It's been fun to see the new houses go up in our neighborhood since we moved in -- this is pretty much a dream come true for me. I love visiting home tours and model homes so being able to peek inside the new homes has been so fun!
As I look at them I realize that there are certain things I've done that set our house apart from the others (on the inside) and most of these projects don't cost much at all. You can definitely have a unique home whether you live in a custom or a "builder" home (I hate that term but not sure what else to call it) -- it's just about adding personal touches.
These are a few of the things I've done in both houses that really set ours apart from the rest. I still laugh because everyone said I wouldn't have much to do in a brand new house, but this stuff is what I LOVE working on...adding character and personality to our new home.
A dramatic accent color goes a long way! It doesn't have to be in every room...pick one that will make the biggest impact, like I did in our family room:
You can find all the details about that paint job here. This room was beautiful before we ever put a thing in here, but the paint just made it feel more like "us." Of course the DIY built ins helped too, and I'll talk more about that in a minute!
In our old house I painted most of the doors black (I never got to the upstairs) and it was a little something that made the house feel different than everyone else's:
Check out this painting doors tutorial before you attempt it (or the paint may peel right off!). I didn't have our builder paint the doors in this house to save money, and I just wasn't sure I'd want them dark in this house. After living here for this long I'm starting to miss the black so I'm starting with one to see how I like it. :) I just love our five panel design and I know it will be so sharp!
You can see the back of our front door paint black below, but also the simple bookshelf I built off of what was originally a half wall in our entry:
Built ins? Total game changers! They immediately make a house feel unique. And I believe this one was less than $100 in wood. You can always buy bookcases (IKEA is great for this) and add some details that make them look built in as well. (My friend Beth shows you how to do it here and Chris did it as well here!)
We all know how much I love wood on walls! I recreated a wood wall project from our old house onto our basement stairway. Just like the original, this is a project we get tons of compliments on:
It's just strips of wood I had cut down at Lowe's and then stained. Easy to do and BIG impact. And how many people have big stained walls? Not many. ;) I love doing something like this on staircases because they are a perfect size and location for something dramatic.
I did this little detail on the foyer wall for $15 in wood and it's another one that you notice but doesn't scream at you:
Some of my favorite projects ever are like this -- when someone walks in and notices something is different but can't put their finger on it. It's a subtle change that still makes an impression.
Of course adding cool light fixtures can set a home apart too. It doesn't always take much though -- I like hanging an light in an unexpected spot:
You can see how to easily convert a recessed light into a hanging one here. I have at least one more spot I plan to do this -- I love drum shades but I love when I've seen baskets transformed into a light too!
If you can't tell, I love wood tones in all of our rooms. I'd have something stained in each room if I could (and am always working on that). Instead of a stone counter on our kitchen island, I went with wood:
I love clean and bright kitchens, but I always crave that warmth that wood brings. This one was the same if not less than what our stone counter would've cost. I've found IKEA is the best option for butcher block (in smaller pieces). You can also see more about the long piece I used on our last extended island here.
Add to that the wood shelves I installed instead of an upper cabinet and you have more detail and character that wouldn't be there otherwise.
Of course if you're building you can have the builder do some of these projects! But I've found pretty much every time it's way less to tackle them on your own.
I think each of these is a way to set your home apart from the rest, no matter the size or cost of your house!
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