When we show you around your new Meadowview home, we love to hear all of your ideas about how you see yourself living in your new space. Some of our customers are bursting with ideas and have spent months diligently creating mood boards, checking out Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration or visiting countless homeware stores. Other customers, however, can be a little daunted at the prospect of styling their new home.
Our homes are ready for life; however, we understand how important it is for you to achieve your unique look. Whatever stage you are at in your house-buying journey, here is the Meadowview Homes guide to styling your new home…
The best way to begin styling your new home is to decide the look you want to create. Whatever interior styles you like, whether; industrial, minimal, Scandi, traditional, country or an eclectic mix, it’s a good idea to find what you like and crucially, what works best in your space. Cutesy cottage interiors may look a little out of place in an open plan modern build, however it’s your home so style it how you want to!
Once you have an idea about the sort of look you want to go for it’s important to consider how you will actually use your home. Each room needs to be functional, allowing you to live in comfort. Do you want to position your sofas overlooking the garden or would you prefer a good view of the TV? You know how you want to live so make it work for you and your family. As a general rule it’s best not to over crowd a space; you don’t want to stub your toe on the coffee table each time you enter the living room! Take advantage of the free websites and apps that allow you to plan and design your space. You just need to add your room and furniture measurements to get started.
If you prefer a low-tech approach then place sheets or boxes onto the floor to represent your furniture, allowing you to experiment with different layout configurations.
Once you’ve decided how you intend to arrange your room, you will probably want to start considering the furniture. If you’ve already chosen your furniture then well done! Move onto the next step!
A range of factors will inform your furniture choices; from the look you are aiming to achieve to more practical considerations like available space, flooring and budget. Once you have chosen key pieces (e.g. sofas, dining tables, wardrobes, etc) you will find it easier to make further decisions about how you will style your space. Don’t rush this stage!
Furniture is often the starting point when designing a room so selecting your furniture is a great way to develop your colour palette. For example, if you’ve bought a royal blue sofa for you living room you will want to consider how the rest of the room will work with that blue. Again, this is really down to your personal taste and the specific look you are after. While you probably won’t choose curtains that perfectly match your sofa, you may opt for a complimentary white. On the other hand, you might prefer mustard yellow to provide a dramatic contrast. Think about how you want the room to feel. Complimentary colours will help the room to feel cohesive and calming whilst contrasting colours will make the room feel more energetic and lively.
At this stage, you may also be considering painting your walls. While this can be tempting, remember your newly plastered walls can take up to a year to fully dry out. This gives you the perfect excuse to put the paintbrush down and get used to your rooms. You will find that the light changes within a room throughout the day and this should be a contributing factor to your final colour and paint choices.
At Meadowview Homes we understand that lighting is an essential part of how a space looks and feels. You will find that a lot of the work is already done for you as our homes come with large windows maximising natural light. We also install dimmer operated downlighters giving you the ability to alter lighting levels depending on the time of the day and the mood you wish to create. To further enhance the lighting in your home you may add a lamp to help zone a space and provide an additional light source in a specific location, for example a reading corner.
Whether you prefer a minimal or busy aesthetic, accessories are often intimate objects that reveal your individual personality, style and sense of humour. Before you rush out to the department store, consider what you already own. Whether it’s a memorable holiday souvenir or a treasured family heirloom, this is the time to get personal! Playing with accessories and moving them around (known in the interiors world as faffing!) is a chance for you to experiment with different looks, varying the use of colour and texture in an arrangement. Go back to your original plan and remind yourself of how the finishing touches will tie your room together. Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune on accessories, in fact unusual and personal items are far more meaningful. While living in a show home may seem like an attractive prospect, remember your home is about you and you family – your interiors should fully reflect that!
Want to style your own Meadowview Home?! Take a look at our properties currently available here
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