Photo by Marta Wave on <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/terrace-of-old-house-with-chairs-5876802/" rel="nofollow">Pexels.com</a>
When you purchase an older home, you have to be aware of the fact that a bit of work might need to be done in order to bring things up to date. This fact rings true whether you are talking about the inner workings of the house, such as the plumbing or electrics, or if you are considering the actual design of the house.
Older houses tend to be more closed off in regard to design. Open plan is a more modern concept for homes, so you might find yourself facing some difficulties when it comes to the layout of the property. Thankfully, bringing an older house into the modern day doesn’t always have to involve major renovations and complete overhauls. In fact, there are some elements of older homes that you might wish to take advantage of in your design instead of doing away with entirely.
If you are looking to modernize the design of an older home without completely redoing the place from top to bottom, here are three simple changes that you can make that will go a long way.
1. Roof Lights
The first element that you will want to address in the design of your older home is that of light. Older properties tend to be much more closed off than modern houses, meaning that there are likely going to be some darker spaces that you will want to illuminate.
There are a variety of lighting options that you can consider for these purposes. However, one addition that can have a great deal of impact not only on the lighting but on the overall feel of a space is to install roof lights or keylite windows. Such windows can make a ceiling feel taller, a space feel bigger, and the home itself feel more modern.
2. Update Fixtures
One design element that can easily be addressed that can help a great deal in modernizing the design of your home is the fixtures that are in place. Older fixtures can look outdated and worse for the wear. Newer, more modern ones can instantly update a space and bring it into modern times.
There are also a variety of timeless options that you can opt for that will complement the older design elements in your home that you appreciate. This can help to maintain the old-world charm of your property that you love while at the same time creating a cleaner look.
3. Refinish the Flooring
There are a number of older design elements that have made their way back into modern designs. One such element is that of hardwood flooring. If your older home has some hardwood floors that are looking worse for the wear, don’t feel as though you have to do away with them entirely and install new flooring.
Instead, you can bring new life into those old floors by refinishing them.
Not only can this help to modernize the space a bit, but it is far cheaper than having new floors installed.
