If there is one thing my husband could tell you, it’s that my most favourite thing to do is sit on the couch with a glass of red wine and browse the newest MLS listings. It’s not as though I’m unhappy with our home, oh exactly the opposite actually, nor am I comparison shopping, I just love love love seeing people’s homes (and secretly thinking of all the fun ways to reno it to my style). I thought, since I’m welcoming myself back to the world of blogging, I’d post about our recent home purchase and some advice I wish I had been given before we even started the search.
I feel that the first thing every person/couple must remember is to be open. You obviously have your opinions, for me it was that I loved century homes, wanted to be close to downtown, I loved a more traditional colonial look and wanted the renos to be manageable for a not-so-handy-woman. In fact, the home we found and loved was just over 40 years old, was outside of our desired neighbourhood, is a side split (not a traditional look as I would have preferred) and required little-to-no renos. It has things I never even knew I wanted like built-ins, wainscotting and California shutters and other things I thought I hated like dark granite (I have a lust for white kitchens), square tiles and carpet. The perfect house is out there, but you have to be open to new ideas before you can find it.
Try not to fit a square peg into a round hole. I did this with the first few homes we saw where I could enjoy one or two aspects of them (they were in the right neighbourhood or they had a style I liked), but the whole picture was just wrong for our needs. I would come up with crazy reno plans like tearing down walls, using bedrooms as closets, redoing the kitchen or bathrooms or painting the brick. Now this statement comes with a caveat, if you have a lot of money dedicated to renos OR if you are extremely handy chances are you can round off any square into a circle. We did not possess either of these things, nor do I have the patience to live in an unfinished house for long. Look for key things that you need…do you want a garage, how many bedrooms will fit your needs, closets, basement, yard space, location. Most of these things aren’t aesthetic but most of them should be accounted for prior to jumping into a house. It’s tempting to try to make a yourself fit a house especially if you’re just so excited to get into a place, but waiting to find something that really fits you as you currently are will be so much cheaper, easier and efficient.
Try to think of the easiest ways to create the looks you love. Our kitchen will soon be a prime example of this fact (fingers crossed). I love our kitchen it has newer appliances, white cabinets and granite (albeit black which isn’t my first choice) and it is open to the living room. It also has things I don’t love like a beige square tile backsplash, boring recessed lights and an ill matched sink and faucet. My planned changes include re-installing a backsplash with classic polished carrara marble tiles, replacing the sink and faucet and changing up the light fixtures. Our sink, for example, is a drop-in sink. Most granite counters have either an undermount or farmhouse sink however to install this would be a huge expense as it would mean refinishing the granite. Instead we plan to go with a newer, more modern model of the sink we already have. It may not be perfect, but it’s an upgrade I’d be very happy with at a much more reasonable price. I find the most enjoyable part of styling and decorating is trying to find inexpensive ways to update spaces. It’s also so much more rewarding if you can make a look you love on a budget.
Lastly, don’t stress on the styling. I know this is a given, but it can be hard to picture exactly what your stuff will look like in a space that is furnished in something other than your taste. Take comfort in the fact that if a space is poorly styled it will sell for much less than a home that has been staged. Imagine it like finding a hidden gem! Look for quality in the things that will be staying and forget about that bulky old leather couch the previous homeowner thought was “just so sensible for the kids”.
Cheers and keep on the hunt!
xo EV
{tulle & silk} 