to make a house feel more modern.
A coat of paint, some new lights, switch plates and door handles can really change the look. When I bought my home I went room by room making them look more modern. Everything wood was sanded and painted. Handles, hooks and knobs all changed to a silver finish. I used recessed LED lights and my husband redid the brown carpet and put down grey tile. The last thing I needed to do was change the thermostat in the house. The hallway was gorgeous. I scraped, mudded and sanded the ceiling until it was smooth. I added recessed lighting and a smart smoke detector. I also sanded all the doors and added new knobs to all the rooms. The floor was perfect, the walls were painted and it looked so clean. The thermostat was this big, boxy beige thing with a plastic toggle. It was easy to bump it down to 60 degrees and feel the AC kick on. My husband had trouble reading it and would frequently set it at 80 degrees when he meant to put it at seventy. I would realize how hot I was and adjust the heating system. It also looked really out of place with my silver, grey and white theme. Changing it to a smart thermostat was worth it looks wise. It has a silver surround, blue innerface and an easy to read monitor. It completes the look of our new modern home. I especially like that it tells me the weather outside when I walk by it.