To celebrate New Homes Week, an initiative run by The Home Builders Federation, we wanted to share our top tips on how to make a house a home.
Furniture
Unpacking, building, or positioning your furniture is probably one of the first things you’ll do once you move into your new house. But don’t worry about ensuring everything matches or is brand new. Using different pieces of furniture will add character to your home. If you have vintage pieces, family heirlooms, or something you picked up second-hand, embrace the mix-and-match look.
Our Junior Interior Designer, Erin, says: “Don’t limit yourself in terms of style. Mix and match to create your own bespoke aesthetic. If you’re on a budget, there are lots of Ikea hacks online so you can use cheaper furniture pieces and create something unique with a bit of DIY.”
Colour & pattern
New houses, particularly new builds, often feel sparse and sterile with their white walls so adding splashes of colour and pattern throughout will soon make it feel more welcoming and homely. And if you're a fan of keeping walls neutral, you can contrast with colourful artwork and soft furnishings.
When moving into a new home, it's important to get an idea of natural light in varying rooms; the way the light fills a room will differ depending on location, window sizes etc, and this can affect how a chosen paint colour will look at different times of the day. Take your time, and consider the right colours for the atmosphere you want to create.
Textures and fabrics
Whether it’s in the form of a sofa, rug, textured wallpaper, or soft furnishings, texture and fabrics can instantly add warmth to any room, instantly making it feel more like home.
For example, pairing a soft velvet sofa with a luxurious, deep pile rug and adding a woollen throw will create depth, the perfect tactile variety, and of course, comfort.
Lighting
You want your new place to feel like home as soon as possible so avoid the dreaded cold ‘big light’, and instead prioritise unpacking bedside and table lamps. These will help add soft ambient lighting and make any room feel instantly cosy. We recommend you do this in the rooms you want to relax in first, such as the living room and bedroom.
And you can't have too many candles!
Greenery
Whether you choose real or faux, greenery is a great way of adding interest and colour to a bland room. Bringing the outside in is great for our mental and physical health and is an easy way of adding texture. Try a fig tree in a woven basket or a vase of dried grasses or foliage.
Personal touches
And finally, it might not happen instantly, but your home should reflect you so display your treasured knick-knacks and ornaments as soon as possible. Anything from your holiday souvenirs to your favourite framed photos is a great way of adding your own personality to your new house.
At INVESTA we love to help first-time buyers and home movers settle in as quickly as possible. Our Director of Housing, Craig Osborne, says: “With many first-time buyers putting all of their savings into their deposits, furniture can sometimes be a second thought. The cost-of-living challenges we all currently face mean turning your dream house into a home can take longer.
“We work closely with our New Homes providers offering a range of design-led furniture solutions individually tailored to the space you are buying, meaning you can move in with your suitcase – just ask your provider what incentives they have in place.”
To find out more about our furniture packages and how we can make your new house feel like a home visit our website: www.investa-london.co.uk