DBG Blog #14 - Balancing Timeless and Trendy

Timeless vs. Trendy

Building a new home can be challenging, especially with all the initial decisions. Large decisions like choosing how many rooms you’d like can get overwhelming when you’re also choosing which fixtures and fittings to use in your bathroom.

Many clients face the struggle to decide whether they want their home to be timeless or trendy. We all know how buildings built around a particular trend often go out of style. The thought of shag carpet and popcorn ceilings makes most people cringe. Thankfully, we have a few tips to make sure your home is trendy while keeping the main structure timeless.

Invest in the structure

Investing in high-quality, timeless materials and design for the structure of your home means you don’t have to undergo major renovations every time your home goes out of style. After all, you’ll be living in your home for much longer than a style trend stays in fashion.

If the main design of your home is timeless, you can add the trendy elements into areas that can be easily changed without spending exuberant amounts of money. Below are a few features you can add to your home with confidence that they’ll always be in style.

-        Stone bench-tops

-        White kitchens

-        Built-in shelving

-        Hardwood floors

-        Timber elements

-        Fireplaces

-        Stainless steel appliances

Safe trends

The key to making your new home trendy without an overwhelming upkeep cost is keeping it subtle. Designing a whole room around a trend means you’ll be constantly spending money and time redesigning. Not only is this difficult to maintain, but it also disrupts your home life during changeovers. Additionally, if you ever decide to sell your home, it can be hard to remove the trend and update to the new style. A few options for trends that will be easy to implement, cost-effective, and will not disrupt the future of your home are below.

-        Use small, statement pieces that can be placed around the room, such as art, a coffee table decoration, or even a corner piece.

-        Add texture and bright colours to create a feature wall. This can be done with VJ board, curtains, or even just painting the existing wall.

-        Use trendy patterns in decorative pieces such as rugs, pictures, or couch cushions.

Being trendy doesn’t mean your whole house has to be taken over with a particular style. Finding a style that helps you relax and feel at home is just as important as following a trend. After all, you’ll probably be living in your home a lot longer than the trend is around.

If you’re not sure what to do next or need advice during any stage of the process, from concept designs to construction, we are here to help. We have a dedicated team of designers, building supervisors and project managers who will be able to assist with your questions.

DBG Blog #12 - Make the most of your spare bedroom

Make the Most out of Your Spare Bedroom

Most people treat their spare room as an afterthought when building. Compared to other rooms, it doesn’t tend to get much attention during the drafting and planning stage. Often, this extra room turns into a messy storage space, but we think you can do so much more with it. Below are a few ideas to consider when planning your room.

Office

Are you working from home and finding your productivity has lowered? You may want to design your spare room to suit a home office. With the busyness of life all around, having a room you can go to for work can be hugely beneficial. Studies have shown that keeping your work limited to one space can improve productivity, the ability to relax in other areas, and sleep quality.[1]

Entertainment Room

Do you enjoy gaming and watching movies, but don’t want them to dominate the aesthetic of your home? Designing your spare room as an entertainment room is a perfect solution. Keeping your entertainment in one room frees up space in your living areas for extra storage, decoration, and general movement.

Extra Closet Space

If your clothes need extra breathing room, but your room can’t accommodate them, consider turning your extra space into a walk-in closet. You can fit it out with your favourite vanity, ring lighting, and lots of hanging space. If your room is feeling small, consider installing a full-length mirror to add the illusion of extra space.

Home Gym

It may be time to save yourself the guilt of not using the gym membership you paid for. Having a personal gym just a few steps away with your favourite weights/machinery might be the motivational boost you need. You won’t just be improving your gym attendance but can save money over the years if you’re not paying for a gym membership.

Playroom

If you have children, you may want to draft your extra room as a playroom. This helps keep your child safely contained and keep all your toys in one space. Children love having their own space, so designing a room that they’re responsible for can have many benefits.

There are many ways to make use of your spare room. Don’t let it be a room that you constantly shut the door to out of embarrassment. For a relatively low cost, you can easily transform your spare room into a useful and favourite space. Alternatively, if you’re still in the planning stages of building your home, make full use of your drafting services to ensure your house plans have designed your spare room to be used to its fullest capacity.

1.      https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210217-is-it-bad-to-you-work-from-your-bed-for-a-year