Congratulations on your new home! Don’t despair if your newly completed home doesn’t match your pre-construction vision. Right now your house is merely a collection of empty rooms and bare walls. One of the benefits of decorating a newly built home is that you have the ability to start from scratch and watch your project take shape over time – leaving you with a feeling of accomplishment. Decorating adds personal touches to the empty space and makes it easier to call the new house your home.
1. Match your paint and flooring to your current furnishings
Choose your paint and flooring for each room with your current décor in mind. While purchasing new furnishings is fun, doing so may not fit into your budget. Evaluate your furniture, art and deco pieces to determine which colors will bring them together most efficiently. If you plan on painting your walls, do so before you install new flooring. This helps you avoid inadvertently staining your new flooring with paint.
2. Clear all modifications with your homeowner’s association
If you belong to a homeowner’s association, clear all exterior decorating ideas with the board before you begin your project. If your alterations don’t meet the community guidelines, you may lose money making changes. Getting your family’s opinion is also crucial. Talk to your family before diving into your new decorating tasks to make sure that everyone is comfortable with your ideas.
3. Build curb appeal
Decorate your home’s exterior in addition to its interior. Although the lot your home stands on may be bare now, you can fix that by planting bushes, flowers and ground cover plants in a variety of colors. Consider adding colored mulch to your new garden for a unique touch.
4. Try some experimentation
Experiment with furniture placement. The location of your furnishings plays a significant role in how others perceive the room. Place your pieces in areas where they are most convenient for your use but also showcase other aspects of your decorating prowess. For example, don’t situate a china cabinet directly adjacent to your favorite piece of wall art, as the furniture will detract attention away from the art.
5. Install custom fixtures
Talk to your builder about installing light and bathroom fixtures of your choosing rather than standard fixtures. This allows you to save the cost of replacing fixtures after they’re installed and also select items that mesh well with your overall decorating scheme.
6. Introduce greenery
Don’t underestimate the power of plants. Almost every decorating scheme can benefit from the addition of foliage. Not only do plants bring more oxygen into a room, some varieties of plants give off a fragrant scent that can offset the smell of fresh paint and carpeting in a newly built home.
A newly built home is still a project long after the last nails have gone into place. Give yourself ample time between the time that the home is completed and the date you intend to move to work on laying the decorating foundation for your home. This prevents you from feeling rushed and allows you to work decorating your newly built home into your schedule. Not only will you be able to delight in your accomplishments – your family and guests will as well.
| Pauline Mirtle |
04/26/2011 21:42:30
Match the rugs and drapes that's very important too. |
| Marcia E |
05/12/2011 19:59:30
Definitely update the fixtures please. That's one of the most important things in a home. |
| Andrea |
09/05/2011 20:59:32
Definitely take care of the homeowners' assn - they can be very pesky especially if run by the wrong person. |
