How to keep your design cohesive when remodeling a home

Remodeling a home has many benefits, it allows you to create a house of your dreams while adding value to your home, however, it is very important to keep your design cohesive, so your house doesn’t feel like a puzzle once you are done remodeling it.  In this post, I will share about the remodeling project we undertook and how we were able to give it a new house feel.

Remodeling the home and keeping it cohesive

Once the house was done, many people who visited would comment: wow! this doesn’t feel like a remodel and that felt like the biggest compliment.  Here is what we did to make it feel this way:

1. Create a flow with a paint color

Updating a paint color in the entire house makes the biggest impact while allowing you to freshen up the whole house. 

The house we bought had a different paint color in almost every room.  That clearly had to go.  We choose to go with one paint color (SW Westhighlander White) for the entire house.  I later repainted kids’ rooms with SW Accessible Beige and  SW Skyline Steel, but having a freshly painted house, made it feel like a clean slate.

If you need help creating a new color palette, check out my Etsy store.

If you are not sure about the paint color you want to use for a specific room, don’t worry about it, just choose a good neutral and paint the entire house and later you can repaint the rooms when you are ready.

2. Replace old trim work and exterior and interior doors. 

Most builder-grade houses have cheap millwork, that is very likely beat up and outdated.  Replacing the old trim work and interior doors make feel like a chore,  but it will make a big difference in the feel of the house.

This process is time-consuming and requires skill, and I would recommend you outsource it to a professional.   

3.  Replace flooring

The old carpet just got to go.  It has seen better times and collected plenty of dust, replacing the carpet and replacing or refinishing the hardwood floors will create a brand-new house feel and will likely get rid of the smell as well.

When choosing the hardwood flooring I recommend going with white oak, wide plank laminate.  Light flooring is easy to take care of and will make the house feel light.

4. Replace old florescent lights and light fixtures throughout the house 

Old and yellowing light fixtures and electrical fixtures give away the age of the house.  Replace all electrical outlets, and switches to new ones, and old fluorescent can lights with LED.  Also, update all the light fixtures in the house. 

Here is a link to the post about replacing the old fluorescent with LED: Easy LED replacement kit for halogen bulb

When replacing light fixtures throughout the house create a flow, where the light fixtures look good together, but they don’t have to be exactly the same.  Here is an example of the light fixtures for the entire house that I’ve put together.

Living room chandelier

Finchley 12 – Light Candle Style Wagon Wheel Chandelier with Wood Accents

Finchley 20 – Light Candle Style Wagon Wheel Chandelier

Master bedroom light

Ava Abaca Rope Tiered 3 Light Pendant Lamp

Kitchen island pendant

Cynthia 1 – Light Single Dome Pendant

Ellis 8 – Light Kitchen Island Rectangle Pendant

Outdoor back porch

Gabi Weather Vane 2 -Bulb 23.5″ H Outdoor Hanging Lantern

5. Bathroom Cabinets and Kitchen Renovation

Replacing the kitchen cabinets allows you to create a new layout.  This is a great time to add a remove a pantry, change the size of the island or create it into a peninsula. 

In this kitchen remodel, we went with a modern kitchen two-tone kitchen, undercabinet lighting, and a wall of exposed pantry cabinets. 

6. Renovating the exterior of the house

When renovating a home, do not forget the exterior of the house.  Pressure washing exterior walls and the roof would be a good start, but repainting the house and the garage doors will give it a new house feel.

Conclusion

Home renovation projects can be overwhelming, but if you have a design goal in mind and allow extra time for delays and setbacks, you can create the beautiful home of your dreams and add value to your house.  Do not try to do everything on your own, if a particular remodeling job is beyond your expertise, do yourself a favor and hire a construction expert.  If you need home design help, I am here to help, book now a virtual design consultation with me.