Styling Tips For First-Time Homeowners.

Firstly buying your own home, whether it's a BTO, Resale HDB or Condo is an exciting time.

Finally, you are in your space, what could go wrong? One of the best things about owning your own home is this is your opportunity to put your unique and personal stamp on it.

Styling your home will add personality to your home

From buying furniture to selecting appliances to decide on soft furnishings, there's a lot to do. Well, if experience has taught us anything, the design and styling process can be overwhelming, to say the least. Fear not, we have the top tips and tricks to style your first home.

Which room to start with?

Well much as you may be tempted to say, ALL the rooms, your budget may not allow for that. In that case, pick the one or two rooms you will be spending the most time in to focus on first. In a typical Singaporean home is the living space and the bedroom.

There is no rush. 

Many times when people move into their new home, they find that they move things around and completely change their design as the months go on. Don’t feel like you need to rush to get everything completed all at once. When you move in, take some time to get a feel for the place before you make any final decisions. Your interior design choices don’t have to be made overnight. Remember home design is expensive, the last thing you want is to spend money on a statement piece that you decide you don’t like after 6 months.

Lighting Matters.

Lighting can change the entire feel of your space

Many people underestimate the power of good lighting in a home until they move in and find out that it is inefficiently lit. The two most important rooms to light well are the kitchen and the bathroom because of all the activities you do there. These rooms require a layered lighting plan and I would recommend working with a professional to get it correct. It’s not just the amount of lights there are, but the location and the color of the light are important. A professional will break it down into three zones, general, task, and ambient. 

Another type of lighting that is important is natural lighting. Consider your views out the windows and where you need privacy and where you don’t. This will help you sort out where you can let the light shine in. Even in the more private rooms, if you have a view out of the window you might want to see, there are window treatments that will allow for a full view when you want it and total privacy when you don’t.

Lighting can make or break a room! It can also create a huge impact and dramatically change the entire feel of a room - whether is artificial or natural. Making a concerted effort to keep windows clean and clutter free can dramatically increase the light that floods into a room - even painting window frames and window sills white can help. Many of our customers opt for garden rooms or orangeries with roof lanterns because of the sheer volume of natural light that they let in.

Have a think about lighting for different moods and occasions, or features in the home that you want to accentuate and layer your lighting to suit. Ceiling lights for cleaning or working, candle and side lamps for soft lighting for entertaining, up or down lighting to display art or photographs - the possibilities are endless! You can create a huge impact with lighting, and often for a minimal budget!

Express your own personal style. 

 If you’ve just bought your own home, you have permission to put your own stamp on it. It’s why people strive to buy their own homes; because they get to do what they want with it.

Don’t be afraid to be bold when you start to decorate. Use things that express your personality and don’t worry about matching everything up. If you’re decorating according to your tastes, everything will link together to create your own personal comfort.

Start with a neutral colour palette.

A neutral colour palette can allow you to add pops of colour later

It can be difficult to decide what to put on the walls when you first move in. Will you paint a modern color? Will you wallpaper? Will you fill the walls with artwork? Most people are hasty in their decisions just because they want to make the house their own. If you’re unable to decide or want to take your time making your decisions, neutral is the way to go.

Painting all the walls white when you move in will give you a blank canvas, not to mention nice, clean and new walls. You may even find that the light and crisp color works well for you. Neutral palettes with pops of color are a popular trend right now.

Choose accessories that change your room.

Accessories should be changed to fit your mood or the season. They bring character to any room. You want to have pictures in decorative frames of family and friends. Even a specific wall dedicated to a gallery wall is a great idea.

Colour can tie a space together.

Starting out with a blank canvas such as a new home doesn’t mean that you have to buy everything matching to coordinate your space. One great way to tie your room together is through your use of colour. So if you already have a sofa but now have the space for a coffee table, consider your materials and colour scheme. This will help to seamlessly combine the pieces together.

Many new builds will have a very neutral interior. So if you want to inject some colour into your space but don’t have the time or money to go all out on your decor, be clever with your furniture choice colours, such as colourful dining chairs or a bold coloured sofa set. Colourful dining chairs are a great way to add a stylish pop of colour to your new dining area.

The neutral scheme of many new build homes is a great opportunity to be bold with your colour choices. Don’t forget, you can always add textures such as a rug into your space to bring a pop of colour.

Measure twice. 

Don’t trust your eye rather than a tape measure. This is never a good idea when choosing your furniture, especially when buying online. Thinking your new sofa and coffee table will fit is very different to knowing that it will, so save yourself the stress and hassle on delivery day by knowing your measurements well before you place your order.

You have a budget for a reason. 

TOP TIP: One way to make sure you stick to the essentials is to make a note of your budget- and stick to it! Home Renovation can be an expensive time, so it’s a good idea to know how much money you have to actually spend on furniture before you set your heart on a sofa and dining set that is way out of your budget. Once you know what you’ve got to work with, then you can start shopping around. If you have any leftover cash, you can then buy those extra pieces on your wish list without any guilt as all the important pieces have been covered.

Start With Your Investment Pieces

A statement piece can be a focal point in the room

The term investment pieces can hold connotations of costing a lot of money but try to think of your investment pieces as just that- investments, not expenses. A good quality bed, sofa and dining table will provide comfort and seating for your family for years to come. So if you can afford it, it’s a very smart move to spend more on these staple pieces for your new home. Vital parts of any home, investment pieces will be the furniture that you use the most and keep the longest, so you’ll want to choose something that’ll last.

Be inspired. 

The glossy interior magazines do look stunning. However, sometimes the best styling inspiration can come from real homes. There’s a whole community of new homeowners sharing their design journey on social media platforms such as Instagram and Houzz, so be sure to follow people in the community. #newhome, #newbuild and #firsttimebuyer are great hashtags to get started. Then you’ll start to discover accounts that you love! You can also use the platforms to ask questions and even share some of your own knowledge. This can be invaluable when moving into a new home.

Start off by searching for relevant hashtags. This way you’ll find relevant accounts and people to follow. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest as an example.

Most importantly.

Have fun! Moving into a new home does have its worries and stresses, but make sure you take a moment to think of the home you’re creating for you and your family; it’s a space to make new memories during mealtimes, family celebrations or even just relaxing at home.