Sure, designing a house is super exciting. You get to have control over all the details and rooms and layouts, and even boss around your home builders a bit if you’re lucky. But, what if you aren’t a creative person? And what if you don’t really know what you want out of a home? These are incredibly important decisions you’ll be needing to make, and you can’t be noncommittal about them. Besides that, your builders won’t be all that excited to work with you if you don’t have a solid plan in place.
When you’re lacking inspiration and a general path for the direction of your home design, we’ve got you covered. This article will start you off on the right foot with tips and inspiration for designing your new home, which are easy and manageable for even the least creative person out there.
Look at other people’s homes
Possibly the very easiest way to get your creative juices flowing is to just open up your eyes when you’re at your family and friend’s homes. Take a moment and really look at the flow of the home. Take note of what you love, hate, and are nonchalant about. It’s a good idea to even bring a pad of paper and a pen to physically take notes so you don’t forget them later. If your friends and family don’t mind, take a slow tour around the home, noting down each room of the house.
Beyond that, also pay attention to the style and design of the home. For example, is the home built as a modern home, with a simple, clean layout and an open plan? Or, is it a cottage style with defined space? What are the windows like, and how much light do you get in each room? You can start to use these notes as the basis for your first decision as a new home builder: what style of home will you be building?
Go to open homes
When you’ve run out of family and friend’s homes to snoop around in, your next option is to crash some open homes. Now, this might sound a bit sketchy to some of you, since you aren’t really in the market to buy a home. But, truly, this is a perfect opportunity to get some serious variety into your research, and even if you only visit a couple of open homes, it will give you some excellent inspiration and reconnaissance on what you want out of a home.
If it helps your conscience, remember that open homes aren’t always just about potential buyers. They’re also excellent networking opportunities and a way for you to get referrals when you really love the home. Who knows, you might even find the home building company of your dreams by simply visiting an open house or two.
Talk with a designer
Once you’ve gotten a few names from real estate agents at the open homes you visited, or have done a bit of online research and asked your family and friends for their designer, actually make the appointment and go talk with each one. We know, it sounds a bit arduous, but it’s incredibly important for your design process. Even though the design should be instigated with your own ideas, each designer will have their own vision as well, so it’s important they match with yours. Talking with multiple designers will help you get a feel for what you’re looking for.
Beyond a designer, you’ll also want to speak with multiple home building companies to find one that fits your style as well. Once you have a design style in mind, you’ll be able to find a building company that specialises in that style. Especially if you’re looking for an extremely specific and intricate style, such as Japanese architecture or art deco, finding a specialty builder will be even more important.
Use the internet
There really is no reason to not use the internet as a primary research tool for tips and inspiration. These days, you can find almost anything on the internet, so why not capitalise on it and view photos and take interactive tours through hundreds of different styles of homes? Start with some of these 3D tours to get going.
Another excellent way of helping you design your home is using motivation and inspiration boards such as Pinterest. When you’re lacking in ideas of your own, this is a perfect place to refill your inspiration meter. Sharing boards like this are excellent for keeping all of your thoughts, wishlists, and websites together on one, versus keeping them all over the place on your computer or phone. Take a look at this guide for using boards like Pinterest.
Think about what you envision for a home
Think to the future for a bit here. What do you actually envision doing in your home? Whether you want kids or don’t, or enjoy having friends over or simply lounging and having low key weekends at home, these things are incredibly important to the design of your home.
If you’re into family dinners or long, slow brunches on the weekends, design your dining space to accommodate them. If BBQ’s and watching the stars are more your style, make space for a patio and outdoor seating in your design.
Planning on working from home? Make sure you’re setting aside one room for an office fitout that fits your needs. For example, choosing a room with plenty of natural light and perhaps far away from the busier and noisier parts of your home could be very important. Your office design should be one that keeps you motivated and comfortable during your work at home day to day.
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Hopefully this gives you ample starting material for your home design process. Some of your best inspiration will come from people around you, whether online or in person, so don’t be afraid to get out there and really explore all the options that you can have. People are generally excited to share their home design tips with you, and all it takes is to simply ask, and you’ll be on your way to a beautifully designed home.