Simple changes to improve your home
Tired of your house? Wanting a change for the better? These are reasons many people choose to sell, without giving a lot of thought to the costs involved, which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
What if you could change your home instead, investing some of that cost into making it a place you love to come home to?
That's the philosophy behind the Don't Move, Improve movement in the UK, and it has a lot of merit here as well.
And not every change needs to be a full-on, expensive renovation. Wellington interior designer Bridget Foley says you can't go past a fresh paint job.
Interior designer Bridget Foley painted the floorboards in her villa white to freshen and lighten the family living area. Image credit: Jane Ussher.
"Paint is my favourite thing to transform an interior quickly and inexpensively. Paint out all the timber doors, architraves, window sills and skirting boards and you will completely transform your interior making it look more up to date and contemporary. It makes spaces seem larger, brighter and more modern instantly.
"If you are brave enough, paint the floor white too – it's cheaper and less hassle than sanding and bleaching. Seriously, it's the quickest way to update and love your home."
Reducing clutter is also paramount.
"One of the easiest ways to freshen your look is to have a really strict edit of everything you own," Foley says. "Do you really need every ornament, old print, cushion, pantry full of mismatched plates and glasses? Cull everything down to your absolute favourites and use your 'good things' every day.
"Don't wait until your house is on the market to update it, tidy it up and maybe invest in new furniture – do it now for YOU to enjoy."
Triana Odone of King Living says furniture is one of the key things that impact on the look of your home and the sense of space. "Maybe space is an issue," she says. "It's very hard to create space that doesn't exist, but there is a growing trend towards furniture that has storage built into it."
Odone says this may be sofas with built-in side tables and pockets for devices, magazines and books, or it may be a bed with built-in storage that's easy to access.
A bank of storage cabinets has streamlined this master bedroom in a villa renovated by architect Chris Holmes of CAAHT Studio Architects. Image credit: Dave Olsen.
Jeremy Wyn-Harris of Builderscrack.co.nz agrees sorting out your storage is a priority. "We live in an old bungalow and put up shelving in our garage, right along one wall. It has made a huge difference. Shelving under the stairs is another great idea."
Architect Chris Holmes of CAAHT Studio Architects in Auckland introduced lots of streamlined storage to a small villa to improve functionality. A bank of cabinets in one bathroom hides all the laundry facilities, and there are pull-down stairs in the bathroom ceiling that lead to a storage platform beneath the roof. One entire wall in the master bedroom is given over to storage.
Bringing more natural light into a home can also transform the interior – and contribute toward better mental health. Holmes specified extra-large skylights above the showers in the two bathrooms in the villa. These flood the rooms with natural light, and the extra ceiling height makes the rooms feel more spacious.
Wyn-Harris agrees that bathrooms should be a focus when you are looking to make your home more livable. New paint, tiles, heated towel rails and ladder shelves are all recommended.
So, too, is sorting out your home heating. "Make sure all gaps are sealed around windows and use foam tape to seal them when they are closed. If you can't afford double glazing, consider window insulator kits."
Wyn-Harris recommends heat pumps for living areas, and under-floor insulation.
"New curtains can greatly improve your living space as well. We put thick, red, embossed curtains in our front room and they have completely transformed it."
Foley agrees that curtains play a major role. "Often curtains are hung too low and make a room look as though it has a low stud. If you move the curtain rod higher, so it's nearer the cornice, the whole room seems larger and higher. If you don't want to replace the curtains and they are now too short, add a velvet or linen border to the bottom of existing curtains to make them the right length."
If your kitchen is looking rather sad, that may be an area worth investing a little time and money. Prefabricated kit sets are an inexpensive option.
"You can update a kitchen by keeping the inner shell or carcass and adding new drawer and cupboard fronts, and new handles," says Foley. "Or you can paint existing cupboard and drawer fronts – again paint works wonders."
Odone also believes changing out the finishes in your home by introducing a colour theme and adding texture, timbers and metals will bring an interior up to date. "A bit of glam has long been understated, but it's amazing what beautiful fabrics and finishes can do."
Written by Colleen Hawkes. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.