- Budgeting and conceptualising are some things to consider when renovating.
- Some of the recent design trends are earth tones and neutrals.
- Wall art is also becoming a great aesthetic for home d cor.
If you are in the process of renovating your home or you are planning to renovate, here are a few tips on how to achieve a modern aesthetic.
1. Budget
Brenda Hart, who is the founder of bespoke furniture company, Soft&Co suggests that when working on your home d cor, you should have a budget that will guide you.
"That obviously drives everything. Designers are very good at working within people's budgets," Brenda says.
When budgeting, Brenda suggests to first prioritise the construction part and make sure you that you have enough money for designers and engineers. Then the electrical and plumbing side and then the finishes such as walls, floors, ceilings, lighting and furniture.
2. Consider your lifestyle
When conceptualising the theme of your renovations and when allocating a budget, you should be mindful of your lifestyle and which rooms do you spend most of your time in.
Brenda says it is of no use to go all out for rooms that you hardly function in and that "where you function most is where you prioritise".
She says, "For example, do you spend a lot of time in the kitchen or the space that you re-doing? To me I feel like function is always the foundation of design."
When considering your lifestyle, also consider the aesthetic you would like to create for the room you renovating.
"Are you a fan of pure white or are you more of a fan of colour or neutrals or do you want natural real products or can we use engineered stone?"
If you do not already have an idea of the design that you desire, then you can search on the internet and create a mood board of the designs that you might consider, that will help create a theme. She says it is important to have a theme because that will make planning and budgeting easier.
Also keep in mind of other things such as children and whether you should get fabrics with stain protectors.
READ MORE | How to choose the right curtains for your home, plus 3 tips to install your drapes correctly
3. Current trends
Moving to 2025, Brenda says that people are preferring rich earthy colours like green and blue, and bright colours are becoming less preferred. She adds that neutrals will always be relevant.
She says that people are also mixing textures and are not sticking to the same materials.
"People are mixing a beautiful velvet with like a little detail of leather. So it's like taking those textures that contrast each other so beautifully."
Plascon brand manager Kristel Dreyer affirms that there is an increase in the mixing of colours and that going in 2025, more people will be co-creating colours.
"The spirit of the 2025 colour forecast is co-creation, it's in how you interpret and bring the colour families to life yourself. It goes way further than just a single colour of the year," says Kristel.
For Plascon, they believe that the colour families to be on the lookout for are bright, dark, natural and neutral colours.
In addition to co-creation, Tim Culley, founder of Pixalot states that simply painting your wall does not cut it. People are adding wall art to elevate their walls and also create an environment that resonates with them.
"Wall art is often left out of these settings, leaving homeowners to sort through mass-produced, uninspired pieces. That's where we come in: our aim is to help people find something that resonates with them and fits harmoniously into their space," states Tim.
The size of paintings is also something to consider. Tim says that bigger paintings are becoming more popular.
"We're seeing an increasing demand for larger sizes, which is why we've expanded our offerings up to 2.75 meters. It's not about filling the space but about letting one big piece make an impact. This shift encourages homeowners to focus on quality over quantity, creating a bold look without overwhelming the space," Tim states.
For lighting, Brenda says the best designs to go for in this day and age are the recessed lights which are not visible on the ceiling.
For furniture, Brenda cautions against following trends and that people should choose quality, long lasting furniture materials which will forever be relevant such as marble or classic oak wood.
