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Style/07.03.22

How to Add Character to a New Build Home

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If you’ve ever walked through a display home, you’ve most probably been stunned by its welcoming elegance and charm. Between its luxe furnishing, high-end appliances, and clean finishing, it’s no wonder why people feel compelled to build one for themselves!

As long-standing home builders in NSW, one of the challenges that many of our client’s face is finding out how to work with their blank space after handover and begin to make their house into a home. Even with furniture included, many tend to struggle with adding the final details to their new home and end up choosing to replicate our decorated displays to bring their dream home to life. 

If this is sounding all too familiar to you, no need to stress – we have you covered! We’ve put together our best tips and tricks on how you can add character to your new home build and give your new house that ‘show home’ feel…

Finding your Style

Before committing to any purchases or decorating your home, the first thing you’re going to want to determine is the style and theme you want your home to be. If you’ve walked through our display homes in NSW, you’ve probably recognised that each home is dressed to a certain kind of theme, and this is what gives them their unique ambience and feel. What kind of mood do you want your home to evoke? Fresh, vibrant, and coastal? Dim, earthy and artisan? Or maybe sleek, neutral, and monochromatic? Consistency is key when it comes to interior design, so find a style that suits you and stick to it!

Furniture

Once your style has been determined, it’s time to start populating your space with furniture and statement pieces! Obviously, you have your essential furniture including your dining table, dining chairs, coffee table, couch, tv units, stools, beds, and dressers – however, there are some other items that may get overlooked but make a world of a difference to curating your home and adding character. These include bookshelves, individual living room chairs, bar stands, side tables and in-built mounted tv units. These smaller pieces aren’t necessarily there for practical purposes, however, compliment the standard elements.

Lighting

Lighting is essential when it comes to encapsulating the mood of your home. Getting the room lit correctly demands layers of lighting to accompany the downlights of your new home, this means natural lighting from windows and also pendant lights and lamps. Install pendant lights over your kitchen bench if applicable and find a variety of different lamps to dress the space. We commonly think a standing lamp in the corner of the room is always a great idea! Additionally, you want to ensure that all the bulbs are consistent with the light colour itself whether that may be warm or cool!

Wall Art

There is a lot to consider when it comes to decorating your walls and it doesn’t take a genius to acknowledge how important it is to interior design although this doesn’t necessarily only include posters, frames, and photography. There are so many other wall fixtures that you can install that will add layers and dimensions to your home including panelling along the walls if you’re looking for that coastal or rustic feel; or wall shelves to place diffusers, photo frames or books. You also want an array of shapes and sizes, so including things like round mirrors or clocks will help accentuate the use of space.

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Home Accessories

Once you have filled out your space with the above items, now comes the part that will bring it all together – the final touches! When shopping for décor and small pieces, you want to find items that coincide with the design specifications of the home itself i.e., floorboards, tiles, tapware, handles and cabinetry. Essential accessories include pillows, throws, rugs and window dressings, however, overlooked things such as books, table runners, bowls and plants will keep adding layer and character to your space. To end your décor journey, scented items such as flowers, candles and diffusers will bring the mood of the home to life!

Design Your New Home!

Ultimately, a home is what you make of it and at Domaine, we’ve designed our houses to fit with the current trends in the market to give you the best space to work with! If you’re still in the early stages of your home building journey, we’ve created our Design & Price Your Home Tool which allows you to curate your future home all from the comfort of your current one! Watch this space to keep up with our interior design tips or contact us to talk to one of our team members today!