A homely welcome

Welcome to your new home

New home – new thinking

Above, left to right:

Schüller collection. www.inhouseltd.co.uk; pots from £45 www. gardentrading.co.uk; Bath & spa matte paint £30.50 Per 0.94L www. benjaminmoorepaint. co.uk. Welcome to your new home. The end is in sight for this epic journey of yours. It began with a vision and the search for a plot of land while you worked on saving and raising finance, number crunching late into the night.

Now the keys are in your hands, the builders and trades are finishing the snagging. It is time to turn your attention to the interior and stamp your own personality on the place, with some fresh ideas.

Broken kitchens Don’t panic! No need to get on the phone and play hell with the cabinet fitter or plumber. ‘Broken’ is the new buzz word for kitchens - think open plan with a twist.

We all love the idea of the light, airy, open space but working and schooling from home this last year has shown a need for a little more privacy and ‘zones’.

Create them with different textures, a strategically-placed large piece of free-standing furniture, a storage unit, different floor levels. Leave a half-wall here; build a wall of glass there and you can switch the different areas to suit your circumstances

Bathed in glory Instead of ‘wow’ factor think more. Expectations are changing and the luxury master en-suite and a family bathroom is no longer enough. Think en-suite for each bedroom plus a downstairs lavatory and extra shower room for larger, more expensive properties. Smaller or starter homes should scale down to suit. If you have the cash for one stunning spa-room, go for it, but less is more does not apply here.

Go to pot Post Brexit tariffs hiking up costs and a more ecologically ethical outlook towards agricultural land use and air-miles are starting to see a move away from continually buying cut flowers. Save them for a special occasion and switch to nurturing pot plants inside. Outside more garden use during lockdowns highlighted a need for more space, less borders to trample in the family garden so choose beautiful pots with shrubs, flowers and vegetables as statement pieces.