Property Design
Should I keep my design scheme neutral?
Evidence has shown that the more neutral your design scheme is, the more it appeals to a wider range of potential buyer. The problem is we're starting to see color and pattern coming back in as being leading-edge design. What we are finding now is that just painting it magnolia and putting in wooden flooring means that everything is looking the same in the marketplace, and those properties are taking possibly as long to sell as the ones that aren't as neutral. "Keep it fairly neutral, but don't be afraid of using some color and some pattern in the design" would be my advice.
Which room should I spend the most on?
There are two key rooms in a property that you must spend money on and they are the kitchen and the bathroom. The design of these two rooms really does help sell property. If you're thinking of spending some money on property design, make sure it's those two rooms that get the majority of your budget.
What design features are the most cost-efficient improvements?
The most cost efficient design features that you can put into a property, if it's a period property, actually putting some features back in again. Putting things in like fireplaces can really add value and be quite cost effective to do. Then there's things like making sure you've got a nice oven or power shower in the kitchen/bathroom respectively there and also making sure that the lighting you put in there, you have quite a trendy looking new light fitting. All things that can add lots of potential value to a property without actually costing a huge amount to do on the development itself.
How can I make my property more environmentally friendly?
The best way to make your property as environmentally friendly as possible is to make it as energy efficient as possible. This property design can be completed in a couple of basic ways. One is making sure it's not drafty by replacing doors and windows in your property with ones that really fit and don't let all the drafts in. The other is replacing an ineffective boiler. Buy an environmentally friendly boiler that's much more energy efficient. Two good property design ideas there for helping make your property more efficient all around.
How can I hide a bad feature in my property?
The best way of detracting from a bad feature in a property is to neutralise the feature, perhaps by painting it out or painting it a neutral colour so it recedes in the room. Another thing that you can do is bring in a more dominating, positive design feature in the room, for example a window-dressing or a nice lighting feature. That's two ways of hiding a bad feature: by neutralising and reducing the bad feature in the property and by putting something more positive in the room that draws the eye and attention away from a poor design feature.
What are buyers looking for when they view a property?
When buyers are viewing a property, they're really looking for something that's better than the house that they're leaving behind, so you've got to be sure that you're appealing to their aspirational lifestyle in your property design. Helping to identify who those buyers are likely to be will help you determine what design features and aspects you really need to incorporate into the redevelopment of that particular property.
Which period features are worth keeping?
Period features are always worth keeping in your property design as they are very valuable to the period property. By period property, I mean anything from the 1920s and older. For example, peroid features may include cornices, ceiling roses, fireplaces, wooden floors - stripped, solid wooden floors. These are all worth keeping when thinking about property design. If you don't have period features in a property, it is actually introducing them - maybe from a reclamation yard - to actually add more features in. You will get your money back by being able to sell the property at a premium.
How can I create a sense of space?
The best way you can create a sense of space through property design is by making sure you've got nice, bright windows and lots of good lighting in the room. Replace single light fittings into chandelier style fitting, perhaps, where you have many bulbs thus increasing the amount of light into the room. Further create a sense of space by using neutral or light colours - this property design obviously expands the space, whereas dark colours will make it feel a lot smaller. Quite a few design tips there to help you make the space that you do have feel bigger. It may be that you want to knock a wall through and combine two rooms together, such as a separate toilet and bathroom. Those are great spaces to knock through and expand and have a really spacious bathroom with a toilet integrated. The same applies to kitchens and utility rooms or pantries. This property design can even sometimes involve a lounge being knocked through into the kitchen to create a sense of space. We all like the idea of more open-planned space at the moment.
