There is no doubt you have spent more time than usual in your home through 2020. The question is, does your space still work for you and your family? We’re seeing more and more clients looking to renovate their homes to better suit their needs, which have naturally evolved through 2020. Moving into the winter months, one question we are often asked is how to make a home feel more inviting. So in today’s blog, we’re breaking down some renovations you can implement in your home to create a more inviting space.
Assess Your Current Needs
First things first – get curious and assess your current needs. Ask yourself and any other members of your household some simple questions that can help you to see where there are barriers and which areas of your home might need to be tweaked.
- Do you love walking into your house every day?
- Does your space help you feel instantly at ease? If not, why not?
- Does the house function well for your family’s unique needs? If not, why not?
- Do you have more than one option in your home to gather together comfortably?
If you answered “no” to any of the above questions and noticed any specific barriers, make a note of them to bring to your contractor.
Consider Wall Placement
One of the most obvious ways to change how a space feels is wall placement. So how can wall placement make a space feel more inviting?
Free-flowing, open spaces allow for people to congregate and be a part of a collective atmosphere, and this openness doesn’t just apply to people. It also creates a continuum of light throughout the home, making the spaces brighter and more holistically inviting to residents and guests. However, older houses typically section off each room, clearly dividing the spaces and their uses. So one option is to remove any non-necessary walls in your space. Even just taking down one between the kitchen and the dining room to combine the two spaces can make a huge difference. In a time when we haven’t been able to congregate like we used to, this will be a perfect fix for family flow and any future gatherings.
In contrast to that, it might be that you are craving a smaller space for your office now that you’re working from home. So another option is to close off a space to make it more functional, creating a more cozy and inviting aesthetic for you to work from every day. It’s all subjective.
Finish the basement
Do you have an unfinished basement? Sure, it is a great place to store seasonal boxes of decor and that old baseball card collection. But what if you could transform it into an area you actually want to hang out in? The options for finishing a basement are endless. Here are just a few…
- Add a family rec room that is open for a variety of activities
- Transform the space into a high-end home theater
- Throw some bottles in the air and pour them into cocktail glasses at your wet bar
Finishing your basement is one of the most impactful ways to cultivate a more inviting space, and as a blank space, it can be specifically catered to you. Not only will it add resale value to your home, it gives you more opportunities to make memories with your family and friends.
Add a Kitchen Island
The kitchen is oftentimes the most used space in any home. A perfect way to make it more inviting is to create an area where people can stay a while or join you in preparing food. If you have space, consider adding an island to your kitchen that has an oversized ledge so people can pull up bar stools and gather around. An island welcomes interaction while also being a practical addition to your kitchen flow.
Lifestyle Additions – Attic Conversions or Garage Transformations
When it comes to making your home feel more inviting, it’s important to consider what that means to you. For some, it could mean a cozy space to curl up with a blanket and a good book. For others, it might be a wet bar and media room to entertain from throughout the football season. There are many ways to bring each vision to life. For example, if you have an unused space in your house, like an attic, you could insulate it and convert the space into a reading nook. Or you could convert your unused garage space into a theatre room with an additional bathroom that leads out into an outdoor entertaining space during the warmer months. Your contractor can help you assess what is possible within your building regulations using the space you have.
Outdoor Renovations
Sometimes, indoor renovations aren’t possible because of limits to square footage or zoning restrictions. However, it is possible to create an inviting space outside.
For example, you could add a porch onto the front of your home with seating and a swing that welcomes you as soon as you arrive. Other options are pouring concrete to create a patio space on the back of your home, or building a deck off the back door perfect for grilling with friends. The possibilities are endless, but the exterior of your home is often an area that’s overlooked when considering renovations.
Whatever your motivation, it’s possible to cultivate a more inviting space in almost every area of your home. If you’re not sure where to start, contact our team for your free consultation!