A little over 4 years since we moved into our new build, 2 bed apartment. And whilst pinterest makes white on white interiors dreamy as hell, decorating a white washed, no personality new build can be tricky. Where do you start?

I’m ashamed to admit, that we made some pretty awful design ideas when first moving into our new build property. It’s daunting when you have so many rooms and little to no idea on how to utalize space and incorporate interior design. So, how do you easily decorate a new build without splurging un-necessarily.

Here’s my top tips on nailing a new build interior, and how I would do it again.

Don’t rush

It’s really easy, in any home, to rush right in and paint, choose colour schemes and buy furniture. My biggest regret in our new build home was buying new furniture without really living within the property. We ended up having to sell or make do with some of the pieces we had purchased and wasted money and time.

Even if it’s for a couple of weeks, live in your home before purchasing anything new and deciding on anything certain.

Your home changes in the light, so living within it for some time before deciding colour can help you establish what will work in the space and lighting.

Moodboard

A really coherant home centres on spaces that work together. Having a colour palette across your entire home can create a real flow and sense of unity in your property. Moodboard as much as you can, and be weary of each room and the impact on the entire feel of your property before going ahead with anything.

Consider your red thread in your home too. This is a idea that a single colour can be found in every room of your home , unifying all spaces and creating that much needed flow, through the use of one colour in every space. For example : Grey is our red thread and can be found in every room of our property. It is used in different ways in different spaces, and combined with different colours in different spaces too.

Moodboards are really easy to create, on and offline. I hugely recommend canva and of course using pinterest to source ideas and imagery. You can get old school and use magazines, printed images and scissors and glue.

Go Bold

Many avoid new homes, partly due to the reputation they can hold, but partly because they lack character. New build homes can be found nationwide with little to no difference from each other, being branded as boring.

I don’t agree. New builds can certainly carry character, especially inside. Going bold with colour and installing your own design elements can carry your new build into a new dimension.

Any change to your bare white walls will feel huge, but know that colour can transform your bland new build. Don’t be afraid to feature bold wallpapers, patterns and designs too. Know that pattern can add depth into your space and allow you to play with space and colour.

Paneling is huge. Mainly because it’s super easy to incorporate into a modern home and is fairly inexpensive. Going bold with unique paneling on a feature wall is a great way to inject character and easily decorate your new build. Paneling can be used in any room, including a bathroom.

Change the fixtures and fittings

Most new builds come with run of the mill fixtures and fittings. Upgrade them. Swapping the usual door handles, plugs, sockets, light switches and kitchen handles can upgrade and refresh your ‘basic’ home. If it’s just the colour, why not spray paint handles for a inexpensive upgrade on the usual.

Inject personality

There is no one way to inject your personality into your home, much rather is a combination of lots of things. Don’t worry, I will explain them all and how you can use these ideas in your brand new home.

Styling

Styling is so so so important in your new home. Style your space using decor pieces, ornaments, house plants, candles and more. Shop wisely and take your time. Carefully purchased decoration pieces will help inject personality and decorate your new build home.

Decorating your new build home will take time. Unfortunately it’s something you don’t want to rush and its wise not too. Getting it wrong will only cost you in money and time. Be brave and enjoy the process.

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