How To Increase Your Home Value

Increasing the value of homes through interior design is something that we do each and every day! You might think that in order to do this you need to spend heaps of money on costly upgrades, unnecessary repairs and large additions — but we're here to tell you that's just not the case! Here at Joshua Allen Design we pride ourselves on offering specific recommendations that will increase the value of each home with minimal spending, and we know there are so many unique ways to add value to a home. Each home is different, but we have gathered up some of our favorite affordable tips and tricks to help you update your spaces on the cheap! Making these updates will not only keep your home looking and feeling fresh and new, but will ultimately add value to your property!

Start With The Kitchen! The kitchen is the heart of the home, this much we know for sure. There are endless ways to add value to your kitchen, but one of our favorite ways is to re-paint or refinish your existing kitchen cabinets. If you've got those wood tone cabinets that were popular in previous decades, adding a fresh coat of white or gray will automatically modernize your kitchen. But don't stop with the neutrals. If color is your thing we also love a pop of color for cabinets — forest green or even navy blue are both excellent choices! This tip is also budget friendly, since all it requires is a few cans of paint, some sandpaper and a little patience! Another interesting way to bring freshness into your kitchen is to add cabinets above your current cabinets, but unfortunately this won't work in every kitchen. Stacking cabinets would work beautifully in a kitchen with high ceilings. If this doesn’t work for your kitchen space then a great alternative is to add shelving above the cabinets that climb all the way to the ceiling. This will give the appearance of a higher ceiling (which we all know can add huge value to a space) and will offer more space to organize kitchen supplies and decor. Lastly, we recommend you update your hardware, faucet, and pendant lights. Removing outdated brass hardware like cabinet and drawer pulls and replacing it with matte black, brushed nickel, or even stylish gold, can work magic at adding perceived value to your kitchen.

Bonus Tip: Add in some under-cabinet lighting. This will make your countertop area stand out, add a touch of thoughtfulness to your home, and it's also super easy to install yourself!

The Bathroom Is Where It's At! When it comes to adding value, updating the bathrooms in your home is important. Bathrooms need to be clean, pristine, and ultra functional. To keep yours modern and feeling fresh you will want to focus on flooring, light fixtures, showers, hardware, and the vanity. Simply updating your hardware and light fixtures, just like in the kitchen area, will make your bathroom feel brand new. Something that we really believe in is keeping a tub, no matter what other upgrades you choose. We know this could sound strange to some people, but when selling a home it’s important to almost 100% of buyers to have at least one tub. For a family with young kids a tub is a necessity, and for other buyers it's simply a luxury. In the shower you want to make sure the tile is always up to date and clean! If your shower has a curtain, consider changing it to a glass door. This again, gives off a more sleek and clean look. If that's out of the question, opt for a clean white or light colored curtain to keep things feeling fresh! As we all know, trends in interior design are always changing. Changing out your bathroom mirrors is a super easy way to stay on trend. A beautiful mirror can be the focal point of your entire bathroom, and it's an easy fix that adds value! Lastly we recommend always sticking with a neutral paint color, a warm taupe, gray blue, or crisp white will make the space feel calm and serene.

Keep It Cohesive. A major step to pull everything together is to find a color palette that you absolutely love and paint 85% of your home in one neutral color from the palette. If you still want to experiment with different colors, you can choose accent colors for each of the rooms — just be sure they're from the same palette or they at least match it. This will allow you to have fun with other colors while still having a nice, cohesive flow throughout your entire home.

Consistency Is Key. Replacing all your light fixtures around your home with ones of a similar finish (outlet covers too!) keeps things matching throughout, which adds a huge amount of perceived value. When fixtures, outlet covers and hardware are mismatched, it can make a home feel less than well maintained. While we're on the subject of home maintenance, a really easy but somewhat pricey way to add lots of value to your home is through appliance upgrades. You don't have to go all in though! If upgrading your entire laundry room or kitchen at once is too daunting, strategically pick and choose which appliances make the most sense to upgrade, and allocate funds to upgrades like this in bits and pieces. Just be sure to keep the colors consistent throughout! If you love the look of stainless steel appliances but currently all of yours are white, make upgrades with the goal to eventually have them all match.

Furniture, Furniture, Furniture! Furniture style, color and arrangement makes such a big impact on your home's perceived value. Keeping broken or seriously outdated furniture detracts from the value of your spaces. "Modern" may not be your exact style, but bringing home some modernized pieces of furniture can make your space feel brand new. With that said, don’t get rid of everything old! The right antique pieces can add some serious charm to your home's aesthetic. If your antique pieces are falling apart there are always ways to refurbish them to make them look just like new. Our style at Joshua Allen Design (read more on that here) is finding the perfect balance between antique and modern, to really give each designed space a unique antique modern charm that we love!

Exterior Upgrades Count! Of course everyone wants the outside of their house to look perfect, because that is the first thing everyone is going to see. So, how can you increase exterior curb appeal? A great way to improve your home's outdoor appearance is by repainting your shutters a color that compliments your house, maybe a deeper pop of color such as black or navy blue. Don’t underestimate the power of landscaping either! You want to make sure that your yard and walkway look phenomenal. Adding mulch, stones, shrubs and plants to your landscaping will transform the whole exterior of your home. The last few things to spruce up your exterior may seem like minor updates but are so effective. Updating your outdoor light fixtures to some that are more modern and trendy can make a huge difference. Lastly, something that people tend to forget about are exterior house numbers. Switching out your old exterior numbers with new decorative ones will add the finishing touch to the exterior of your home.

Whether you’re looking to update your forever home, or looking to update with the intention to sell, these tips and tricks can really transform your space into something so different and beautiful, adding true value along the way. Oftentimes homeowners can put off making updates because they're afraid of the cost, but updating your home doesn’t mean you need to break the bank. Making these changes over time can be affordable, and it's guaranteed to add value to your home. And remember, if you're ever looking for help (no matter how big or small your project and budget) our expert team of designers here at Joshua Allen Design would love to meet for a consult!

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