Building, designing and styling a home can be a daunting task – we have compiled a few basic pointers from our years of experience to help you get started.
- Shape and style of the building; in summary, the less complex, the less expensive it will be. This should be a major consideration when discussing layouts with your Architect – have you established a budget?
- The number of levels to your home. Again, cost may be a determining factor here, but think simple if you are going for a single story, you can still be well above a price for a two story if the layout is complex!
- Has the house plan been designed to maximise the most of the outlook and climate? Do you have a view, and have you considered where the sun will be in summer, winter, etc?
- Outdoor areas – firstly, do you like the outdoors, and if so, could an alfresco area be incorporated into your home?
- Consider the size of the rooms, and position of your furniture – for example; if a bedroom is longer than wider, and the built in robe is positioned against the long wall, where will the bed sit? Simple logic such as this can save you headaches in the long run. Consider furniture layout, how will you incorporate your existing pieces, will you need to buy new items to suit the style of home?
- Start thinking about how will the internal cabinetry be designed to suit your lifestyle – such as the kitchen. Do you like to entertain, do you like a breakfast bar?
- As a general rule, the more storage the better organised your household will be. Consider how much you currently have and whether this works, use this as a principle for determining how much you need.
- Lighting can play a big role in the final look of a home, start looking at different pendants and small accessories such as the light switches. Having the discussion with your builder about lighting in your home can certainly pay off in the long run.
- Create a Pinterest board and gather pictures & ideas from websites such a www.houzz.com or start gathering magazine clippings of what you envisage the home to look like. This will certainly make the communication process with the designers a much smoother process, assuring you get exactly what you want!
- Finally, visit as many show rooms and display homes as you can, to get a feel for what you think does and does not work. There is no better way to than to see it for yourself!
