The house that my family and I currently live in was built in 19th century, which means it has a pretty oldy-worldy feel to it that we absolutely love. There are, however, certain aspects of the house that will definitely need modernising in the next few years, and I’ve been talking to a well known property refurbishment company about how that could be done without taking away the rural charm of the property. Here are a few ideas:
One of my favourite things about this house is the wood burner we’ve got in the main living area. We use it more than the central heating in the winter and I love the fact that burning wood is a lot more environmentally friendly than using the heating. The hearth is quite old and battered now, so replacing it with a more modern glass hearth would make the whole room look more sleek and finished.
Floors
The house has a mixture of flooring, including carpet, laminate and lino and I’d love to replace them whole ground floor with wood flooring and sectional rugs to give the feeling of flow and cohesion to the rooms. I also love the fact that a whole rooms decor can be updated just by adding a new rug in a bright colour!
Kitchen Doors
Our kitchen doors are okay, a fairly nondescript light wood effect laminated set, but I’d love to replace the doors with something like a matte-grey effect door, which would give the whole room an overhaul. Replacing just cupboard doors is a great way to give a kitchen a makeover without needing to spend too much money.
Ceilings
This is a bit of a weird one, but some of the ceilings in our house are plastered with Artex in a swirly pattern and to me, Artexed ceilings are the quickest way to make a house look dated. I’d love to have the ceilings skimmed with plaster and made totally flat to really modernise the look of the place.
Radiators
Okay, so I know we said that we don’t use the heating much, but the radiators are still pretty prominent features of each room and they’re quite an old-fashioned style (and I don’t mean in that cool, retro radiator way). Replacing old radiators with a newer style can really change the look of a room and can also help with energy efficiency in your home, too.
Addressing the HVAC system is vital when modernizing an older house, too. Upgrading to a more efficient system improves comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality, resulting in energy savings and lower utility bills.