Displaying posts from October, 2021

Brooklyn-based Home Studios have cleverly updated and refreshed this 3 storey townhouse in Fort Greene for its new owners. The house is all about cooking and entertaining with a fabulous light-filled kitchen that spills into the dining room. For me though the standout is the tiny powder room hiding under the stairs with its Le Corbusier–inspired wall murals. Now where can I try that in my house?

Photography by Brian W. Ferry

Image: Pxhere

There’s an excellent chance that you’ll never own anything more expensive than a house. We’re willing to spend so much on property for two reasons: firstly, we need to have places to live, and secondly, it offers incredible investment opportunities. If you can read the market well and perfect your timing, you can make a lot of money simply through buying and selling property — all while being your own boss and being fully in charge of your destiny.

Now, you may have clicked on this post because you’re planning to sell your property soon, or maybe it’s simply because you want to have the option of selling your property at a good price if you deem that worthwhile. Regardless, the core point of raising property value through interior design is absolutely worth your time and attention.

To help you make your property more valuable, we’re going to look at some straightforward interior design tasks you can carry out. Let’s get to them.

Prioritize kitchen and bathroom design

There are two parts of a house that inevitably get the most attention from prospective buyers. The kitchen, and the bathroom (or bathrooms). Bedrooms are obviously important, but they’re relatively easy to overhaul. Kitchens and bathrooms take time and effort, which is why you should focus on them for your interior design project.

Concentrate on making these areas feel as luxurious as possible. This can be done on a budget since it’s all about perception: you don’t need to pay much to add some light, clean everything, and distribute some accessories. You can even make a tiny kitchen feel substantially bigger. If you can get this done, you can add value quickly by making prospective buyers feel comfortable in the property right away.

Cater to the pros and cons of the area

To get some added perspective on what can affect the value of property, I spoke to Ade Labinjo, CEO & Co-Founder of the online mortgage company Breezeful. He raised the following point:

“Now that remote working is common, people are free to choose the locations they want, so a typical buyer will care slightly more about the region than the property. Your job as a seller, then, is to make your house best meet or exceed their expectations for the area. Do what you can to play to the strengths of your neighbourhood and diminish its weaknesses.”

“Take Ottawa as an example. Canada’s capital heavily features government-commissioned architecture that was designed to be robust and utilitarian. If you own property that fits that mold, why not add some flair through eye-catching interior design? Visitors will love the mixture of functionality and form. And if they need help finding the best mortgage rates Ottawa has to offer, send them our way. Our online service can do all the hard work for them.”

People prioritizing interior design can forget about the context of their surrounding areas, and that’s a major mistake. There will be things about the region that are drawing the interest of your prospective buyers, so build on those to make your property stand out from the crowd.

Focus on neutral colours and open spaces

When someone buys property with the intention of moving in, they want to have options. It’s unlikely they’ll want to keep everything as it is, so they’ll plan to get to work quite quickly: repaint walls, adjust layouts, change materials, etc. You need to take this into account with your interior design, and the best way to proceed is to focus on neutral colours and open spaces.

Why neutral colours? Because they look crisp and clean, help places feel light and airy, and — most importantly — allow visitors to freely imagine how they might redecorate. When you use bold colours, you make it tougher for people to envision alternatives. A house decorated with neutral colours is more like a blank slate ready to be filled in.

Similarly, the answer to the question of “Why open spaces?” is that they show potential. You want the property to feel as big and flexible as possible. Yes, a densely-decorated room can look really nice, but what if someone looking at it doesn’t like the layout or has a different purpose in mind for that area? Keep things simple and spaced out so the property can have the broadest appeal. This will significantly help the value.

It’s fresh and fun, colourful and sophisticated. It may be traditional but it’s certainly not fuddy duddy. Why it’s overstuffed with inspiration! Park Avenue Pied-à-Terre by CeCe Barfield.

The drama of black walls. EVERYTHING looks better when placed against a black backdrop. The office of Kay Kollar Design. Photos: Richard Powers.

This Victorian mansion in London is insane! That staircase is an Instagrammable moment if I ever saw one. This home has 4 ensuite bedrooms, a lower floor with family room, gym, changing area and sauna and an indoor pool with arches that open up to allow a free flow into the outdoor pool, a roof terrace and much more. Absolutely stunning. Available as a location home through Shoot Factory.