When renovating, we realized how important small details modernized and enhanced the look and feel of our home. Here are 5 things you can do to make your home look more custom and contemporary:
1. Screwless wall plates and receptacle covers
This is a small, inexpensive change that can make a big impact. The smooth and glossy finish makes them easy to clean and modernizes a space instantly. You can easily purchase them on Amazon. For example, a pack of 10 “2-Gang Screwless Wall Plate” is only 36,99$.
2. Aria vents
If you are renovating your floors, then we suggest you opt for Aria vents. These modular air vents can be used anywhere with literally any material, and are a stylish alternative to traditional grille vents. They are beautiful, functional, made in Canada and of great quality. They do take a lot of work and patience to install since you have to make sure they align perfectly with the pattern of the wood or tile.
3. No shoe baseboards
Shoe moldings cover any gaps that might lie between the bottom of the baseboard and the floor. If you install your floors close enough to your walls, shoe baseboards are not necessary. In our opinion, it creates a more finished, modern clean-line look. We chose “West End 1/2" x 5"” MDF baseboards and trim. We purchased these from Classic Wood Mouldings in Ottawa.
4. Solid-Core doors
Doors are a key indicator of when a house was built. You can easily spruce up your place with new doors. We purchased our new doors from Classic Wood Mouldings in Ottawa. We chose a one-panel shaker solid-core door.
Solid-core doors use synthetic materials with a real-wood veneer on the exterior to reduce weight and cost, compared to solid wood doors. We find that solid-core doors strike a balance between solid wood doors and hollow-core doors.
Hollow-core doors are less expensive, but more readily damaged and have a “cheaper feel”. The difference in price between a hollow-core door and a solid-core door is minor (about 40$ difference). We find it worth it to spend the extra 40$ on a solid-core door to have a firmer, more durable door.
5. 3000K vs 4000K potlights
When purchasing our recessed lighting, we were not sure if we should purchase the 3000K or 4000K lights. We first chose the 4000K, installed them and quickly realized that the light was too "cool" for our space and too "clinical". We sent those back and purchased the 3000K. Much better. We prefer the warmth of the 3000K compared to the 4000K since it has softer hue. On Amazon, you can get a 12 pack for around 140$.
Happy renovating!
The Roses