New Home–Colour, Flooring, Lighting, Kitchen and Bathroom Design
That’s the difference between a house and a home.
Most new home builders offer a colour consultation to go through all the specifications requirements for the construction of your new house – that is, the selection of tiles and carpets, wall colours, lights and lighting plan, door styles, window extrusion colours, laminates for kitchen and bathroom cabinetry for the interior and for the exterior the selection of roofing colours, render styles, finish colour driveway colour and design, front door and garage door selection and any other specifications that are encompassed in the building project.
Some independent builders give you free rein to compile all that information for your new home but this can be very time consuming and stressful. The assistance of a qualified and experienced person in this field can make this process less daunting.
Colour and lighting would be the two most essential ingredients to consider in your planning. Although the broadwall colour is generally neutral and colour in the conventional sense is used in accent, it is the positioning and the types of lights that influence how the colour looks internally. Most of us take artificial light for granted. We use our conventional ceiling lights, add a table lamp or two, fit a dimmer switch perhaps, and leave it at that.
Lighting should be the most important element of interior design because it reveals everything in a room. Lighting a room without much thought, giving it a flat, two-dimensional effect, can detract from the appearance of the home décor. Good lighting should bring to life the features of a room. This is particularly important with reference to public spaces in which consideration to ambience needs to be foremost. With planning, special effects can be achieved merely by creatively using the ordinary light fittings available from any lighting outlet, retail or commercial.
Unfortunately, lighting for manynew homeowners and renovators is an afterthought; however, successful atmospheric and decorative lighting is within everybody’s reach, whether or not they live in a palatial home or a townhouse. Lighting is of vital importance and the challenge with choosing lighting equipment whether for practical purposes or decorative effects, is to know which of the many varieties of light, which can include uplighters, wall-washers, downlights, pendants, spotlights, lamps or strip-lighting, is best for your needs.
Outdoor lighting is another area where imagination can repay the homeowner. Think of how the garden might look if lit at night. Night-lighting extends the enjoyment of any garden. A well-lit garden allows outdoor areas to be used for entertaining, barbeques or formal dinners and also makes the garden safer when lights are placed to illuminate steps, overhanging trees and outbuildings.
The flooring you select for your new home with one of the most expensive outlays in the building of your new home. Today, the range of available flooring options in terms of choosing a colour, design and style are virtually limitless. It can be a daunting process figuring out what will work best in the area you are seeking to cover because not only are there plain colours to choose from, but a whole range of patterns, and with reference to carpets, weaves, all presented in a variety of textures and compositions which also affect the colour expressed. This choice is made against a constantly changing context of shifting trends in fashionable ‘looks’.
Having established what mood of look you want to create, the colour and pattern choice can immediately be narrowed down. Over the years, the less assertive colours and designs have tended to become more popular- natural and neutral shades of grey, black, brown, beige and white. These low-key neutrals tend to be unobtrusive and easy to live with, but also offer sophisticated and interesting designs.
As an independent designer, I have no allegiances to any particular lighting, tile or carpet company but I do have a professional relationship with many suppliers in the Townsville area because of their services, knowledge and expertise. If you have already engaged quotes and assistance from a particular company, I am happy to continue the design and consulting process with that company and contact.
The final dressing of the house – that is, curtains and or blinds, with consideration given to pre-owned furniture pieces for the selection of accessories – that is, artwork, cushions and décor, can result in a new home that you love and the peace of mind to know that it will all look good once you move in. That’s the difference between a house and a home.