DIY has always been popular for those who are keen to really put their own personal stamp on their property. It’s common to buy a house that is considered ‘a do-upper’ because there is so much more room to play around with painting, gardening, and re-building without feeling guilty.
If you own a home or intend to move into a place where you’ll have permission to make aesthetic changes, and are looking to find ways to really make use of the available space, consider revamping key living areas both in and outdoors, to be able to fully enjoy and take advantage of your surroundings. Convenience and quality should come hand-in-hand, and personalized designs should be something we all strive to achieve when we are doing up our homes. If you’re currently renting but the idea of home ownership sounds like something you want to achieve, do some market research for companies who offer different methods of getting on the property ladder, so you too can explore the following ideas.
Let’s discuss kitchens inside our homes. Considering we all have and spend so much time in our kitchens, many of us overlook the importance of their layout and whether they’re actually serving us at their fullest potential. These days, it’s becoming increasingly more achievable to completely design every aspect of our lives, and, what’s more, there are more people out there who can turn our visions into reality. We no longer need to settle for an expensive package deal in the kitchen store showroom just because it looks flashy. Getting custom-made furniture and storage systems are easier and more affordable to source and so before we look at selling the house out of frustration caused by one dysfunctional space, have a big think about how you can transform those spaces and therefore improve the flow and lifestyle within your home. Perhaps something as simple as an island will increase the productivity and flow of your kitchen, or corner drawers will create more sensible storage options and make your space look more slick and fresh?
A smooth indoor-outdoor flow is something we really shouldn’t underestimate. Imagine you go to a restaurant and there’s an outdoor seating option, but when it comes to moving between lounges everything is cramped and you become nervous about knocking over a waiter on your way to the bathroom. The tables are too close together and the lighting is too bright to unwind. You wouldn’t be giving a decent review and probably wouldn’t return, right? Transfer this concept to your home, and you’ll understand why it’s important to have a sense of seamlessness between your home and garden.
Once you’ve taken the time to consider your indoor spaces, creating the perfect outdoor kitchen that flows seamlessly from the back door should be next on your list. We all love to relax with friends around the ever-popular barbecue, but look into upgrading this basic facility into a fully-fledged cooking space, and invest in a future of spending more of your life outdoors. If your budget allows, how about getting a fresh landscape design? Adding a stove and outdoor heater allows you the freedom to sit outside in the wintertime, but if you add some overhead covers (like a veranda), build a raised deck or platform for seating, and source some comfortable yet stylish furniture, you could spend much more time feeling as if you were in a holiday destination eating at an exquisite restaurant. What’s better than having a choice of where to eat, no matter the weather? You could even simultaneously use both indoor and outdoor spaces with larger groups of friends and family. Work with creative minds to decipher how you can take advantage of your garden, making it an extension of your home rather an external addition.
Our kitchens are one of the spaces in our homes wherein we can really be creative, have fun and unwind through active relaxing. Why not insist that your kitchen allows you to thoroughly enjoy these experiences by making tweaks to the layout and systems? The smallest of changes can make drastic differences to the functionality of the space and make life a whole lot more pleasurable as a result. Similarly, reinvent your garden to be like another room in itself, and take advantage of the technology and materials available to be able to do so. At the end of a busy day, coming home to a smooth-flowing, free and high-functioning space can make wonderful changes to our state of mind and wellbeing.
So, whether you’re a DIY bunny or not, if you’re living in your own property (or are aiming to!), look around you and see if your home and main spaces are truly giving you the room to live the best life you can. If not, make those all-important changes where necessary, and see how you can put a personal stamp on your home.
