IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU THINK!

Doing a renovation?

Whether you have a grade I listed double-fronted Georgian mansion or a 1960s semi detached bungalow or something in between when you’re looking to renovate and make it your forever home then the options available can be bewildering - with your Pinterest board getting longer and more varied but still not quite right, and the the images that Chat GPT has produced making it look more like a garage than what you had in mind, it's hard to know where to start.

Well, let me give you my 7 top tips, in order, for a successful house renovation here:

1. SPACE ORGANISATION FIRST

Usually it’s about getting the plan right first - but sometimes it's about how you can create a sensor of drama & movement with a carefully positioned staircase.

2. VIEWS

Think about what you see when you walk in the door - when you’re washing up - when you sit in your favourite spot after a long day? What do you want to see from your favourite window after the renovation?

3. NATURAL LIGHT

Windows are as much about light as views - you want light in the right places, and you don’t want glare or overheating through solar gain, or you could end up living inside a cooker!

4. ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

The dreaded downward glare from regularly spaced LED recessed spots is my greatest frustration in newly renovated homes, it creates shadows over the surface you’re working on and often just lights up people's foreheads! How you use artificial light is make or break for the atmosphere you are trying to create. This is the one where you can tell if a professional designer was involved.

5. COLOUR(S!)

Consider your colour scheme - Not just about what you think is fashionable or pretty, but how it makes you feel and how it makes you see the other things in the room. What do you already have that will go in that room - will it all go together in the end. It doesn’t always have to be white, but when it does make it the right one!

6. THINGS THAT YOU TOUCH

This is the biggest one that most people forget. There are obvious things like scratchy carpet or freezing cold tiles underfoot, but hugely important are some of the more forgotten things like door handles and locks, the doors themselves, do they feel too light, how do they close? A good designer will help you consider all of these things ahead of time.

7. THINGS THAT GIVE HEAT

Have you considered what the temperature of the room will be, what will give heat and where will it be in the room? Open fires, wood-burning stoves/ radiators/ underfloor heating and the dreaded solar gain from too much glazing in the wrong place in summer, these can be the perfect focal point but can all lead to a room that’s too hot if it's not carefully considered.

There’s a lot to consider when you’re planning a renovation. And successful planning really is the difference between creating a space you love and a botch job with issues. If you’d like to explore some help with your planning, then perhaps it's time to get a little professional guidance - I offer short guided sessions bespoke to you to help you think about how these ideas apply to your home project, so you can get the very best from it without having to employ someone to undertake the full, expensive design process for you.

It’s like a mini interior design course that’s tailored specifically for you and your home.

This will give you confidence ahead of starting your home renovation project, drop me a line to get started.