One of the most frustrating aspects of a redesign is sorting through the throngs of "must haves" and "best splurges." Aside from kitchen and bath remodels— perks for re-sale and function— there is a mind-boggling amount of conflicting advice. All you redesign survivors, which ones have really been worth it?
Of course, redesigns are highly subjective, so it's natural that there is no one-size-fits all answer. However, in helping others with their homes and writing for Apartment Therapy for the past several years, I've noticed a few reoccurring areas where investments (be it $10 or $1000+) beyond a fresh coat of paint continually pay off:
• Flooring. Despite the fact that it is one of the most expansive (and most used) surfaces, flooring is often ignored by the average homeowner/renter due to the fact that it's not as DIY-accessible or inexpensive as most other updates. However, believe me, no beautiful floor in one of our house tours has ever, ever gone unnoticed. Flooring sets the tone, adding texture and color, and if not taken into consideration, will completely throw off your design scheme. Given that it's used heavily and a big ordeal to install, this is an area where you want to invest in the best quality that you can. Thankfully, today there are stylish options that suit a variety of budgets from new marmoleum to beautiful reclaimed wood, so look around.
• Lighting. Every designer has their own recipe for the perfect lighting scheme, but no good designer ever ignores it completely and neither should you. Our archives are full of examples where switching out a dated overhead lighting fixture for an inexpensive classic has refreshed the whole room. Likewise, putting lights on dimmer switches is an easy and relatively affordable update that is guaranteed to please a variety of tastes and moods.
• Hardware. Many people associate the word with mere function, but hardware is one of the most inexpensive ways to change the feel of a space. Most of my (admittedly, many) design neuroses stem from my revulsion for flimsy things. I've spent quite a few Apartment Therapy sessions posts ranting about the evils of hollow core doors and their contractor-special cohorts, but the truth is, that the feel of even the flimsiest of doors can be lessened by substantial hardware like glass doorknobs and iron hinges. The same goes for bathroom hardware like towel bars. Switching out a flaking fake metal bar for the real deal does wonders in lending a room a more established feel. Salvage yards are great places to start, as are online sites like ebay, craiglist, and freecycle&mdash places where one renovator's trash really is your treasure. Specialty hardware stores abound online. Two of my favorites are Hardware Hut and Van Dyke's, which carry a variety of reasonably priced vintage-inspired hardware designed for contemporary use. However, even big box hardware stores carry an impressive variety of new but sturdy hardware.
Now it's your turn so chime in!
(Image: Bethany Nauert for Minh & Ted's Lovingly Renovated Home)
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Four-P...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
PAINT! I struggled with my living room but it wasn't the layout or even the furniture. I was very happy with the artwork, even the different types of lighting. I had an epiphany. My room needed a fresh coat of paint. It pulled everything together beautifully. I honestly kidded my self for over two years saying to myself, nah that's not it. Boy was I wrong.
What about Walls? My house is an early Victorian Bungalow with beautiful molding and door and window trim. Someone had taken them out at some point. Now, it makes a simple living room elegant.
Lighting is so apartment! I am always surprised when I go to a dinner party or event and the lighting is harsh an uninviting. Some people just don't think about it, but it is so important for setting the mood of a space or event.
Lighting is so important! I am always surprised when I go to a dinner party or event and the lighting is harsh an uninviting. Some people just don't think about it, but it is so important for setting the mood of a space or event.
Great article. I totally agree. And, spending more money on a good quality floor will make it last longer especially a wood floor as it can be treated over again instead of being exchanged. Most natural products makes a more beautiful space. Thank you.
I will never have another house without a screened in porch (with louver windows)....its become my favorite room of the house.
Enjoyed many a meal in the summer, bug free. Great napping spot, too.
It doubles as a walk-in freezer in winter. Wonderful for food & drink overflow storage during the holidays.
deathly hallow doors! heh.
I would say floors and walls. After having the very damaged floors refinished (to incredible beauty) on a fixer-upper, I could see the potential of the place more than any other repairs we had done before that. The repaired and repainted walls were then all that was needed for this place to look incredible -- and there were still quite a few things to do.
To re-state the obvious here: Lighting, lighting, lighting. Couldn't agree more.
Agree with floors. We took out old smelly carpet and ugly vinyl and put in cork. It truly changed the whole feel of the living/dining/kitchen area and helped us fall in love with our split-entry. (Yeah, who knew you could love a split? Get the right floor in there and you can.) And agree that paint is also huge. The floors made a huge difference, but now that we're getting rid of icky green paint, it's even more amazing.
I actually believe that ANY well-thought out upgrade that makes you happier, that is affordable on your budget, and that doesn't negatively impact resale -- even if it doesn't IMPROVE resale -- is "worth it".
I will agree with these, and add the unsexy upgrades of insulation, furnace, air-conditioning and toilets - when upgraded, you're glad you did them.
Agree with Jan P, but good idea about the louvred windows! Up until now, I was thinking of putting some sort of drapes for the summer in ours. Winter here has been up and down, so I'm wary of putting food out for storage just yet.
So glad to see hardware on that list, up there with floors and lighting and walls that the readers are putting on the list.
It can cost more, but you take it with you when you move, like good curtains.
Crummy hinges and flimsy knobs can detract from all the work you put into a room.
It doesn't even have to be a whole room big deal-
Here is a modest example of changing the hardware on a dresser that I use in my kitchen. I originally found it on the street, put on new knobs and it became my own.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/4318560197/in/photostream/
good tips... I've never heard of the freecycle site, I'll have to check it out!
Social psychologists established that one of the most things people considered most worthwhile spending money on, over time, was a view. Obviously, real estate is priced to reflect the value of a great view, but even in whatever apartment or house you live in, it's nice to place furniture such that you can make the best of whatever you can see out of your windows.
Of course, there are other logistical constraints and considerations to furniture arrangement, but if you can have a place where the corner of the world you see outside of your home is calming, it makes a big difference. We have a couch in our bedroom (I know, this suggests how insanely large our master bedroom is, but I love it.) and I love sneaking away to lay down with a book or drift off for a quick nap while gazing out at the top branches of the tall trees in our yard swaying in the wind or covered with snow that I see framed by the windows from this spot.
Couldn't agree more on the flooring, lighting, paint, & hardware. We bought a 60's style rambler that had cream colored carpet. That was toast in like a week of living here with 2 kids! Underneath was the discovery of a lifetime- beautiful hardwood floors that didn't need refinishing! Oh yeah! Between that and a new paint scheme my overall mood has significantly improved (live in the Pacific NW). As for the hardware, a real estate agent friend encouraged us to replace all the old school toggle switches for rockers. Best.....idea......ever. Added a couple dimmers.....huge improvement.
I do think paint is a great improvement that anyone can make :) And original/custom artwork is something that can set the mood for both a rented and an owned home and you can bring it with you :) www.nathalievan.com
I have to agree with the above comment by KPTNKMN... We stated...
I completely agree on the doors. We are renovating our entire apartment and the contractor initially wanted to put hollow plywood doors! We ended up paying more for solid wood doors and I don't regret it. Worth every penny. I also couldn't agree more on lighting. I recently visited a newly renovated apartment. The renovations looked great but in my opinion everything was ruined by bad lighting. They only had overhead light, not a single dimmer, or table lamp. Not worth spending so much on renovations if you don't showcase the result with good lighting.
I'm a stager, and the biggest bang for your buck beyond the paint, flooring, hardware, and lighting, are window treatments. It's fairly easy to find great off-the-rack curtains these days- West Elm has nice drapes, as does Restoration Hardware, even World Market for some fun prints. Even making your own is pretty simple- lots of designers are into simple burlap or linen with maybe a simple ribbon trim on them. Faux wood shades are great, too, and easy to order in custom sizes if you have the $$. Your light fixes won't look great if you don't have up-to-date curtains or shades.
I am not the best dispenser of advice - I never paint walls, and despite extremely ugly and bad lighting in my last 3 places, I wouldn't even know where to beggin fixing that situation. BUT, flooring is another story. The thing is, under most ugly rugs, you can find hardwood floor. It is not a difficult project for a contractor to do, even an intermediate-advanced DIYer could tackle it. We found a guy to refinish our 900 sq. ft. rental. We removed the carpet ourselves, and he did the rest. It wasn't "the works", but SO worth every penny. Even if it means living with the light pudding yellow walls for another 5 years :).
We are currently working on almost all of this... Lighting is turning it to be 1000x more complex than we thought because we live in a loft with exposed timber beam ceilings.
This year's projects: new window treatments (we have 16' tall windows), upgrading our kitchen appliances, adding a marble backsplash and Euro hardware, and finding some solution to our overhead lighting issue.
We're stuck with carpet in the two bedrooms since our reclaimed hardwood floors will be nearly impossible to match right. Next year, I want to replace it with industrial office carpet.
Hollow crappy doors, when will there be a law against it...UGH!
'm currently in the midst of trying to work on all of this in our new house. The floors are done and make a world of a difference - marble tile in both baths, beautiful refinished wide plank flooring in the living areas, and a newly laid tile floor in the kitchen in a herringbone pattern. MUCH better than the peel and stick tile that was in the kitchen and baths when we moved in!
I'm finding lighting to be most challenging...not just to find the right fixtures, which is tough, but to know how to set the mood that I know I want. I can picture what I want the room to look like, but not sure how to achieve it. We installed two recessed and two eyeball lights in the living room and it still wasn't right. Added a lamp and a dimmer and we're getting there...
The doors are the next project, but dang, we need a lot and it's expensive and a lot of work. I wish I was rich and could just hire someone to paint and throw them up for us!
Interesting thread. Can't help but be reminded of the Lakeview loft (in Chicago) that was featured as a house tour here owned by a woman who later came back to AT to comment that the renovations she made (which were lovely) did not at all contribute to the value of her apartment and that she regrets doing them. I know a lot of people who have made renovations to their apartments without managing to get a dime back -- the question is, did they get enough enjoyment out of the upgrades to make eating the cost worthwhile?
I totally agree about the flooring and I'm shamelessly in love with my dark, slightly distressed hardwood floors. They really make my place took bigger and airier. The floors were worth every single pretty penny, speaking of which..
@archdarling, that can be a tough balance, I don't want to think about resale value while enjoying my home and making the upgrades to suite my comfort. And in 10 years the style and home fashion trend will anyway so why not make the upgrades/changes now to suite your style and needs and when the time comes to sell, break out the neutral paints.
I agree! I've always said, hardware is the jewelry of a room. It makes the entire room come together and just like an outfit it can "make or break" the look you're going for.
Having recently replaced half of my flooring, I couldn't agree more. No more carpeted homes in my future, if I can at all avoid it!
I agree with lighting, flooring as top 2, but agree with Pixelspersecond on trim. Trim, crown molding, wainscotting can transform a room/house (and the trim color as well). Carpentry would be up there as #3 for me. Built-ins are expensive but there are inexpensive options for wainscotting out there. I'm a door-snob too. Solid wood, single-panel or 2-panel makes me happy!
Lighting will boost any rooms look for a less expensive price tag.
when we bought our 70's ranch it was because of it's view of an unspoiled river. It's been 7 years and we have removed all but 2 of the hollow doors and replaced with solid ones, changed the door hardware, painted every room, door and the trim, we have the lights changed in all but one location and next we're on to the floors. Every one of those changed was worthwhile, and I'd be hard pressed to say which one was worth the most to us, as together they all make up our home. We don't worry a bit about "re sale" we do what we want.
Deathly hallow &mdash -- c'mon guys. :) Pick up the proofing!
I agree on all counts - and am guilty of all but the flooring, which in my case is the best asset of the house (beautiful hardwood overall, even in the bathroom). However, I don't want to give in to my own tastes as the house will be sold within two years. I need to instead focus on what would make potential buyers happy. Not what is trendy, but what would make potential buyers happy. In my case, they will not be looking for pretty spaces, just some natural lighting, durability and materials and colours they can use as is, to be dressed up with their own stuff.
I will be painting a living room a creamy yellow, a bathroom a warm, creamy, very pale eggshell blue and probably changing kitchen hardware - I have overly whimsical forks, spoons and knives for knobs on my cabinets. I also have to remodel a basement, and since that is already enough of an expense, I will keep the rest very simple and only light touch-ups will be done.
Yes, flooring!! It's amazing what pulling up a carpet and putting in a hardwood floor can do. My dream upgrade, however, would be energy-efficient windows. The windows in my apartment are so sad and so thin; they let in drafts and I freeze at night. I'd love to be able to set my thermostat to a comfortable room temperature and know that my home would actually stay that termperature.
I really want to put in new flooring but I am at a loss for what to choose, anyone know of a great online guide? I have read a few about types of floor but what I need to know about is types of hardwood and what stands up the best.