Part II in our series – Avoiding Common Regrets When Building Your New Home
When you begin looking over the plans to build your brand new home, you will experience a lot of emotions, and excitement is probably one of the big ones. You (and your significant other in many cases) get to help create a home to match your wants and needs, how could you not be!?!
If you are like most, you will probably begin to feel a little overwhelmed as well. With all the decisions you get to make, your builder will be looking for direction on this room and that. Which upgrades do you want? Where should you place your vents? What kind of lighting do you want in your master bedroom?
Understanding what is available to you before you have to make these decisions will help you when it comes time to make decide. Not only will this help you avoid that overwhelmed feeling, but it will decrease the stress and make the whole experience more enjoyable. With that said, let’s get into what you are all here for.
The master bedroom is yours! It’s your space to retreat, sleep, relax and feel at home. Taking the time to make it a place you will enjoy and find comfort in will go a long way in helping you love your home. So, what should you consider when putting your master suite together? How about we start with the following six areas:
- Focal Point
- Comfort
- Lighting
- Color
- Ceiling
- Storage
Focal Point
Deciding where (and what) your focal point will be before hand, will help you create a master bedroom you will be able to enjoy for years to come. You may have a number of options to choose from, fireplace, large window, doors leading outside, but no matter what the options may be you’ll want to begin by looking at the layout of the room.
Where will you place your bed, dressers and any additional furniture you may be planning to add? Having this in mind will help you visualize what you ultimately want out of your master suite. Once you have an idea of what will be going into the room, you will be able to determine where you focal point will be.
Depending on the builder and house plan, you may have a few add-on options to choose from, the fireplace, double doors leading to your deck or maybe even a large bay window. Any of these options would make for a beautiful focal point. If these aren’t available to you, you may want to consider the placement of your bed and/or the inclusion of the large painting.
Comfort
As you settle in and begin to discuss the layout of your new bedroom, I recommend keeping comfort in mind. As I stated earlier, this is your room! Make it a sanctuary to yourself (and significant other.) Make it a place where you will be able to getaway, when you can’t getaway.
This could include simple things like the placement of your bed to enjoy the beautiful view outside to which upgrades will help you feel more at home. Imagine how the setup will help calm you, and provide a relaxing space to get the rest you need.
If you do have a significant other, make sure that both of your voices are being heard. This should be a room you can enjoy together.
Lighting
Not only can you look at how the lighting will brighten your sanctuary, but you can add a touch of you with the style in the fixtures. You may want to take a look at a site like Houzz.com for ideas.
You’ve probably already been thinking about this, you may have thought about wall sconces, chandelier or how the natural light will come into play. If so you are on the right track!
As you explore windows and the benefits of natural light, Transom windows are usually smaller and placed high in a wall allowing daylight and at the same time, privacy. When set atop other windows, they extend views and sight-lines. Where appropriate, you may also want to include a blackout liner for when you need to rest during daylight hours. Additionally, I would recommend adding a dimmer, so you can adjust the brightness during the evening and late night hours.
Colors
Similar to the lighting, you may already have a few ideas in your head. If you already have bedding, furniture or even art picked out, I recommend taking the time to understand how it will look with the color schemes you have in mind.
If you are struggling to choose the colors, check out these tips from the Decorating Files. Remember the colors we choose will affect our modes.
Ceilings
Will the master bedroom be on the 1st floor? Will the ceilings be angled because of the roof? How will the ceiling compliment the walls? As you can see this is only skimming the surface of choices you will have when deciding how to ensure the ceiling will compliment the goals you have for this important room.
Far too often I see new home builders skimp over the ceiling, and miss out on a tremendous opportunity to add some character to a room where they will be spending so much time on their backs. Spend a little extra time to add a little bit of yourself to the ceiling. Check out these fun ideas from HGTV to get started to get your creative juices flowing.
Storage
Maybe you have planned for a large closet or have a few dressers you’ll be counting on and feel you’ll have plenty of storage. If so you could be missing out on a great opportunity to get creative and ad some additional storage you may want or need in the future.
You may want to consider adding some shelving, built in doors or maybe even an alcove for a little more creative storage space. Don’t limit yourself just the traditional, get creative and check these storage ideas from DigsDigs for more ways to add to your storage needs.
Whatever your needs (or wants) are, we can all get a little creative and make our master bedroom a place we can truly enjoy with a little bit of planning and preparation.
What ideas and tips do you have? I would love to hear about how you’ve made your master bedroom a room that reflects who you are and what you need.
In case you missed our first post about what to consider when designing your kitchen you won’t want to miss it. Read it here.
