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However, adding features to your own property can be, in many ways, a better deal. This is because you can take your time when spending money and hopefully increase the value of your property along the way. We asked a leading estate agent in Notting Hill for their top tips when it comes to adding value to your home and here are their answers:
1. Extensions
There are many ways you can extend your home. For example, basement conversions, despite being the most expensive form of extension (and widely covered by the London press as they are proving popular in Prime London), can still add value to your home. However, you would need to do a proper cost/benefit analysis in order to get your money’s worth. It is also very important to examine the structure of your property, so you will need to hire specialists and while renovations are underway, you’ll need to move out for a few months and this can be enormously disruptive. Another, perhaps easier option is to add a loft extension – an easier way to get an extra bedroom and bathroom. It’s not particularly disruptive, as the work can be done on the exterior of the house. It’s also easier to add value to your home – you can often double the value of what you spend but make sure you do your figures.
As well as this, you could build a conservatory, but again, this needs planning to ensure it doesn’t simply look like something just placed on the back. Try to make sure the conservatory matches your property and isn’t a completely different style. Apparently a conservatory can add some seven percent to the value, while a full-blown extension adds 11 percent, according to figures.
2. Paint your home
This is very simple but effective. If you’re looking to sell your property, you need to attract people to the property from the get-go. Creating a minimalist effect is one way of making a property look spacious and clean. This can be done well by painting walls white. You could also clean and paint the front of the house and make sure the windows are clean so that the house stands out in your neighbourhood.
3. The kitchen and the bathroom
Yes, it really is true. Selling your home DOES often mean having a large, attractive kitchen and clean, glistening bathroom. Why not take a step back and think as to whether you would buy your own property based on these two rooms. Many families are attracted to properties that have large kitchens as if they have children they want space to cook for them. As well as this, kitchens have now become the showpiece of the home. People cook, work, watch television and entertain in kitchens. Make sure workplaces are clean and that there is easy access between the fridge, cooker and sink. It’s also a good idea to ensure the kitchen looks modern and updated with the latest mod cons. Impressions count!
The same goes for the bathroom. Keep things simple and minimalist – chrome towel rails, toilet roll holders and silver mirrors. Don’t try anything fancy with the bathroom if it’s small – if it’s larger you could afford to experiment a bit more, with claw-footed bath tubs, creative tiling and flamboyant mirrors.
4. Get planning permission
Even if you’re not looking to extend, you can simply make money by getting planning permission to do so. A survey costs about £1,500 or so, but your property will also be put into a higher league, as buyers will feel happier to put offers on your property if they know that the local authority has agreed to an extension.
5. Change the front door and windows
If a buyer comes to your home, what would be their first impression? Is your property smart? Does it have a nice door and windows, or does the exterior look attractive or cheap and nasty? Is it secure? These are all things to consider. Have a look at other doors in your neighbourhood to get an idea of what may suit your home. If your windows don’t match your house, try changing them to suit the age and style of the property, but don’t do anything just for the sake of it.
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The way you organize (or don’t organize) the items on your desk can say surprisingly many things about you. In the office you arrange your space in a certain way, which expresses your point of view, your goals and values.
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Any manager at a company, can understand a lot about his or her employees by the look of their desks and will be able to motivate them better. Here you can a find a list of the things you should pay attention to, in order to realize what kind of person you are.
Organized Desk
The organized desk shows that you are a reliable person with timely and adequate reactions. You do the given work tasks with precision and you complete them in time. You are able to skilfully plan your working process and deal well with time management and deadlines. If you have a desktop calendar and it shows the right date and month, then this means that you are a person who is conscientiously doing his job.
Messy Desk
On the other hand, having a messy desk is not a bad thing at all. Usually creative people work well in such setting. This is the reason why creative individuals are often prematurely judged to be unproductive and lazy.
When people enter a messy office, their most common thought is that the people working hardly make any decisions and agree on something. But this is a stereotype, which is not true at all.
Strange Items on the Desk
In case you have unusual objects on your desk, this will mean that you are a creative person and you are open to new experiences. You enjoy the unknown. You love life. You are awake.
By “strange items” I mean mostly small, original pieces of art, placed near the monitor, which main purpose is to inspire and motivate you.
Innovative companies, such as advertising agencies and technological firms, try to attract creative employees and they encourage them to show their character through the decoration of their personal office space. For example, the American company Etsy has a prize of 100 dollars for every employee, who decorates his or her workplace. Nowadays, in Etsy’s offices can be seen all kinds of strange items, which are not related to the business or to each other – robots, plush octopus, old typewriters and different artworks.
Hanged Posters
Hanged posters or postcards with inspiring slogans mean that you are neurotic. People who like this type of office decoration are usually a little bit more nervous than the others. If you are one of them, don’t worry. Neurotic people often make successful projects and are really good in their job. The phrases, you surround yourself with, show your values and the desire to be understood by your co-workers. Inspiring slogans are thought to be a psychological way of keeping everyone emotionally together.
Open Spaces
Open spaces show that you are an extroverted person. People, who enjoy working while their door is open, have really comfortable office chairs and a bowl of candies on their desks. They are really hospitable, social and communicative. They want to send a message to the others, that they are always easy to reach and talk to. This is the reason why in most cases they are surrounded by many people.
The cleanliness and tidiness of your desk and your whole office can really say a lot of things to the other employees, to outsiders and clients. Therefore, you should set a certain order in your items and schedule a regular office cleaning services.
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Red-themed Office Party
As you know the two basic colours, which represent Valentine’s day, are red and pink. But let’s admit it – if the decoration is all pink, your workplace will look like Barbie’s office, won’t it? And there are many people who are not big fans of pink, so better stick with red. It’s a more passionate colour and it will motivate your colleagues for the party.
You can hang heart garlands around the office to make it look more festive. Here you can find different ideas for Valentines decoration and maybe you’ll like some of them for your office.
Another great suggestion is to blow red balloons and you can even make a contest. Whoever blows the most balloons, receives a prize – 10 cupcakes for example. Everybody will be eager to compete for this sweet surprise.
Don’t forget to prepare food for the others as well, not just for the winner. Cookies, red cupcakes, conversation hearts, chocolates with strawberry filling, red velvet cake and whatever else comes into your mind. Red napkins and plastic plates will also contribute to the Valentine’s atmosphere.
“Remember the School Years” Party
Do you remember how you used to make valentine cards in elementary school? It was fun, wasn’t it? A lot of grown-ups forget what it felt like to be a kid, but some still keep the little child inside them. Bring these children out by organizing a crafts party – make valentines cards, garlands, collages, decorate cupcakes just like you used to do in school.
Anti-love Party
If you and your colleagues are not big fans of Valentine’s day, then you can completely ignore the already mentioned ideas and make a party, that you always wanted to do before, but couldn’t find a proper occasion for. Ask your colleagues what they want to do on the 14th of February and then see what’s the most common suggestion.
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Spring is the season of warm sun, cool breeze, radiant smiles and good mood. Welcome spring in your home by using these great 7 décor ideas.
Colourful Tree
Make yourself a colourful tree, so you can feel the spring spirit at home. Gather a bouquet of branches or look for one big branch with several smaller ones on it. Arrange them in a beautiful vase. Quick tip: if you want the vase to be more stable, you can put small decorative rocks on the bottom.
Afterwards, you can decorate the tree with colourful ribbons or origami paper flowers.
Spring Lamp
The making of a spring lamp is the perfect excuse for renovating the boring old lamp. Choose an appropriate sheet of paper and roll it into a cylinder. You can draw butterflies and flowers on the paper or you can use stickers with spring motives. Another great idea is to perforate the paper with a needle and create different objects with it. In this way when you turn on the light, the shapes will start dancing on the walls.
Spring Walls
It is never too late to decorate the walls in your living room with interesting paintings. Embrace the spring inspiration and arrange a mini exhibition. For this idea, you will need a set of 3 square frames, which you will later arrange horizontally above the sofa.
The pictures or paintings which will be framed are entirely your choice. Some people prefer watercolour paintings of spring flowers. Others would rather see captured memories with the loved ones. Third choose positive and inspiring thoughts of great people.
The other option for spring decoration of the walls is to paint them in lively bright colours. Or just add some accents by using butterfly and flower patterns or stickers. Just have in mind that if you live in a rented property, you should ask your landlord first if you are allowed to do such changes. Otherwise, you might be extra charged for this later on when your landlord hire an inventory services team to inspect the property.
For a Good Appetite
The spring spirit should be spotted on the table as well. Create your own cases for kitchen utensils. You will need 2 rectangular pieces of cloth (in pastel colours if possible), one longer than the other. Sew them together and leave the upper part open or half-sewed, so you will be able to place the utensils inside. To make the cases more interesting, embroider spring flowers on them.
For creating a spring themed table you can also use colourful napkins, dishes and cups. Make a selection of your favourite spring flowers and arrange them in a centrepiece for the table.
Green Accents
The colour green is the trademark of spring. It gives fresh and energizing look of every room, so bravely decorate with it. You can paint one of the walls in green or choose an element of the home décor in green, such as pillows, tablecloths, curtains, armchairs, etc.
Half Curtain
It may sound strange to you but curtains which cover only half of the window are the hit in home decoration for the year of 2013. Floral patterns and retro lace can turn any curtain into a vintage one, which will make your kitchen look cosier. You can even use it for covering a kitchen cabinet.
Spring Garden Décor
During spring the air is sweet with so many fragrant flowers, which you can successfully grow in your garden. When you arrange the flower pots, you can decorate your garden with ladybug pebbles. For the purpose, you will need several flat pebbles, black and red paint and a brush. Use them to draw the ladybugs and don’t forget to put eyes and a mouth as well. When they are finished, spread them around the flower pots or inside them.
Another great idea is to cut out paper butterflies. Ask your kids to colour them in bright colours and then glue the butterflies to sticks or straws and insert them in the flower pots.
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Below you can find 5 creative doorstops for your home:
The Wizard of Oz Red Ruby Slippers
Ice Cream Cone
Gold Bar
Golf Doorstop
Tentacle Doorstop
You can find more information about these creative doorstops and their price here.
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The style of the British icons Jeeves and Wooster was captured and used as inspiration for this funny looking lamps. Designer Jake Phipps created these unusual models, which can add a vintage and interesting look to any room. You can choose between a top hat (Wooster lamp) and a bowler hat (Jeeves lamp).
I love these stylish pendant lamps and will eagerly wait for the next design of Jake Phipps.
This cosy-looking armchair was created by the Polish designer Aga Brzostek and its best feature is the integrated blanket. Undoubtedly, this is the perfect solution for cold winter nights, because you can cuddle comfortably in the soft knitted blanket no matter what the weather outside is.
Comfort and warmth were the two factors, which inspired the Polish designer and this is how she came up with the idea for this creative piece of furniture. It will make your home look even cosier than before.
The two-in-one chair is ideal for reading, watching TV and napping. Just make sure to make a schedule for using it, because every family member will want to spend the cold nights cuddling in the fluffy blanket.
Haiko was inspired by the design trend, called Urban farming, which aims for implementing rural elements in the city. Cornelissen went even further than that and created a table, perfect for having picnic at home.
The picNYC Table is made of light weight aluminium and you can grow not only grass on it, but other plants as well.
I guarantee you that with this table, you will have friends over for dinner during the whole year.
Old items, which can still be found in your grandparents house, have become very modern again. They are the perfect match for a home, decorated in the warm industrial style. Typical for such a home are peeling or brick walls, which are covered with newspapers, magazines or book pages. Or they can simply be left unpainted.
When it comes to decorating warm industrial home, you can experiment by combining contemporary art with old vintage items. Below you can find a list of the most appropriate things for this purpose and you can gain inspiration about their location in the apartment from the gallery at the end.
Suitcase
The older, the better! It will be lovely, if there are still stamps or labels on it, which remind for former journeys. When the suitcase is retired and becomes a part of the home interior, you can use it as a table, a drawer, a bed for your pet, a shelf and more.
Bicycle
It looks undeniably artistic on the wall. The bicycle can be used as a stand for flower pots or the more creative people can find an extraordinary place for it – in the bathroom for example.
Typewriter or Sewing Machine
Even if you have never used the mentioned appliances in your life, you will still admit that they look incredible in the home interior. They create a unique vintage spirit and will charm anyone, who sees them. The presence of modern computers can’t stop you from enjoying the romantic-looking typewriter.
Telephone
If you can find a street telephone, it will look amazing installed on a wall. But even a typical dial phone can be a good choice for implementing the vintage spirit in your home.
Gramophone
Now this is an idea for true connoisseurs. The gramophone can serve not only as vintage decoration, but it can also be used for playing old records. It’s the perfect addition to a romantic dinner.
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Country Kitchen
Some may perceive this kitchen style as old-fashioned, but the truth is that it combines the best features of the country style and contemporary functionality. The modern appliances are comfortably set in the wooden cabinets, trying not to grab the attention, because the accent in the country kitchen are the details. You will find yourself surrounded by amazing colour schemes such as green and blue, green and white, blue and yellow or earth tones. The basic material is wood, which is often combined with stone as a decorative element.
The utensils can be placed on a wooden hanger, similar to that for clothes. In the country kitchen you can find a whole arsenal of fresh herbs, arranged near the window. Close to the oven there may be a cork board, covered with different recipes, cut out of magazines and newspapers.
Top 3 decorating elements for a country kitchen:
- fruit basket
- old clock
- framed catchy phrase
Kitchen for Romantics
The kitchen for romantics is extremely cosy and welcoming. It is painted in pastel colours – mostly pink hues, combined with white and floral motives. But if you are not a big fan of pink, you can choose light blue, yellow or pale violet hues.
In the romantics’ kitchen every item matches the others and has its own place. The pillows on the chairs match the colour of the tablecloth or the curtains. The cups and plates are arranged in a cupboard, forming a colourful palette of hues and shapes. There is a jug on the table, instead of a vase, filled with seasonal flowers. On the walls you can find a painting or a photograph with a vintage frame.
Top 3 decorating elements for a romantics’ kitchen:
- colourful cups and plates
- porcelain
- flowers
Chef’s Kitchen
In chef’s kitchen everything to the last detail is nifty. All items are in the right place and can be easily found even during the most intense cooking phase. In this kitchen there is no need to create a certain mood with colours, because the great atmosphere is a result of the delicious meals and the process of preparing them. Usually the keynotes are black or grey hues, softened with white accents. The dominating materials are ceramics, glass, steel and solid wood.
There are all kinds of modern appliances in this kitchen, which can be very useful and helpful for the chef. The kitchen counter is clean and empty, so the chef can have more space for creating delicious masterpieces.
Top 3 decorating elements for the chef’s kitchen:
- multifunctional kitchen robot
- bottles of good wine
- white dinner set
Modern Kitchen
The modern kitchen is sassy, with a slight touch of chaos. You will recognize this type of kitchen by the notable and unusual colours, such as red, purple, green. You can combine them with light walls and counter tops, so the bright colour will stand out even better. The table and chairs represent the latest interior design trends.
You can notice a flower in a pot or another decorative element in one of the corners, so the kitchen doesn’t look too sterile. Unlike the chef’s kitchen, here the kitchen counter isn’t empty. On the contrary, there you will find a set of herbs, utensils put in a cup, sticky notes with the grocery list, etc.
Top 3 decorating elements for the modern kitchen:
- contemporary coffee machine
- bar counter with at least 2 chair near it
- magnetic knife stand
It’s not necessary to choose only one kitchen style, you may combine features from the different types and design a kitchen, which matches your individuality. To get the best out of your kitchen, you should keep it organized and clean. Here you can find more than 20 great organizing ideas for the kitchen. And for more inspiration for your kitchen design, check out our Pinterest board “Amazing Kitchens”.
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