Visualize Your Dream Space
If you’re a fan of home renovation programmes (like myself) I’m sure you're somewhat familiar with the process that’s involved in turning a previously occupied property into a Pinterest-worthy dream space. We all love a before & after pic and seeing how effectively a space can be transformed by a group of expert designers. However, this process can be a lot more intimidating when you're faced with it yourself.
In my 16 years of real estate, I’ve seen plenty of properties that could put off the average buyer, when all that’s required to view it as your potential dream home is a little imagination…
We currently have a two bedroom unit on Derby Street, Mount Victoria for BEO $390,000, a first home buyer’s dream! Having been tenanted for several decades, at first glance it can be hard to imagine how you might make this space your own, especially when it’s still housing another families' furnishings and belongings. But, with the help of some images of a similar unit in the same building, we felt this would be the perfect example of how a little vision when searching for your first home can go a long way.
Often the most effective changes don’t need to break the bank either, so here are some of my top tips and tricks that you can keep in your back pocket when doing your Sunday open home rounds to help you visualize your dream space…
Walls & Flooring
The two spaces that take up the most area visually when you first walk into a property are the walls and the floors. So, even if you’re imagining doing the simplitest of spruces on a space, getting some fresh paint on the walls and replacing the flooring can make an unbelievable difference.
Painting the walls is something that you can even do yourself. Especially in a smaller home, this can be a relatively simple job. Replacing flooring will obviously be a little pricier, but definitely a worthwhile investment and this can help breathe fresh life into a property.
Soft Furnishings on Windows
Whether a property you’re wandering through has blinds or curtains, simply try to take these out of the equation when imagining how a space could become your own. Our minds can often make snap judgments about a space before we’ve had time to consider how different we’d feel if something as simple as curtains were removed.
One of the first things we did after taking ownership of our home over in Martinborough was remove all the dated 90s curtains completely to give us a fresh canvas and this changed the vibe of the rooms instantly! You can find some really great quality ready-made curtains of sizes & colours from stores like Freedom Furniture & Spotlight and just like that, you’ve already made a stamp on your new home!
Light Fittings
Light fittings can be one of the simplest initial changes you can make to a space and they’re often aspects of a property that can make it feel the most dated. With lighting being quite a trend-based aspect of design, the light fittings in a property can already set a tone when you first walk in. For better or for worse. New lighting throughout a property can help update it immediately and luckily, this is one of the more cost effective changes you can make.
Replacing Handles
Another seemingly simple step, but changing the handles on kitchen and bathroom cabinets can be a game changer. This can be an incredibly cost effective thing to do and gives you the freedom to add a touch of your own style to your new home. Just make sure the handles you buy are to the same dimensions as the previous handles to save you filling in and drilling new holes in the cabinetry.
Repainting Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinetry
If you are working with a slightly higher budget, repainting the existing cabinetry in the kitchen and bathroom can also be a really effective change. These spaces can often be reflections of dated styles and past trends, so if you’re not a fan of the colour palette, this can be a great way to add your own aesthetic touch to a space. This can in turn, help incorporate tricky colours in surrounding areas like splashback tiles or kitchen/bathroom flooring to give the space a more intentional feeling.
We have experimented with painting kitchen cabinets ourselves in the past and came to the conclusion that this job is probably best left to the professionals! Especially if you’re looking to avoid that slightly DIY look of visual brush strokes, paying for the cabinets to be professionally powder-coated is still a whole lot more cost effective than a full kitchen renovation.
These changes, big and small, are just scratching the surface of how you can transform your new house into your dream home. But, in my opinion, these five points can make some of the biggest impacts on a space and having the ability to visualize these changes when wandering through properties on the hunt for your dream home can be a superpower!