How we’ve added character to our new build home
There’s a strange misconception that in order to have a home full of character, you need to buy a really old house. However, my opinion is that, whilst old homes are truly lovely and full of so many lovely characteristics – new build houses are so much better for many reasons.
I could talk about this all day, but older homes require much more renovating and a lot more money spending on them. They don’t hold heat very well and therefore cost a lot to keep warm all throughout the colder months, and generally many things can go wrong with them. I would love to renovate an older property one day, but I won’t be doing it until I have a lot more money and my children are much older.
I imagine that if you’re reading this, you also have a new build house that you’re in the process of turning into a home – and this post is all about what we’ve done to ours. I really love period features but I also like having a modern and colourful home, so I would say that our home interior style is modern traditional. There are no rules when it comes to decorating your new build, so if you want to add some period features or things that are typically found in older homes, just go for it!
Many people online can’t believe it when I mention that I live in a new build, because they’ve only seen the inside, but it just shows that a home is whatever you want it to be. Here is some inspiration if you’re looking for ideas on how to add character to your new build…
Feature Wall & Fireplace
The biggest renovation we’ve done so far was building a stud wall and false chimney breast in our living area. Jake and I both dreamed of a cosy fireplace to sit in front of, so I designed it and Jake built it and brought it to life. It’s been in for over two years and we still admire it daily, teamwork makes the dream work!
Any kind of feature wall is going to add character to a new build, and this one would still look just as lovely if the log burner was electric or even a bio ethanol one. However if finances and space allows, I would really recommend getting a real one installed, as it’s the best thing that we did. Because we have such good insulation in the walls, it heats the whole house and saves us a fortune on heating bills all throughout the winter.
The other element that we really wanted to stand out were the alcove shelving units. When designing these, we made sure they were going to have lots of lovely details in the trim. Rather than opting for a plain square design, I designed these beautiful traditionally styled arches that Jake then built by hand with the help of my woodworker dad – they turned out better than I could have ever imagined and I adore them so much.
Open Shelving
Open shelving is one of my favourite things and I will never own a home that doesn’t have any on the walls. I had quite a lot of open shelving in my previous home too, but with our current new build being open plan, there isn’t as much wall space. When I first moved in, this corner of the kitchen was desperate for a makeover and putting up some shelving was by far the right decision.
It’s crazy how many comments I get on TikTok & Instagram about how nice my kitchen is, and it really isn’t – it’s a nine year old, boring new build kitchen, and in desperate need of ripping out. However, because I’ve added lots of colourful decorations and details, I don’t think anyone notices. I do really love what I call my ‘coffee corner’ with my coffee machine and shelving, and even when we eventually get around to the kitchen renovation, it’s definitely going to be staying.
Gallery Walls
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll already know how much I love a gallery wall. Nothing adds character to a home quite like a wall full of artwork, and the above is my most recently added gallery wall. I really wanted to add some colour to this area and I truly love how it turned out. We have some gorgeously cosy warm white walls, but I wanted to put up some art that would add a pop of colour to this corner – and this gallery wall has really done that. With the addition of lots of pretty candles and a cute lamp, it’s easily turned this boring corner into something lovely to look at.
Tongue & Groove Panelling & Window Framing
We recently gave our little boys room a makeover and added tongue & groove panelling which is such a lovely type of panelling to add to a space. It has a very traditional look to it and I went for a modern traditional style in here with adding lots of colour and modern prints. I’m still debating whether to wallpaper the walls as I don’t love the white space in here, but it is a gorgeous room.
Another way we love adding character to the rooms in our home is with framing the windows. We use architrave that we just pick up from places like B&Q, and it simply goes up with a bit of glue and the nail gun. It’s a really easy way to achieve a more traditional look around the windows and it finished off the panelling in here beautifully!
Coving & Skirting boards
Almost every space we’ve renovated has involved adding coving, it’s a detail that I would never skip out on now as it adds such an upgrade to a room. We also swap out the plain skirting boards and change them for something with a more decorative profile where we can. We didn’t bother doing this in the boys room as we just painted it blue and because it had the tongue & groove panelling around the bottom section of the wall, it didn’t really matter. However, we’ve done it everywhere else that we’ve renovated so far, and it really does make a huge difference.
Colour Drenching
The latest room renovation we’ve taken on was our bedroom, I’d call this the master bedroom but it isn’t – we gave that one to the boys so they had more space. However, I love our room because it’s south facing with a floor to ceiling window and it gets the most gorgeous sunlight blaring in. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to colour drench it, I knew this room could handle a deep colour with how much light it gets and it was 100% the right decision. I’ve had so many people tell me this was a really bold decision, and believe me, I know – however it’s my favourite room in the house! I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
We did everything in this room from colour drenching it, to adding detailed coving and skirting boards, adding some traditional panelling and framing the window. We also swapped out the radiator to gain more space and opted for a narrow traditional column radiator. This is by far the room that has the most character in our home and I’m obsessed with it.
Do you own a new build home? How have you added character to yours?
