New build properties can feel stark and soulless. The shrinking room sizes and lack of period detailing make the area appear small and bland. The proportions and styling of many of today’s new build properties do not suit period or vintage furniture, in the way that say a Georgian living room looks fantastic with a large 1970s sofa and art deco drinks trolley. So what are the best ways to make the place feel like home and stand out from the crowd?
Upgrade
Of course, this option requires you to have some money left over after purchasing said property (ha!). If you have bought straight from the developers, check through your FF&E pack to see which items are cheap and which are good quality. Some of it will be apparent straight away, by touch or sight, some might only be apparent in a year or two’s time when it has work extremely quickly. From our experience developers always put in cheap floors, even when they have offered you the ‘upgrade’ option, you have paid a huge premium for a still inferior product. Natural movement in a flat or house, especially if you are bringing in furniture, will cause wear and scuffing to the floor. The best option is to go for something like an engineered wood that can be buffed and recoated at a later date to repair it. Other areas they tend to skimp include the kitchen. Maybe think about upgrading your worktop or cabinet doors. Superfront are a great brand that specialise in replacement fronts, tops and feet for Ikea products. Most of their offerings are standard sizes so are compatible with many other high street brands as well.
Superfront create stylish replacement doors for your kitchen at very reasonable prices
If your budget is much smaller or non existence, focus on replacing the lighting or soft fixtures like blinds. There is nice lighting available from places like Not on the High Street that won’t break the bank. You can order the lights and then get an electrician around for an hour to install them. If you aren’t changing the position of any them , it shouldn’t be a messy or time consuming process. Likewise paying for luxurious curtains to properly dress the room will make a huge difference to the space. They’ll also be super useful for the room’s acoustics.
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