4 Smart Investments for Your Home
Kara Cox Interiors
Renovating or redesigning your home is always a great investment overall. And there are some areas of your home that get you a great return on investment, even if you aren’t planning to sell. These are the rooms or items that are worth paying a bit more for to get the best quality that you can. Here are the four things that are the smartest investments for you and your home!
Kara Cox Interiors
1. The Kitchen
A kitchen remodel has always had a great return on investment, with a major realty association saying that you can recoup 90% of the costs when you sell your home. But more importantly, renovating your kitchen is something that will improve your satisfaction with your home. This room is the heart of where and how your family lives and interacts - it needs to function for you and how you live. Some of the hardest-working items in any home are also located in the kitchen. So you want to invest in those countertops, cabinets, and appliances. Choose everything wisely based on your lifestyle. For example, if you don’t cook a lot but you love wine, spend more on a wine fridge than you might on your range. You’ll never go wrong by investing as much as you can in your kitchen.
Kara Cox Interiors
2. Upholstered Furniture
Speaking of hardworking items in your house, upholstery takes on a lot of use and abuse, so you want to invest in pieces that will last a long time. Imagine how many times you, your family members, and your guests sit on your sofa, for example. Over the year, you probably have thousands of “sits” on that one piece in your home. We lie on them, pets jump on them, kids bounce up and down on them. And that doesn’t even include the meals we’ll eat while sitting on them. You want good, quality pieces that are meant to hold up to all that use. I recently saw a super-cushy sofa from a very well-known retail company after it had been in a home for only a year. It looked like it was 30 years old, there was no shape or form left to the cushions and it looked like you would drown in it if you sat down. It just wasn’t made well. So be sure to put a good portion of your budget toward the seating in your home that will be used the most.
Kara Cox Interiors
3. Statement Light Fixtures
One interesting study by a national real estate association said that a statement light fixture, like the one of a kind chandelier I found for a client in the photo above, is one of the top 4 things that can make your home sell quickly. And this is a great investment even if you’re in your forever home with no plans to sell. A statement piece like this one elevates the look of any room, and is seen almost as a piece of art. When someone walks through your home, the light fixtures are often the first thing they notice as they move toward a room. And they can be a conversation piece, too. The Louise Gaskill-designed chandelier above features small brass rams’ heads. Since my client is a huge UNC-Chapel Hill fan, that gives him something to point out and talk about with his friends when they visit.
Kara Cox Interiors
4. Original Art
One of my favorites for investment is original art. Art is subjective and very personal, and that’s why it makes your home decor unique and compelling. Select art that means something to you and that expresses something about who you are. Don’t invest in a piece unless you truly love it. And mix up the media with drawings, photography, paintings, sculpture, or any other form of art that you like. Nothing adds character to your home’s decor more than original art.
Of course investing in an interior designer is also a very smart idea. My team and I can help guide you through a design that is a reflection of your personality but also supports how you and your family live in the home. Give us a call today to get started!
All the best,
Kara