Like a lot of people who have purchased a home in the last few years, we had to update ALL of our house. Hello, 1980’s! We are nearing the last of the updates (we broke it into two parts – the main level before we moved in and the basement) and although I love it, I have learned a few things through the design process:
- Always choose the wood stain. We chickened out on a wood stain for our island and then again for our kitchenette in the basement and after the fact we realized it would have looked great. We got very overwhelmed by matching two different stains (floor and cabinets) and I think we were making it into a bigger decision than it was.
- Say no to the metal strips around the shower niche. Okay, I am not against metal around the shower niche I am still just mad I forgot about this transition every shower. The last one drives me crazy because there is black metal where nickel would have looked better. The other options for any tile transition is bullnose tile.
- Try to forget about the trends. I was so nervous of making a mistake the first part of the remodel (our main living space) and stuck to more neutrals: think white walls and pewter trim but I tried to let loose a little more and push limits downstairs. I was more confident in my decisions and was able to push back when my designs were questioned (by both my husband and GC).
- Don’t be afraid of color. I can’t stress this enough. I will be honest, I love white but I also love color and both have a place in your home. If you can’t drop lesson #3 and want to follow the trends, my GC said he is starting to see more color in his projects lately.
- Mix and match metals. Not everything has to match. I am a firm believer and lover of the juxtaposition of two different items placed together. All of your fixtures, door pulls, etc. don’t have to be all the same metal in a room. I am pretty sure this drove my GC crazy because he never knew the “dominant†metal in a particular room but, oh well…
- Texture is your friend. Another thing that seemed to disappear with this white on grey on white design. Design used all of your senses so don’t forget touch. Examples of texture would be – natural stone, like, brick, marble or even a matte finish (vs gloss). This leads me to my last lesson learned….
- Do.Not.Cheap.out.on.cabinet.pulls. I wish I could say I was trying to save money by buying cheap cabinet pulls but I just didn’t give it much thought at the time. I bought a bunch of pulls on amazon and two years later the cheap metal is falling apart and they just feel very lightweight when I touch them. Which is all day, everyday.
So, there you have it, what I have learned through a massive remodel. What else would you add to the list?
Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.
