3 Home Remodels to Make Your Heart Sing

From Margaret on October 4th, 2011 in General Remodel

With more people choosing to improve their homes rather than sell and start fresh, remodels are getting better and better. With some forethought, you can truly customize your home, whether you’re living alone or have a houseful of children (and retired parents) to accommodate.

For pricing on a home remodel in your area, click here.

And then check out these three remodels guaranteed to make your heart sing.

Turn a bland living room into a home library

Is your living room underused? Consider turning it into a fabulous home library worthy of any English countryside manor. The good news is that this renovation majorly affects the activity and flow of your home, with little hassle or cost. Start first with your walls, and consider where you can either add built-in bookcases, or line the walls with independent shelving.

Choose one wall to act as the main focal point and book haven. Place your furniture in perpendicular lines and add side tables with good lighting and a coffee table, if you have room. This is an especially wonderful renovation if you have school-aged children. Whether they’re in private, public, or home school, you will greatly improve your child’s learning by creating a space that lauds learning.

Consider your classic kitchen renovation

We’ve talked much about kitchen remodels, and for good reason: they are high on the list for ROI in home remodeling. And you don’t have to think huuuuuuuge to revolutionize the look and functionality of such a space.

Take this awesome before and after:

While the replacement of the cabinets was a larger (and effective!) change, the other changes here are simple to execute—and make a big bang for their buck.

As the homeowner, designer Anastasia Faiella, told Apartment Therapy, she updated her appliances, repainted, added an island, and replaced the lighting and hardware. Not too painful—but very effective!

Create a whole new dining space

Don’t just think of a dining room as another superfluous space only used during holidays. A dining room can accommodate not only a huge group of friends, a large family, or holiday guests during mealtimes. Think larger. A dining room can become a beautiful and distinct space that adds panache to your home—and gets used. Tons.

Check out how this space took what was an underused, underappreciated, bland room and recreated it to be an elegant and useful space.

A large table and good lighting create an entirely new room for at-home work.

What are your best ideas for home renovations? Share with me in the comments below.

Photos via Houzz