If you’ve just bought your first home and are eager to put your mark on it, a lick of paint is a great place to start. But decorating is only a small part of home design – paint and furniture are the finishing touches.
To make a new home truly yours, consider changing a room’s core features. From flooring and doors to radiators and fixtures, these updates can transform a space and make it feel less like the previous owners’ house. This guide covers the big changes worth tackling first to create a fresh blank canvas.
The floors
Changing your carpets, going from carpet to wood, or vice versa, can have a huge impact on a room. Following the “millennial greige” trend, many homes feature inoffensive light grey carpet, which might look a little basic.
Give your space real personality with natural tones from hardwood or patterned carpet. Or, if your home has a bold look that isn’t to your taste, rein it in with a more neutral flooring option.
This is also the most convenient time to update flooring, since houses are typically sold unfurnished. While it’s a costly endeavour, it’s often best done straight after buying (if budget allows) so you can focus on rebuilding savings once you’ve moved in.
New doors
The first thing you see when you arrive at your house, and every time you move through it, are the doors. The front door, lounge door and kitchen door are passed through dozens of times each day.
Upgrading doors is a fairly straightforward, often DIY-friendly project that can have a notable impact. Whether you want glass panels to let more light through to the kitchen, a front door that makes your home pop, or a lounge door that feels grand, there are plenty of options.
It’s also a good time to choose a more secure front door, or pet- and child-proof interior doors.
Radiators
You don’t always realise how much impact radiators have on a home until they’re upgraded. Whether you go from a standard white unit to a traditional cast-iron style or a sleek, modern vertical design, radiators can define a room.
And you don’t have to compromise style for performance, with a lot of radiators now available. And with a wider range of colours and finishes available, you can choose anything from subtle traditional tones to bold statement shades.
When making big changes in a room, the radiator is a great way to set the overall tone.
Accenting and fixtures
Another way to make a room feel either modern or traditional is through fixtures and accents. Light fittings, skirting, coving, sockets, switches, and even doorknobs all shape the atmosphere.
Coving, for example, is surprisingly achievable as a DIY project. Synthetic material coving options are inexpensive, and once painted, look just like the real thing.
Note: Always hire a qualified contractor for anything involving electricity.
On to décor!
Once the big updates are done, you can put your personal stamp on the space with furniture, paint and accessories. Too often this process happens the other way around, leaving the feeling of styling someone else’s house. By starting with foundational changes, you create a blank canvas that feels entirely your own.
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