Building a new construction home is an exciting opportunity to create something from scratch. It speaks directly to how you and your family will live, grow, and enjoy your home for many years to come.
It’s a chance to dream up the spaces that you’ll make memories in, and a way to create the best possible environment for your family to enjoy life to the fullest.
Lots of people are delighted at the idea of building their own new construction home, but when it comes to making that shiny new product a warm and inviting space, there’s some design work to do. Here are a few ways you can bring warmth, character, and a classic style into your newly built home.
Shiplap
In the event you haven’t been living under a rock and you do in fact have access to the outside world, you’ve most definitely heard the word shiplap before. But what is shiplap, anyway?
Shiplap is a kind of board (usually made of wood) that’s been used in the past to construct sheds, barns, and the like.
To incorporate this into the inside of your new home, you simply affix it to the wall, usually in a horizontal pattern, and either white washed or painted in a white hue.
In an effort to bring the rustic charm to the interiors of homes, the design world has even created an engineered shiplap called MDF board.
Both natural and engineered options can be affixed directly to your drywall, kind of like paint. And if you love shiplap as much as the rest of the world loves shiplap, then you may treat it as such and put that stuff everywhere!
Shiplap isn’t as economical as paint by any means, but there isn’t a better way to bring texture and rustic charm into your home.
Reclaimed wood
Adding an extra dose of character to your home can easily be achieved by using reclaimed wood as a replacement for a newer or faux option.
By choosing a piece of wood that’s been used for another purpose, you’re bringing that piece’s story and history into your home.
Ways to bring reclaimed wood into your design could include a fireplace mantel made of a reclaimed rail road tie or a sliding barn door made of the scraps left behind from an old barn in your community.
Reclaimed wood can be found virtually anywhere, and there are hundreds of artists and craftsmen and women on Etsy, Craigslist, and the like that will make a custom piece for your new construction home.
Built-in storage
Built-in storage in the home is a timeless way to make your home warm and livable. Having shelving built into walls, corners, or niches that would otherwise go wasted is both functional and fashionable.
Style the shelves with things that bring you joy when you look at them, like family mementos and photos, or fill them with books, plants, and bowls from your travels. This is the beauty of built-ins: they add character while making your home very, very functional.
Antique fixtures
More times than not, when building a new home your builder will provide you will a “lighting allowance” to help guide you in selecting fixtures that will keep you inside your overall building budget.
That lighting allowance will allow you to go out and pick a mid range lighting package that many other homes in the area likely have.
Instead of shopping for faux antique pieces at big box stores, which you’ll over pay for because the style is high in demand at the moment, take your light allowance to Etsy, Ebay, and local antique shops or flea markets to find pieces with actual history.
Your new old piece will add much more character to your new home and you’ll know that you have a piece with a story, and you’ve supported a local small business in your community while doing so.
Lastly, shopping for lighting this way allows you to add a piece into your new home that no one else has or could have. Now that’s customization!
Texture
The easiest way to give your new build home more character is to sprinkle in as much texture as possible. Whether it’s with faux furs, iron, stone, wood, or chunky fabrics, this will add dimension to the space.
Don’t be afraid to mix lots of different textures into the interior of your new home. For instance, a wood range hood combined with iron lighting and a natural stone countertop would be a fantastic way to create dimension through layered textures.
An easier way to jump into this would be to add texture with the decor and accessories in your home. A chunky knit throw combined with burlap pillows and a faux fur area rug would create a warm and functional living space.
Crown molding
The use of crown molding in structures dates back to the ancient Greeks. And although we no longer use heavy stone to achieve the look, crown molding has remained a choice among designers to accentuate elegant curves, and create a distinguished look. Nowadays, you can use wood or even foam to give your space a grandiose look.
Hopefully you can use this information to help you take a step outside the box when designing your new construction home because old world charm is all around you!
Our city is rich with history and there is no shortage of options, resources, and places to find just what your new home needs to feel old.
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