With more people more spending time at home, renovations are becoming the answer for those wanting a fresh perspective, extra space, or a stylish upgrade. Everyone enjoys the creature comforts of home, but often routines change, families grow and what was in vogue a few years ago is no longer trendy.
We’ve compiled ten ways to redesign and bring new life to your home to keep your budget, sanity, and foundations secure. You may just find that these improvements add value to your home and make you fall in love with it once again. If you’re ready to start from scratch, you may want to consider a full knock down and rebuild for your home. Sometimes, new beginnings are a great way to start the design process.
10 Ways to redesign your existing home
1. Start with a good clean and a fresh splash of paint
Are you overwhelmed before even stepping foot into Bunnings? Does the thought of home renovating make you want to run and hide? The good news is that sometimes, all you need is a good deep clean and a fresh coat of paint.
A deep clean can instantly make a home feel brighter and more liveable, often inspiring more ideas for home improvement. A new coat of paint can take this to the next level, making a sad room look fabulous, and an old space look like new.
2. Consider how you can open the space
Modern home designs are all about open planned living and building custom layouts to suit unique blocks of land and sloping sites. You’d be hard-pressed to find a display village or contemporary home design without some semblance of wide-open space. If you’re renovating your home with plans to sell it, creating open planned living can add value to your sale with open floor plans on the top of many buyers’ lists.
Opening the space doesn’t always call for a sledgehammer. Sometimes it can be as simple as adding mirrors, removing heavy curtains and changing the formal dining room into a less formal media room or play space.
3. Improve your lighting
Just as bad lighting can make a room seem small, dated and unwelcoming; good lighting can bring freshness, modernity, and comfort. This can be as simple as adding floor and table lamps or as adventurous as replacing outdated lighting fixtures and light shades. Opt for bright, white lights and add a dimmable switch for added luxury.
While installing lightbulbs and removing light shades, consider upgrading your light switches and outlets to more modern or unique versions. These elements can become yellowed over the years and make a home look outdated, despite all your best efforts elsewhere. Finally, don’t forget to check that your smoke alarms are in good working order.
4. Update the cabinetry
Many people are shocked at how quickly and easily new cabinetry can improve and modernise a space. Nothing screams for renovation quite as loudly as the wood and laminate cabinets of 1980s vogue. If you look to any professional renovator or new home builder, you’ll find kitchen cabinetry is an important detail during every home design process. A cabinetry overhaul can work wonders on your kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry with contemporary finishes and updated materials.
The style you choose for your cabinetry may inspire you to keep going with your renovations, with a plethora of options on the market to choose from. From a country kitchen to a Hamptons escape or a vintage twist on modern design, the choice is yours.
5. Don’t neglect your windows
Windows are an often-overlooked renovation opportunity. But don’t be fooled, window glass and technology have come a long way over the years, and by including new windows in your renovation plans, you could lower your energy bills, improve the temperate comfort of your home, and upgrade the aesthetic appeal.
Moreso, window dressing with the right style can make your home look cohesive and add a unique, modern flair to your space. We’re talking gorgeous white sheers, beachy wood trim or bold curtain choices – the opportunity for effortless style is endless.
6. Do a bathroom overhaul
If you’ve been out of the property market or renovation world for a while, you may be surprised at how many options are available to upgrade and improve your bathroom. This can include rainfall showerheads or heated floors, new tiling, and even installing a bidet. Fixing the pressure of your shower and enhancing the function of your bathroom layout will make your mornings more comfortable and add value to your home.
7. Maximise your storage
Renovating is for more than just style and aesthetic appeal. Take the opportunity to maximise your storage options. Modern kitchen designs often feature floor to ceiling cupboards, deep drawers and hidden butler’s pantries, and intelligent storage options have never been so accessible. Renovating provides the perfect opportunity to de-clutter, downsize, and reorganise. Make sure your storage is planned out and optimised so you can get the most from each room.
8. Look down
The key to your renovation needs may have been beneath your feet this whole time! You may be one of those lucky homeowners who rip up their carpet to find original hardwood floors, or you might have the perfect measurements for adding tiles without needing to change doorframes or raise skirting boards. Until you investigate it, you’ll never know, and improving your flooring is arguably one of the best ways to boost a home 20 years into the future.
9. Make sure your changes are cohesive
If you’re like many keen renovators and you’ve been slowly chipping away at tasks over time, be careful not to make your home look like a hodge podge of ideas. As you’re moving through your renovation plans, try to develop ways to make the rooms flow. Your spaces can be sisters, not twins. However, there should be some similar elements in each. This can be achieved by matching flooring, paintwork finishes, or simply including some details from your Hamptons kitchen in your bathroom design.
10. Just start!
The important thing is just to start! Whether that means sketching out some ideas, grabbing some paint samples or contacting your local builder for advice. If you’re ready to love the home you’re in; it’s time to pop on your thinking cap and get creative.
If renovating won’t do it, and you’re ready to knock down your home to start fresh with modern designs and value-adding features – we can help! Click here to contact Vision Homes about your new home design or give us a call on 02 4934 6666 to get started on making your new home vision come to life.