Renovate your house to become your forever home
Waiting to find your forever home can be a bit like looking for Mr or Mrs Right - you might have overlooked the fact that true love has been under your nose the whole time. Perhaps in your quest to secure a north-facing nirvana you’ve overlooked your existing home’s potential for a stylish transformation. Why move when you can improve?
The good news is you don’t have to renovate your whole home at once. A room-by-room approach is easier to budget and allows you to prioritise spaces that demand more urgent attention. Just be sure to choose a design that can be translated throughout the home for a unified look that works even if the renovation stages are spaced years apart.
MAKE A SPLASH
A great place to start is the bathroom, ensuring you have your sanctuary completed as the rest of your home takes shape. Sprawling bathtubs of the freestanding variety remain a hot ticket for 2020 and beyond. These bathing beauties bestow a hotel-luxe-at-home ambience, although you need space to fully appreciate their sculptural form. Right now we are loving Industrie Tapware’s Freestanding Bath teamed with a backdrop of shimmering Natural Lava Stone mosaics. Heaven.
Also featured in 2020 designs are scallop-shaped “mermaid” tiles, a chic choice for feature walls that is catching up to subway tiles. Bringing the outside in remains big. In a bathroom with available outdoor space, consider turning the entire area into a private courtyard with a sundeck and lush landscaping. Or position your vanity mirror to the wall opposite a window to reflect views and bring the outside in.
ISLAND PARADISE
When it comes to high-traffic zones, the kitchen is Grand Central. Which means any update to the heart of the home must not only deliver a look you love, but also be able to accommodate everything from food prep and entertaining to a space for kids’ homework (or home-schooling in the time of COVID).
Establish your must-haves, such as an island bench and butler’s pantry, and wish list items such as a double oven or built-in coffee machine. The benchtop will be the focal point of the space and key to creating your dream kitchen. One of the most popular design options for island benches is a waterfall edge, characterised by the benchtop surface cascading down one or both sides of the bench to the floor.
Choose a luxury marble surface and you’ll have the wow factor for many years to come. For inspiration, check out designs by CDK Stone.
Other hot looks to consider include navy cabinetry (beautiful with marble and brass hardware); natural or engineered stone slab splashbacks; unexpected pops of colour (think Tiffany-blue Aga in an all-white kitchen); open shelving to display cookbooks and keepsake crockery and objects; and quality custom timber cabinetry.
COMFORT ZONE
Whether your style is mid-century modern, beachy, organic, classic or cool, the living room is where you can let your imagination run wild. Lately there has been a surge towards decorating with natural textures of rattan, cane and timber, while in the world of upholstery, linen is vying with velvet as a go-to fabric for sofas.
Above all, individuality rules. Consider a feature wallpaper (see Materialised for a wealth of choices), artwork or photo galleries to set your space apart and stamp it with your personality and give your guests something to gush over.
SEEING GREEN
In Australia we love our great outdoors and golden light, so it stands to reason we want Mother Nature to feature in any home redesign. When planning public spaces such as the kitchen, dining and living rooms, consider the best ways to blur the line between house and garden. Extend this theme to outdoor spaces as well and consider how light and foliage can be integrated as a nod toward authentic outdoor living. If you’re tight on space or you have an old fence or a wall to cover, a vertical garden could be the ideal foil for a courtyard or small expanse of lawn particularly in city living. Vertical gardens are also great for reducing noise and introducing biodiversity to heavily built-up areas – they attract birds and insects and allow you to get back to nature in a fast-paced city lifestyle. Consider Industrie Tapware’s Patrone matte tile range in accentuating natural elements within your indoor or outdoor space and elevate your living experience to reflect earthy colours and textures and truly bring the outside in.
ABOUT HOME by belle: HOME by belle is Sydney’s premier design and project management renovation company providing exceptional design concepts and full renovation services for home improvement projects. If you’re looking to design and renovate a space in your home, call us today on (+61) 2 9967 3336 or email hello@homebybelle.com.au for an online consultation.