House to Home: How to Add Personality to a New Build

Personalising your new build home can be both exciting and daunting. How do you know where to start? We asked our resident interior design expert, Rebecca Jones from Edward Thomas Interiors for her advice on showcasing your style…

A new build’s blank canvas can be overwhelming, what’s your advice to overcome this?

Don’t panic buy! Give yourself time to settle in, get a feel for the space, see how your existing furniture fits, and how you actually use each room. Then start with the rooms where you spend the most time, like your bedroom and living room. Knowing you have these spaces sorted will take the pressure off. Use social media for design inspiration but don’t just look at home interiors. Hotels, bars and restaurants often have great ideas you can recreate too.

Does adding personality always mean colour, or are there other ways to express style?

Colour is a great starting point for bringing personality into your home. Keep it subtle with accents or go bold by colour drenching, choosing vibrant kitchen cabinetry or theming a room (this works amazingly in children’s bedrooms!). But there are plenty more design techniques to make your home feel like you. Photo galleries are a fun one, these not only give you somewhere to display your favourite memories but also make a great piece of wall art for behind the bed or running up the stairs. Pattern is also having a major moment this summer. You can introduce this on upholstery and window dressings, as well as in unexpected places like lampshades or lamp bases.

What wall treatments are best for adding character to a new build’s design?

Painting and panelling are two of our favourites. They’re versatile, make an instant impact and are budget friendly! Painting is a great option for anyone new to home décor. You can try something simple like a subtle colour block or feature wall, then build up to a full room makeover when you feel more confident.

Panelling adds a textural layer as well as an eye-catching feature. Natural woods create a warm, Scandi feel, while tongue and groove can be painted to match a farmhouse or coastal look. Shaker style gives a classic, elegant vibe and don’t forget to elevate this by wallpapering the panels!

What’s the secret to making open plan spaces feel cosy and inviting?

We recommend zoning the space. Not in an extreme sense like adding car parking lines but rather, creating distinct areas for different activities such as eating, relaxing or home working. This can be done subtly through furniture placement, varied lighting, wall treatments and thoughtfully positioned accessories, like mirrors and rugs.

Then layer, layer, layer! This is the key to creating the lived in, comfort-first look. Mix textures, fabrics, metallics and lighting across the space and use complementary colour palettes so it all feels connected.