Before embarking on our building selections, we needed to decide on our style for our overall house. We did this to help narrow down the options and guide the decision-making process.
For inspiration we scoured through house magazines, Google Images, Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz. We saved pictures and categorised them by room. We would save an image if there were elements in it that we loved — whether it be the layout, style, colours, flooring, cabinetry, layout or furniture. We would also write comments under the images, stating what we liked and why.
We worked this way because:
- we couldn’t afford an architect or interior designer to bring our vision to life
- we knew that we were working with an off the plan home and would be somewhat limited to slightly more conventional styling
- we still wanted something that looked pleasant, despite the points above.
Even if you can afford to engage an architect and/or interior designer, I would still highly recommend collating images as you may find inspiration for both functional features and style. Plus, as the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Many people are visual and having examples to communicate your ideas to your builder, architect or interior designed is ideal.
Another benefit to our styling approach was maintaining consistency throughout our house, as opposed to a more eclectic approach. This consistency allowed us to simplify our search process to a few key elements, namely colour and materials. This meant that we could eliminate items/options that were clearly off theme. It also allowed us to have much finer deliberations over conforming options.
We chose a palette of colours and materials that were versatile and could complement a variety of furnishings, finishing’s, and artwork. Additionally, we desired a warm, natural look that could stand the test of time.
As we looked to our house layout for design, we wanted the ground floor to be open, airy, and light. This was to promote entertainment and cater for the practicalities of high foot traffic. However, on the first floor we wanted the area to feel warm, cosy and inviting as this was where the bedrooms were.
To choose our colour palette, we looked at materials and colours interchangeably and practically. The categories we looked at can be simplified to:
- Flooring
- Paint Colour (Ceiling, Walls, Doors, Architraves)
- Cabinetry
- Countertops and Surfaces
- Window Frames and Coverings
- Stairs/External Doors
- Tapware
Our colour/materials palette could be simplified into Black, White and Wood.
- Black – Window Frames, Some Cabinetry Doors and Highlights, Wet area feature tiles, Mirror Splashback, Gym Carpet, Stair Lights
- White – Ceilings, Walls, Internal Doors, Architraves, Some Cabinetry Doors, Downstairs Tiles, Wet area countertops, Plantation shutters, white downlights
- Wood – Some Cabinetry Doors and Surfaces, Stairs, Front Door, Upstairs Bamboo Floor
- Other – Grey double roller blinds, charcoal curtain, grey floor and wall tiles in bathrooms, standard chrome tapware.
Creating our house style guide helped make the selection process much smoother.
