You’ve found your dream home, signed all of the paperwork and got the keys- congratulations! Much of the stressful part has been done, but you’re not out of the woods yet. Unless you were lucky enough to find a home that was exactly the way you wanted it, chances are there are a few changes that need to be made before it feels like yours. Here are some tips for designing a new home from a blank canvas into your dream home.
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Practical Issues
Before you start thinking of decor and furniture, it makes sense first to get any practical issues out of the way. In designing a new home, it’s always worth changing the locks. You don’t know who still has a copy of your key. You could look into alarm monitoring services and other security methods. This makes sure your new home is as safe and secure as possible. Or, consider alternatives like smart lights that you can program to turn on when you come home at night. If there are bigger renovations, such as new windows and doors, plumbing, rewiring or knocking down walls, these should all be done before you move in. Otherwise you’ll end up feeling like you’re living on a building site. Perhaps you could stay with friends or family? Perhaps even get a short term apartment for a few months, while work is going on in the new home.
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Decorate
After all construction work has been tackled you are ready to move on. Before moving in, it’s a good idea to deal with installations next. Again, painting, wallpapering, carpeting and laying floors will be far easier without your furniture or other items in the way. If the house is a little older, then you might need a plasterer to re-skim the walls, you will also need to sand and repaint woodwork such as skirting boards and doors. If your internal doors are worse for wear, consider replacing these so they’re modern and matching. Little things like this can make such a big difference to the overall finish.
If you plan on doing so, now would also be a good time to replace things like light switches and plug sockets. Metal versions look much nicer and more high end than standard plastic. Use the same metal throughout for things like door knobs and cupboard handles, curtain rods and light fixtures. It will help to tie everything together much better and create flow to the home. Speaking of flow, when designing a new home, use the same colors and flooring throughout can make your property feel bigger and more cohesive in design. Use a light neutral on the walls and a hard wearing neutral carpet upstairs. I recommend an easy to clean flooring downstairs. This could be wood, stone or whatever else suits your budget or style.
Furnish and Accessories
Once you’ve created the perfect blank canvas with your home, it’s time to bring it to life and add your stamp on it. Plan rooms beforehand with your preferred interior designer so that everything you buy works well together. You can base your design on a theme such as, shabby chic, industrial, Hollywood glamorous or farmhouse. If this is the case, you know what style of items to go for so that it all coordinates well. Use your designer’s resources and expert knowledge to help you decide on types of furniture, window treatments, soft furnishings and finishing touches.
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