When you first purchased your home, it was incredibly charming. You loved the bright pink tub and tile in your bathroom, the clean, white appliances in the kitchen, and the plush, shag carpets in the living room and bedrooms. Now, these details that you once loved are driving you to want to flatten the whole house and build it up again from scratch or to just ditch it completely and start over somewhere new. Better yet make some smart choices by renovating your home.
Before you start scrolling through real estate listings or looking at wrecking ball rentals, you might want to consider refinancing your home instead and cashing out to use the money for renovations. Not only does this allow you the chance to bring your home into the 21st century and turn it into something you love, but renovating your home can help to improve its value, so you’ll get more money if you do decide to sell after all.
The Kitchen
The heart of any home is the kitchen. For most homebuyers, this is the most important factor that they consider when looking at listings, which is why it’s so crucial to prioritize it in a home renovation. Arguably, the most important thing to do when remodeling your kitchen is to update the appliances. Opt for stainless steel appliances when replacing the old ones. Not only do they give a sleek, modern look, but they allow you more freedom when decorating the rest of the kitchen because they go with almost anything.
A lot of older homes have formica or laminate countertops since they’re such affordable options, but the quality of these materials can decrease over time since they’re more likely to suffer damage from heat or wearing than natural stone countertops. To increase the design and value of your home, you should replace your old countertops with solid granite or quartz. Both options are incredibly durable and will last for decades in your kitchen.
If you’re looking for cheaper ways to update your kitchen, then consider refreshing the color palette. Roll a nice, light neutral color onto your walls–white and off-white will give you the most flexibility. Consider adding a patterned tile backsplash over your countertops to provide a pop of color and texture in your space. If your kitchen cabinets feel drab and boring, then consider painting them as well.
The safest option is to stick with another soft neutral color like white, beige, or light grey, but using a bold, deep color like black, navy, or dark grey can make your kitchen feel more modern and dramatic. In addition to painting your cabinets, you should also replace the hardware, opting for something more sleek and modern than what you had before.
The Bathroom
Like the kitchen, the bathrooms are another part of the house that can either entice or deter buyers, since there is little than can be done besides a renovation to truly revamp the space. When renovating your bathroom, the top thing you should prioritize is the shower. Having tile that’s too dark can make the shower feel small and suffocating while having pale pastel tiles can make the shower feel like it was designed for children. The best way to create the perfect shower is to stick with sleek, white tiles.
If you want to keep the shower from feeling too basic, then opt for uniquely shaped or textured tiles instead of the classic, square, or rectangular subway tiles that you might find in most showers. You can also choose to use tile for the floors of your shower instead of the classic standing tub or shower pan. Whatever you use should be different from the tile you use for the bathroom floors. Contrast can help to improve the overall design of your bathroom.
Once you’ve taken care of the shower, it’s time to move on to updating the area around the bathroom sink. Space and storage are key in creating a bathroom that is both functional and stylish. Like your kitchen, replacing your laminate counters with natural quartz, granite, or marble can help to elevate your design. You should also pick bold accents to finish off the design of your bathroom, like a sleek faucet or a uniquely shaped mirror to go above the sink.
Instead of sticking with the standard, rectangular mirror, look for one with rounded edges, like a more circular or ovular shape. Another option is to select a mirror with a bold frame–maybe something surrounded by a gilded, gold material. You should also get creative with your lighting fixtures and take the opportunity to ditch the mundane for more artistic options.
