But renovation can also be a very costly enterprise. The average cost of a full-home renovation project can run close to $200,000. Not everyone has that kind of cash to splash, particularly for a home you’re trying to sell.

The good news is that you can add serious value to your home without even picking up a hammer.

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If you want to boost your home’s value but don’t want to break the bank, there are some remarkably simple ways to get started.

1. Work on your kerb appeal

First impressions are incredibly important. A 2012 Texas Tech University study found that good kerb appeal could boost a home’s value by 17%.

Start by putting yourself in a potential buyer’s shoes. As you approach your home from the street, what are your impressions? Is the landscaping tidy and inviting, and does it showcase the front of your home or just serve to obscure it? Does the front of the home itself look appealing?

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Good kerb appeal can add measurable value to your home, while poor kerb appeal can scare potential buyers away before they even set foot inside. A fresh coat of paint, some new door hardware and a bit of landscaping won’t set you back much, but they’ll have a serious impact on your home’s saleability.

2. Tidy things up

No matter how nicely constructed your home may be, a dirty house will make a poor impression on potential buyers. Think back to your renting days and the dreaded end-of-lease inspections. That’s the standard of cleanliness you want to strive for.

Even the neatest amongst us can overlook a few nooks and crannies when we’re cleaning. If you’re hosting an open home, it’s worth paying the money to have your house cleaned professionally. You may not notice a few bits of grime, but a potential buyer might.

3. Get rid of the clutter

This may sound a little redundant after the previous tip, but de-cluttering is about more than general cleanliness. It’s about creating an open, flowing space for potential buyers.

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Have a look at the layout of your home and the way you have your furniture arranged. Is it hard to navigate through the rooms? Do they feel cramped and claustrophobic? You want buyers to be able to walk through your home with ease, and for the rooms to feel open and spacious. Getting rid of or rearranging some pieces of furniture can greatly improve the flow of your home, and a few well-placed mirrors can make rooms feel larger than they are.

4. Keep it light

Make sure your home looks bright and open. Open up the shades and shutters to let in as much natural light as you can. If you don’t get a lot of natural light, consider opting for some brighter bulbs in your fixtures to give the illusion of more natural light.

Keeping your home light goes beyond just your windows and fixtures, though. It also includes your design choices. The goal in showing your home is to create an environment that potential buyers can picture themselves in. Choosing more neutral colours will better allow buyers to imagine their own furniture and belongings in the home.

5. Make it cosy

Add the finishing touches with some accessories. These little details make your home warm and inviting. Small touches like coffee table books, artwork, flowers or candles can make your house feel like a home.

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This article is written by Adam Smith, Home Loans Editor at Finder.

The post 5 ways to add value without renovating appeared first on Designbx.

While we all recognise how important interior design is when communicating our sense of style and expressing our personality, the choice and placement of wall art is possibly the most personal statement we can make. Visitors are magnetically drawn to these windows to our past and interpretations of our world.

But wall art isn’t just a matter of placing an aesthetically appealing item on each surface. In 2016 we’re going far beyond the basics to create beautiful feature walls with starkly different elements. In this handy guide, Designbx experts show you the tricks of the trade and ensure your wall art enhances your interior design.

Complimenting your space

Art is subjective and personal, which means your choices are bound to make a statement, but make sure that statement doesn’t argue with your space’s style. You don’t have to be too strict, but when a canvas catches your eye, ensure you imagine the design of your room. An elaborate splash of colour could enhance your Boho living room but completely contradict the feel of your Industrial home office. Create a happy marriage between your wall art and style.

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Canvas

Think big with canvas! This is a great way to make broad, sweeping statements using colours and shapes that compliment your décor. Use large blocks of colour and abstract shapes to highlight your existing palette. Rather than a focal point that draws the eye with detail, this technique is more of an integral part of your interior design, like another layer of your expression. If you really want to take this approach to extremes, consider literally using materials from furnishings, covers, curtains or rugs and getting a professional to stretch the materials, ready to mount on your walls and create an undeniable wow factor.

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Prints

It may be a little beyond our budget to add an original Monet to our Modern Eclectic dining room or priceless watercolour to our Scandi sitting room, so prints are a popular and well accepted way to add a true artistic flavour to our spaces. In stark contrast to the bold use of canvas and materials, a deft touch and apt choice of print can create a more eye-catching statement while still seamlessly adding to your design choice. Even when the art is well known, and obviously not an original (most of us don’t have a spare $151 million for a Pollack or Picasso) our love of art still makes a huge statement about our personality.

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Mirrors

Mirrors are one of the big game changers in modern interior design, reaching far beyond their practical use to become art. Never underestimate the power of a mirror. It brightens a room by reflecting natural light and adds the illusion of extra dimensions, opening up the space. Often being more cost effective than artwork, you can go oversized without breaking the budget. Mirrors now come in varied shapes and coloured glass so they become interesting pieces of puzzles that join to make artworks of a new kind.

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Vintage posters

There was a time when most posters were originals, and nearly as hard to come by as original paintings. Thanks to the convenience of the interweb, you can reproduce some of the most exhilarating images designed throughout history, and in large formats that are bound to dazzle your visitors. Best of all, iconic posters express our personal loves, from film noir and classic concerts to exotic locations and retro advertisements.

Wood carvings and hanging textiles

It’s not always about colours and shapes. Texture is just as powerful as the more obvious visual elements, especially when you’ve chosen interior design styles that rely heavily on layering of textiles, providing a feel rather than a look. Wood carvings and hangings are great solutions for homes that want less colour and punch but are after warmth. Boho and Scandi lovers are often drawn to these options.

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Neon signs

This is definitely a growing trend in interior design, and can include the humble retro sign (unfortunately not so humble in price), or custom-made signs that fit perfectly with your style and colour scheme. Be on the lookout at garage sales or invest in a piece by a recognised artist in the neon sign world, like Tracey Emin. Remember to carefully consider the relationship between the neon sign (often a central feature) and surrounding artwork.

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Colouring in

Give your wonderfully subdued palette a voice and personality by matching the tone of your room with artworks that harness your well-applied mood. Using deep blues and velvet? Match that sultry and refined look by choosing similarly moody artworks that enhance the atmosphere.

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Eclectic

Some of the most effective wall treatments are elaborately constructed, using varied styles and sizes. Think of the New York style loft with one wall absolutely teeming with starkly differing images, from photos to original paintings, creating a vibrant atmosphere and somehow drawing cohesion from mayhem. It’s a lot of fun to create a busier feature wall, and an individual, couple or family’s entire life can be expressed by breaking all the rules and combining any type of mounted art. In most cases it can all work in unison; it’s a matter of finding the right layout and order.

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Whether you opt for a subtle approach or create walls that are just as creative as the works mounted on them, there have never been so many techniques and so few rules. As long as you compliment your interior design style, the many materials we’ve featured show how much variety now exists for homeowners who are looking to go one step further to express themselves and reveal their personal aesthetic.

Designbx  |  “The wall as a canvas- how to make your feature walls a work of art”  | designbx.com

The post How to make your feature walls a work of art appeared first on Designbx.

Once the domain of bars and saloons which played both types of music–country and western–neon lights have broken free from the shackles of cliches to invade our residential spaces.

Like a slogan for a room, they can be sweet, playful, provocative or reinforce a space’s identity. Whether used for a little humour or to bring your attention to the room’s interior design style, neon is becoming an increasingly popular device and certainly one of the emerging trends of the season.

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Now that homeowners are feeling free to play with neon, we’re seeing subtle nuances, especially the relationship with artwork, with the size of mounted art determining the impact of neon signs. Similarly, the style of typography is varying and becoming more sophisticated. A far cry from the old red neon ‘beer’ sign in the man cave, these signs can be brazen or add finesse, depending on fonts, hues and the relationship with features in the room.

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Today the options are endless with neon lighting, but before you get excited about creating a feature, remember that your choice ultimately dictates the price. You can order a bespoke sign online, salvage a vintage piece or invest in a Tracey Emin (she made neon lights chic).

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Our tips are to use neon in an unexpected places like the bathroom or above a doorway, and be creative with placement, running the lettering vertically instead or horizontally. For maximum effect, give your neon artwork space, or if you’re aiming for a more subtle and cohesive result, build into a collage artwork.

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Always consider painting wiring so your cord blends with the wall, and while on the subject of colour, remember that if you want your sign to make an impact, choose a hue that pops. Another great effect can be created by layering neon signs on wallpaper.

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Neon lighting is yet another example of interior design is evolving and breaking rules. What was once a corny device is now being utilised effectively to further express the personality of homeowners, not only bold and brazenly but also with subtlety and even elegance.

Designbx   |   “A glowing future- using neon lights to add personality to interior designs”  |  www.designbx.com

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