Purchasing a first home is both exciting and stressful, but to keep the angst to a minimum, there are a number of things first-time homebuyers can do to make the experience more positive and memorable.
When choosing designs for your first-ever home here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Stay true to your own style
Keeping an eye on trends is a good thing, but choosing décor based on those trends simply because everyone else is, may not be so prudent. Often first-time homebuyers have to stick close to a budget, so choosing timeless styles that will stand the test of time may be the wisest choice. Let the style reflect the true you!
- Spice it up
Who wants to walk into a room where everything is the same colour? Variety is the spice of life. Choose different colours, patterns and textures that will play off each other rather than blend in. Mix patterns and fabrics as well.
- Let your lifestyle dictate your space
Very often first-time homebuyers will design a space on how they think it should be rather than how the space will fit into their lives. A good rule of thumb before decorating is to step back and ask yourself what you want from the space. For instance, if you eat dinner on the sofa, and even do that informally when friends come over, do you really need a dining room?
- Take things one step at a time
You won’t do yourself any favours trying to accomplish everything at once. Take a big breath and take it one room at a time. Doing this will ensure you get the results you were hoping for. Easy does it when decorating a home for the first time.
- Think about scale
Furnishing a new home can be fun if you go shopping with size in mind. Buying an oversized sofa without considering the size of your living room and other accessories won’t be fun if you have to return your purchase because it doesn’t fit. By the same token, if you’ve got a large space, purchasing too small furniture will make the space look cold and bare. Take room measurements with you!
- Budget more for the important things
There’s a time for being frugal and a time to shell out more cash for the things that really matter like flooring, doors, sinks and toilets. These items should never be cheap or be installed quickly.
