Customise your new home with a pop of personality!

Posted on October 11, 2017 | Property

Make your new house into a home by giving it the personal touch

There are lots of good reasons for buying a new build home, not least that you’ll be able to move straight into a warm, well-insulated property with no nasty repair jobs to schedule and not so much as a paintbrush to wield.

That said, most of us want a home that reflects our personality and sets it apart from other, similar properties. So how can you make your home fizz with a pop of personality without breaking the bank?

Get savvy with the fixtures and fittings

At Russell Armer, if you secure your house in the early stages of its development, you’re more likely to be offered a choice of fixtures and fittings that will allow you to fine-tune the look and feel of your new home. You may also be able to upgrade to more luxurious finishes for your tiles, appliances or kitchen worktops, for instance. If you do get the opportunity to specify some of the finishes, it’s definitely worth taking your developer up on the offer. If you’re too late to make your mark on bigger fixtures, think about how you could customise your home with a few well-chosen accessories.

Go for the look

When you’re furnishing your new home, it can be tempting to splash out on a new set of matching furniture. Which is all well and good but you can end up with rooms that look like they’ve been lifted wholesale from a catalogue. Instead, try to choose a general style or theme – urban contemporary, classic country, minimalist, or whatever – and use home magazines for examples of how to mix and match different pieces of furniture to create a coherent overall look and feel that’s still individual.

Consider lighting

Most new homes will come complete with energy-saving lights – usually a mix of pendant lights and spots. This means you still have the opportunity to inject some real personality into your new home by choosing lamps for mood and task lighting. Your living space should include a range of lamps that allow you to dial the light levels up or down, depending on whether you’re reading, relaxing or enjoying a Saturday night movie. Your choice of lamps will also enhance your decorative theme, so give some thought to the overall furnishing plan.

Soft furnishings

Unless you plan to invest in new furniture and curtains every couple of years, it’s more cost-effective to stick to plains and textured neutrals for larger surfaces – carpets, curtains and large items of furniture – and add pattern and colour via smaller, more easily replaced items such as cushions, blinds, rugs, throws and bed linen. This doesn’t mean you have to opt for boring over adventurous but a neutral palette will provide a base over which you can layer bold designs, changing the colour palette as often as you wish.

Introduce some character

Just because you’re buying a new home, doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate character. Consider choosing a couple of really eye-catching pieces – perhaps a vintage velvet sofa, an antique rug or a mid-century Scandinavian table and chairs. Hang interesting prints and pack bookshelves with classic paperbacks and objets trouvés – auctions and vintage shops make great hunting grounds for unusual items.