Finishing Touches On A New House

One of our members just moved into a lovely new-build home only 3 weeks ago, and she sent me some photos and questions. I was surprised how great it all looked after only living there for such a short time.

Here are the 5 main questions she had and my suggestions.

Question #1

The builder put the light switch right in the middle of the wall where you would normally hang a mirror or artwork.

Her question was: What should I hang above the table?

Personally I would have an electrician come back and move the light switch to the side. This is the ideal spot for a large black thin framed round mirror since the closet doors are on the opposite wall.

However, if she didn’t want to move the light switch, I gave her two options which she liked.

Either of these options would work above her lovely wood table. If she went with the mirrors, the switch could be somewhere amongst them. I also like concept of the shelves since it’s another place to add interesting pieces and the switch could be very accessible yet not the focal point.

I also feel that she could have an area rug with more colour in the foyer that ties in with the other colours through her house.

Question #2

She has ordered a built in cabinet for the right side of the back bar area that complements the cabinet on the left.

Her question was: should she put shelves or tile between the two cabinets?

Imagine that the brown coloured-in area is her new built ins. I apologize for my crooked lines 🙂 I suggest two thick floating shelves in either the same tone as the floor or the same as the cabinets. This is a great place to add some greenery, and other pops of colour and texture since there is a lot of hard surfaces in the room. Since there is no mantle on her fireplace next to this area, it won’t look cluttered. Personally I think adding tile would just be adding another hard surface and might be limiting in the future.

Question #3

You can see that at the end of this hallway on the right hand side is where the pool table room is.

Her question was: Should I put a chair on the right side of the fireplace to balance the chair on the left?

I love balance and symmetry, however if she put a chair on right side of the fireplace it would be looking directly into the back of the sectional. My first choice would be to move the pool cues to the other side of the pool room and place a large tree in a woven basket for more texture. Since this is the view as you walk into the house I think the greenery would be a nice focal point at the end of the hallway. I also added a cushion to the black chair.

Question #4

Her question was: should she wallpaper this long wall?

I think no matter what she does, it should stay in the same colour tones as the other walls since it’s the dividing wall between the living room and the pool room. If it was a bold colour it would cut the open concept in half and be too dominating. I do think some texture would be ideal for interest.

My first choice would be to add mouldings to the wall for texture and interest. The above left photo can be done in any design pattern she wants.

Because it’s such a long wall, I would avoid horizontal stripes. She also has to sure sure that vent, light switch and control panel can be incorporated into the design.

An important thing to remember whether she wallpapers, or adds a wood treatment, she should frame out the entire wall with trim and then add the treatment within the frame. This is very important so the corners of the wallpaper or wood trim don’t get damaged being outside corners. The wood frame should be painted the same colour as the walls so it disappears. It’s just for protection.

There is a variety of either paintable wallpapers, seagrass papers, and textured panels that can easily be applied. The key is to keep it all within the same tones as the wall colour.

I would love to create a huge gallery wall but since she has her gallery wall in the pool room (which looks great), it would be too much. This is also a high traffic area so you don’t want to have to worry about things getting knocked or bumped.

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She also wasn’t sure about keeping the teal ottoman and replacing it with either a wood or metal table.

Personally I think her teal ottoman is perfect for the space since it adds colour, function and softness. I think she doesn’t like it since stands out too much the way it is. However, once she adds some accent colours (pulled from her artwork), the room comes to life. Adding the pops of the burnt orange and a patterned cushions with the same teal and ivory helps break up the sofa. Adding a throw blanket or tray on the ottoman also breaks up the solid block of colour. I would like a little lamp on the side table but she needs to get an electrician for that wall. Maybe that is something to consider if she wants to do the front entrance as well. As soon as you add a few plants, the house feels like a home.

Adding a light cushion or blanket to the black chair would also brighten up the space. Sprinkling little bits of the orange around through flowers and fruits on the kitchen counter etc. would keep the space exciting. Again, pull colours from the artwork here, as well as the artwork in the pool room for a cohesive flow.

Question #5

This downstairs hallway leads into her laundry room /laundry room but you can see it from the above landing.

Her questions were: what should she put here and also should she put a hanging light fixture since the ceilings are so high?

Whenever you have a really long hallway, it’s nice to be able to divide it up a bit. I think she should continue the same colours as upstairs since it is an open concept.

Having a long patterned runner will help define the space of the hallway and the entrance into the garage. I’m not suggesting these exact pictures, but having a series of bold artwork will also help define the area and make it inviting. If the wall directly above it in the living room is neutral she can add the punch of colour here. Both the runner and the artwork is from Wayfair.

I think it’s a great idea to hang a light fixture by the garage door. It will definitely make a statement and shorten the hallway as well. I loved all her light fixtures upstairs so I have no doubt she will choose the right one for here. She could even duplicate on of them if she wanted.

Again, I’m very impressed with how amazing the house looks after only living in a few weeks. I hope these ideas help.

If these are the kinds of questions that you are looking for in your home, please reach out to me.

Love your home!