Home finishes
When you build or renovate, the finishing touches are the ones that make the house into a home, the personal choices made of the furniture, decorative pieces, the wall colours and floor finishes can make a stark space into a welcoming cosy room or a modern energising area.
The dilemma is that there are so many options out there for the finishing touches, where do you start? If you can afford the services of an interior designer, they can provide a wealth of advice on how to create a certain feel, or make a special piece be the focus of a room, or theme your home to reflect your personality. If not a full design service, you may be able to discuss getting advice for some areas like colours, and then take on the rest of the “designing” yourself.
Colour is by far the easiest way to update your home. Either painting or wall-papering can inject life as quickly as you can get it on the wall! There are a number of paint types to select from and painting techniques that can be adopted to create amazing affects on your walls or ceilings.
When engaging contractors to provide services for painting, you must ensure they are registered painters and decorators. To complete work in WA over the value of $1000.00 you must be a registered painter, but there is nothing stopping you from picking up the roller yourself.
You may opt of a different wall finish like applying a stone or ply cladding, wall-panelling, or getting stucco – a rustic plastering style as the finished look. Depending on your budget, consider how long you want your decor to last, as decorating can be an expensive and disruptive exercise. Ideally, you want something that will carry through some fashion trends with some quick updates rather than having to start over in a few years time.
Flooring can be hard or soft, light or dark, but should be selected for the durability and use applicable to the space or area. High traffic areas are probably not the best place for the white carpet, and not everyone appreciates polished concrete floors in the bedrooms – but for energy efficiency, allergies and serviceability stone, tiled or concrete floors are a good choice.
Don’t bite-off more that you can handle, or you will find yourself living in a perpetual state of renovation.
Unless you are moving into a new home and want it ready to live in when you move in, take the time and do one room at a time, giving you a chance to refresh ideas and give the new space the same creativity as the one before.
Ultimately beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so keep in mind, you ultimately have to live in your home, so it is nice to keep up with the latest decorating trends. But it does need to appeal to your own taste and style, or you will tire of it quickly or feel like you are living in someone else’s house!