Take Your Home From Builder Grade To Custom
Text by Jasmine Bible + Photography by Jennifer Morgan Photography
Your home may be blessed with beautiful architecture, interest, and charm…great! But what if it’s not? What if you’ve moved into a home that’s more of a boring box than a crown jewel? All hope is not lost…we’ve come up with three easy ways to take your home from builder grade to custom!
BOLD FURNISHINGS
If the shell of your home is basic and boring, liven up the contents within! Instead of sticking with a neutral palette and winding up with a sea of beige…go wild with color.
Choose saturated hues like these emerald green velvet sofas from Wayfair, or this tufted velvet ottoman in blush by Christopher Knight Home.
Dealing with dated lighting? Swap it out for fun fixtures like these Nyla Chandeliers by Modern Rustic Interiors. We’re obsessed with their retro-Parisian-ice-cream-parlor vibe. Add a ceiling medallion for even more impact!
If you have an open-concept home, choose fixtures that coordinate instead of matching exactly. Repeat materials (brass, chrome, glass, etc.), but vary the size of the lights, and the height at which they hang. Hang fixtures in the living room at least four inches higher than the tallest person in your family, and hang fixtures in your dining room 30 to 36 inches above the table.
DIY MOLDINGS
Ready to add major impact to an otherwise boring room? Choose one wall to be the accent wall, as seen in this bedroom, or an entire room as seen in the living room.
By using common one-inch by two-inch boards from your local hardware store, you can add visual impact and dimension to any wall. In the bedroom, vertical boards run the entire length of the wall, with a horizontal board at the top and bottom creating a clean frame.
In the living room, in addition to the vertical boards, horizontal boards were added at the top and bottom of the window frames, resulting in a look that harkens back to turn-of-the-century detailing, yet feels fresh and modern.
Once you’ve framed out your wall(s), choose a rich color to double the dramatic effect and call attention to your hard work!
CREATIVE PAINTING
The simplest of changes? Paint! There’s no faster way to completely transform a space than with paint. Paint an entire room, one wall, just the doors and trim, or get creative with angles. In the basement of this home, the entire space was a cream color with white trim and doors. Rather than repainting the entire basement, which would take more time and money than the new owners wanted to spend, they chose to paint two large angled sections in a deep inky-blue color.
The result? A strikingly modern artistic effect. Experiment with angles, rectangles, or circular shapes in your own home. Design boldly!
We shared this story with you in our Fall/Winter 2019 Issue of NEST Magazine. To view the full issue, click here.
Courtney Farrell
Written on
Gorgeous spaces! What a transformation.
Jasmine Bible
Written on
Thanks Courtney, we agree!