Hi, friends!

As most of you know, we’re building a new house and have been sharing all of our tips on home ownership, how the house buying process went, and will eventually be showing our projects and home decor once we’re settled in! I’ve always liked unique things that are a little different than the norm, whether it’s music, fashion, or in this case, our future home.

Because our house isn’t completely custom but we want a lot of aspects to be unique to us, I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips on how we plan to get a custom home look and what we’re planning to do to transform our space in the places it’s meaningful to us.

CHANGE OUT THE BUILDER FIXTURES

Most of the time, builder-grade fixtures are fairly low quality or just look exactly like your neighbor Sally’s. Updating the light fixtures, cabinet hardware, etc. is a fairly simple way to add more character to your home and represent your unique style. We’ll definitely be changing out basically every light fixture in the house, updating our hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms to brass or black, and adding sconces that we had the builder pre-wire for us in certain areas like the entryway where we wanted a little something extra.

Take a look at this easy swap of a semi-flush mount for reference from Room for Tuesday!

PAINT

Unfortunately, our builder didn’t allow us to select our own paint color and we’re having to hire someone to come in afterwards and paint our house the color we want it. Paint can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your space and won’t feel the same as everyone else’s next to you! If you don’t want to take on painting the entire house, updating your doors can make a big impact too! I love the look of painted interior doors like this one from Becki Owens below.

ADD SOME CHARACTER TO YOUR WALLS

Whether it’s wallpaper, ceiling beams, wall trim, or shiplap to name a few, updating some rooms with these add-ons after the fact can make such a difference in how your home looks. We plan to make gradual progress in this area since it can get a little pricey, starting with the entryway and some board and batten to make an impact when guests walk in. Here are some pictures of other awesome ideas to add a little something to those walls and make it look custom.

SELECT WINDOW TREATMENTS

Adding window treatments can really pull together a room that was missing something. I personally love bamboo or wood shades paired with light drapery and french curtain rods for a completely custom look. We’ll likely look into The Shade Store as recommended by my favorite, Studio McGee when it comes time to choose these!

DECORATE WISELY

Take your time decorating the home! I personally like to take it one room at a time, prioritizing the rooms you’ll be utilizing the most first and saving up for those investment pieces you really know you want. Mix high-end and low-end pieces and mix vintage with new to give it a collected feel that doesn’t look like an advertisement from Rooms to Go. Only buy the things you absolutely love and invest in the larger pieces that are going to last a while. Save on items like throw pillows so you don’t feel bad when you want to change it up a little later on. Look for inspiration on Pinterest, in magazines, or wherever you happen to find it and use that to find items to fill your home with. I plan on spending at least 2 years completing the rooms in our house and it may even be longer! There’s nothing wrong with that - a house is an investment already, choose what to fill it with wisely.

I hope these tips were helpful and inspired your next home project. I’d love to know what you’ve done in your house to make it feel more unique or functional to you!

Until next time,
Megan