Eight Easy Ways To Add Character To A New Build

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When we first got on the property ladder, we bought a new build off plan. A one bedroom flat on the first floor of a low rise development in Bow, East London. We got a great deal and we didn’t have to worry about hardly anything before moving in, it came with floors and carpets and kitchen appliances. We made some amazing friends there, and lived a Friends style existence popping into each others flats for a glass (often a bottle) of wine, or maybe even a little dinner party, because we were pretending to be proper grown ups and that’s what grown ups do. It was perfect! We also bought a sofa so big we had to borrow a forklift truck from the builders, and forklift it through our balcony doors. Don’t make that mistake guys, measure, then measure again.

We bought our second flat off plan too in Bethnal Green, overlooking The Palm pub (if you know, you know). This is bringing back so many memories!

Anyway my point is, I’ve been there, so when SO Resi asked me to work with them on this campaign, I thought it would be good to do something around how you can add character to your new build. Because there are so many positives to buying a new build…no worries about damp, or whether your 15 year old boiler will last the winter, or drafts from cracks in the floors, roof repairs, beautiful but draughty old windows etc etc And yes all my old house related problems are to do with the cold because it’s May and I’m huddled under a blanket typing this.

So there’s much less to worry about, however there’s no denying that many new builds can lack character when you first move in to them. But there is so much you can do to change that and create a space which reflects your style and personality. I talked about five of these over on my IGTV but have added three more as a bonus here, because there were limitations to how much I could show you within the show apartment of SO Resi’s Ealing development. I couldn’t go splashing paint around or dragging in vintage sideboards, so I’ve included them in here.

So here’s 8 Ways To Add Character To A New Build

1. Get Some Rugs Down

Rugs are a seriously hard working addition to any new build home. Many new builds come with pre-laid engineered or laminate floors, or oatmeal carpets., which is actually pretty great, as no-one wants to live with someone' else’s stained carpets. But you are going to want to get a nice big rug down. Firstly, they instantly soften a space up. Secondly, rugs are a great way to ground furniture, and that means not having a coffee table marooned on a vast expanse of hard flooring. The third, and most important, thing a rug does is help to zone a space. Many new build apartments have an open plan kitchen diner in the same room as the lounge and it’s important to mark out these spaces according to how you use them. By adding a rug under a coffee table in the lounge, you are marking that area as your living space. It’s simple but effective. In one of our new builds we also added a Billy??? grid style shelving unit between the kitchen and living area, so we could see through it, but had a clear distinction between the two areas.

2. Get Some Art Up

Most new builds will come with white walls, which is a perfect blank canvas for all your ideas. You might not feel ready to start painting straight away (or ever!) but that doesn’t mean your walls have to stay empty. Art is a great way to inject instant personality, whether it’s a gallery wall, or some larger scale statement artwork. If gallery walls are your thing, you can either stick to a colour palette of two or three colours, or go for the more is more approach of a collection of pieces that make your heart sing. I think both can work really well. Personally I like the impact of one or two larger pieces on a wall, but I know it can be harder to find affordable large scale artwork. I recently discovered online art store Juniqe offer many of their prints on a very large scale and they can come framed as well so definitely worth checking out if you prefer larger pieces like me. (Full disclosure, I am working with Juniqe, however this isn’t part of that partnership, I am mentioning because it’s very relevant, useful information in this context).

3. Get In Touch With Nature

One of the great things about the design of new builds is that they come with brand new everything, including kitchens and bathrooms. However, in order to appeal to as many people as possible, the kitchen and bathroom will likely be fairly simple and minimal. But the best way to add some much needed texture and character is to bring in lots natural materials such as wood, rattan, earthy ceramics and plants, lots of plants. So try a stack of rustic chopping boards against a kitchen splash back, a collection of cool ceramics on a wooden shelf, rattan baskets for magazines, a wooden stool in the bathroom, and lots of plants. Plants breathe life into a room, and add interest. They also look great against the fresh white walls of a new build.

4. Layer Up Your Textures

Continuing the theme of building on your blank canvas, my fourth tip is to really go for it with all the textures to create a warm cosy, lived in vibe. So plenty of cushions on your sofa, rugs, blankets etc and mix up your fabrics for extra depth. At the show flat I layered up linen sheets with a heavy embroidered cotton blanket and stacked up soft velvet and fluffy bouclé cushions on the bed to create a boutique hotel feel. The more you layer materials, the cosier it will feel, and the cosier you feel, the more it will feel like home, which is the aim of the game.

5. Ignore Your Main Lighting Source

I’m still talking about layering, but this time it’s lighting. Lighting is so important for creating a mood in any house, but many new builds will come with spotlights which, while practical, can be a little harsh, particularly in the evenings. My advice would be to leave off the stark spotlights and layer lots of table and floor lamps to create a softer lighting scheme. If you have a central pendant in a room, I would hang something big as it’s an opportunity to make a statement, but in the evenings stick to your lamps for a cosy, homely feel.

6. Paint Will Change Everything

We’re onto my bonus points now, these are the things I wasn’t able to show you in my IGTV. Paint. I love paint for its ability to completely transform a room on a budget. I would say live with your white walls for a while first, as it will help you get an idea of how the light moves around the room, how you use the space, which will all help you choose a colour that works best for you. Similarly wallpaper is a great way to make a big impact in a new build home and stamp your personality on it.

7. Add Something Old

Just because you’ve bought a new home, it doesn’t mean everything in it has to be new. Using thrifted and vintage pieces will help create a story in your new home, a talking point and give it an added depth. There are so many places you can buy amazing vintage pieces at the moment, from eBay to Instagram, and I always think a room needs something old to prevent it looking too much like a show home. And you’re here because you want to learn how to give your new home some personality. It’s one of the reasons why I am on the hunt for a vintage sideboard for our kitchen, because everything else in that room is new, and I think it needs grounding by something old.

8. Panelling

By panelling, I don’t just mean the traditional type. You could also add batons, reeding, strips, shiplap etc. There are many different ways you can add interest to your new build with a glue gun and a few carefully cut strips of MDF or beading. Try adding batons at half height in a hallway and painting them out the same colour as the walls, or try adding the square grid style panelling behind the headboard in the bedroom. All of these things are relatively cheap to do, and you can definitely do them yourself!

I hope you’ve found some inspiration if you’re currently buying or have bought a new home.

So Resi offer homes under shared ownership which means you can buy a share of your home, on which you’ll pay a mortgage. On the remaining share, you make a monthly payment to So Resi, and you also pay a monthly service charge for maintenance. There is the option to buy a bigger share of your home in the future, and even own 100%. For more information about that, head to SO Resi.