Upon making the decision to create your dream home by undertaking a home renovation or home extension, the journey begins of nutting down what your dream home actually is. No doubt you are crystal clear on the aspects of your current home that you’re most desperate to address, but an even sharper focus is now required.
Are there additional elements that would benefit from some loving attention and change, and are there possibilities you haven’t yet considered? To help you get the creative cogs turning, here are our suggestions for the Top 10 must-have items when renovating or extending a home.
- AN ENTERTAINER’S KITCHEN
Kitchen islands are fantastic focal points that naturally draw people together, whilst also being striking visual centrepieces.
The kitchen is often the heart of the home, and in this contemporary home renovation by Hille’s Home Extensions, the generous kitchen island is as much loved as a place for Mum or Dad to help the kids with their homework whilst cooking, as it is for hosting guests whilst making G&Ts over cheese and dips.
- A BUTLER’S PANTRY
A butler’s pantry can significantly impact both the form and function of a home. It provides ample additional storage – yes!! – and also acts as the perfect space for hiding away all your cooking and cleaning items, whether that’s for your guests’ benefit or your own!
A fully equipped butlers pantry is seamlessly concealed behind a sliding door in this home renovation by Hille’s Home Extensions.
- A SERVERY WINDOW
Make the most of indoor-outdoor living by adding a servery window to your kitchen. Perfect for both big spaces and small, a servery window has the capacity to effortlessly bring the family together.
This heritage Melbourne home, renovated by Hille’s Home Extensions, has been transformed into a modern entertainer’s delight, with the servery window providing a relaxed place for hosts and guests to engage.
- ‘LUXURY HOTEL’ STYLE BATHROOM
The design of a typical bathroom, let’s face it, can often place a little too much emphasis on the practical over the aesthetic. The bathroom is oftentimes a small space, not in regular public view – particularly when it’s an ensuite – and functionality can easily take precedence, with easiest-to-clean tiles for example.
Making a feature of your bathroom however, can bring a quality of enjoyment of your home that shouldn’t be underestimated.
This is a room that can provide you with space to stop, relax, unwind, renourish – just as you would expect in a 5-star hotel room. So why not in your home? These homeowners achieved just that in this stunning bathroom renovation by Hille’s Home Extensions.
- A MUDROOM
Located at a side or back entry, mudrooms can be an absolute godsend for many a bustling family. Dirty footy boots, school bags, wet gear and the rest – a mudroom is the ultimate dumping ground, perfectly equipped to handle with style all these items which would otherwise end up tossed at the front door or clogging up the entrance hall.
The cleverly incorporated chic mudroom in this home renovation by Hille’s Home Extensions provides plenty of storage space whilst also offering a warm welcome to the home.
- HERITAGE DETAILS
If you’re renovating an older home, our recommendation is to maintain its original heritage features wherever possible. Even when set against a contemporary extension, not only do these elements create stunning dramatic effect, but the original skirtings, mouldings, and ceiling roses, add effortless character – and even value – to your home.
The young family who renovated this home with Hille’s Home Extensions ensured that the heritage fireplace and stained glass window of the original lounge room were lovingly maintained.
- A WALK-IN WARDROBE
Are there many things more luxurious than a dedicated walk-in wardrobe – one that’s large enough to perfectly store, display and provide easy access to your clothes and shoe collection?
The walk-in wardrobe of this renovated home by Hille’s Home Extensions goes even further and acts as an attractive thoroughfare between the master bedroom and its beautiful ensuite, creating some dignified distance between these two rooms.
- STEEL-FRAMED WINDOWS AND DOORS
Are you looking for a bold impact? One of the biggest interior design trends recently has been steel-framed windows and doors. Usually painted black, they are proving to be a popular stylistic alternative to the heavier set French, sliding and concertina doors and windows of past years.
In this contemporary home renovation by Hille’s Home Extensions, steel-framed back doors seamlessly blend with the modern exterior, and allow ample natural light to flood the open plan home.
- A READING NOOK
There’s something wonderful about even the thought of curling up with a book in a perfectly positioned window nook. Making the most of the space within a bay window is an ideal way to create your own cosy and sun-filled lounge space. Now you just need to make sure you make time for you and use it!
The window seat in the bay window of this Hamptons-styled home renovated by Hille’s Home Extensions, offers a peaceful nook in which to relax and unwind.
- LAUNDRY PERFECTION
Whether or not we like it, the laundry is one of the rooms in the house we spend a fair amount of time in and yet it is often an afterthought when it comes to the renovation design process.
For such a hard working room, creating a highly functional space with ample storage is obviously important, but so too are aesthetics. A laundry that feels light and airy and roomy assists in keeping stress levels down as the chores get done! This laundry renovated by Hille’s Home Extensions achieves an ideal balance between form and function.