You might think I am obsessing on the matter of home ownership but I can assure you I am not. It's just so fundamentally precious to me, having my own house, passed over to me by my parents and having been build by my grandfather and my father, that I just can't stop writing about it. It brings me so much joy to have this house and being able to share it with Nick and our daughter!
I was raised in this house and after owning or living in a property for years or perhaps even decades, then it’s bound to start looking worn and outdated. No matter how clean you are, there comes a point when your house needs a little bit more than dusting and cleaning, though this is important to presenting a modern house.
There comes a point when your home needs a makeover. Still, if your home is a place of great sentimental value as is mine and you aren’t planning on selling it any time soon, then perhaps the idea of redoing the interior design of your property has always made you feel a little uneasy and seemed entirely unnecessary because you’ve always loved your home.
I also did love the house when I was living here with my parents but my mom - who's an interior decorator - has a totally different style than mine. I am a minimalist and she is anything but! So when Nick and me started living here we needed a totally new design.
Redesigning your home doesn’t mean removing items which hold great significance to you, your partner or your family. You can keep the sentimental and important possessions in your home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t overhaul the old, tired, worn furnishings, the faded paintwork and the outdated design which is likely present throughout the house. If you need with avoiding the traits of a hoarder and you really want to give your house a new lease of life, then here are some tips on that road to success.
Trust your instinct with colour and lighting.
Whether you’re designing this property for your own benefit or the benefit or the potential buyer to whom you’ll be selling, the key thing to remember is to trust your eye and the colours, themes or lighting styles to which you naturally gravitate. You know your home well, and you know the kind of lighting which works best with the layout of the house, the windows and the amount of sunlight which manages to pour into the house through the day. It’s all about mood when it comes to lighting, and you know what kind of mood you want in your home better than anyone else.
You also know how to make furnishings work with the layout of your home, and you most likely have an idea of a general colour theme which you think will refresh each room, depending on the size or what items are already present in there. Of course, there’s no limit to what you can remove or replace in your home, as this is your project.
Presenting a home for sale.
Designing the interior of your home for your own benefit is one thing, but designing for a stranger whose tastes you do not know, as they could be any one of a number of people, is quite another matter. Selling a property is difficult on so many levels, but presenting its interior is one of the toughest to crack, as this will likely determine the value at which it sells and whether it even makes an impression on the property market at all.
Obviously, make sure you’ve done a little research into what not to forget when moving house, so you’re not worrying about things you’ve left behind before the new homeowners move into your old home. You don’t want them to feel as if they’re walking into your home; this has to look like their potential future home.
You don’t always need to buy, buy, buy.
Renovating a home isn’t always about buying more things. Sometimes it’s about working with what you’ve already got to give the place a little bit of a makeover. Once you’ve painted the walls, you may find that each room already looks a little livelier. After that, you may be able to use your existing possessions to redecorate in a more creative manner, such as adding candles to sad, dusty tables or framing sentimental artwork from your youngsters. There’s always a way to add that spark to an old home.
I kept quite a few things from my old house but also threw out a lot. In the end of the day you need to find those things that work best for you either new or old. My only advice is try to have fun while doing it since redecorating can be difficult if you don't!
Lot's of love
