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Advice for visualising how your new house could look

Nov 21, 2017
Advice for visualising how your new house could look
It’s not always easy imagining yourself in a new house, especially after just a few viewings and without all your belongings in place.

Key Takeaways

  • View in Person: To get the best idea of how your new home will look, try to view it in person. Visit show homes, view similar houses by the same developer, and explore high street retailers for inspiration.
  • Imagine Different Scenarios: Visualize yourself in the house during different seasons, times of day, and occasions. Consider waking up, having breakfast, arriving home after work, celebrating holidays, and enjoying summer barbecues.
  • Scour Interiors Blogs and Design Websites: Explore interiors blogs like Ideal Home, A Beautiful Mess, and Apartment Therapy. Pinterest is also a great source for design ideas. Create a “new house” board and pin your favorite decor details.
  • Plan Your Space: Look at floorplans to understand room dimensions and measurements. Consider where you’ll place furniture items like sofas, mirrors, and rugs. The augmented reality Ikea app can help you visualize specific furniture pieces in your rooms before purchasing.
That’s why we’ve put together these practical tips, so it’s much easier to visualise how your new house could look once you’ve moved in.


Imagine the house during different seasons, times of day and occasions

Visualisation is much easier if you play a particular scenario in your mind, so think about being in your house at different times of day and at different times of the year. Can you imagine waking up, taking a shower and going downstairs in your new house for breakfast? Can you imagine arriving home to your living room after a long day at work? What about the Christmas holidays, seeing in the New Year, or enjoying summer barbecues? The more you can set the scene, the easier it is to visualise your life in your new home.  


Scour interiors blogs and design websites

There are lots of interiors blogs where you can find some brilliant decor ideas, including the likes of Ideal Home, A Beautiful Mess and Apartment Therapy, so it’s worth doing your research and finding plenty of inspiration online. Pinterest is arguably one of the biggest sources of design ideas out there, so make yourself a ‘new house’ board, pin your favourite decor details, and start visualising how each room will eventually look.  


Visit brand new houses and showhomes

When you’re viewing a house, it can be difficult to imagine it being truly yours when another family is still living there. If you opt for a new build home, it’s often much easier to visualise your possessions in an empty house, without the distraction of other people’s taste in decor, family photos and furniture. Alternatively, if you want a few visual prompts, a pristine showhome will give you an idea of how your house could look once your belongings are all in place.  When you are buying a home off-plan you are able to personalise the property before it’s built to ensure it’s furnished in your image. While you’ll have to be patient as you wait for it to be finished, you can spend this time choosing finishes such as flooring, bathroom tiles and kitchen worktops. Furthermore, with Barratt, you can watch fly-throughs of new builds, as well as reading the usual brochures with imagery and other important information. Additional reading:  Dare to personalise your layout when you buy off plan with Barratt Homes  


Start planning your space

Where will you be putting your sofa? Which room will the big mirror go in, and where will you put the high pile rug? If you start planning the details of your new home, you’ll suddenly find it much easier to visualise. Look at floorplans to see room dimensions and measurements, while you could even visit your empty new build home armed with the augmented reality Ikea app which lets you place specific items of furniture in the room before you buy. Dulux has its own online tool where you can overlay paint schemes onto photos of rooms to give you an idea of what they’d look like If they had a lick of paint. Or, if you want to keep it simple, just arm yourself with a pencil and paper, and sketch out a few ideas to get you excited for the big move.  To get the best idea of how your new home will look you should try and view as much as you can in person rather than simply looking online. From show homes and viewing similar houses by the same developer, to visiting high street retailers, it’s all worthwhile. High street kitchen and furniture stores will have physical “sets” where you can get a feel before you try, whether you’re looking at new curtains, kitchen appliances or beds.  

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