THE POST-CHRISTMAS HOME REVIEW – How did yours stack up?

Chances are by now you’ve decked the halls

and undecked them again. The Christmas decorations are safely down and boxed away and the last pine needles of the Christmas tree have been swept away. The festive season is finally over for another year, but now you may want to take stock and review how your home stood up to the task of accommodating the extra visitors and entertaining friends and family.

Modern Kitchen Design

Modern Kitchen

Your home is your haven. It is largely defined and measured by its functionality. It’s great to have enough flexibility in your living spaces to be able to accommodate not just those who live there but to make comfortable room, when necessary, for loved ones and others who come to stay and share in the atmosphere of holidays and celebrations.

If considering renovations, start with a practical assessment of how well your current set-up has been able to support and underpin your lifestyle.

  • Is there adequate space for guests to stay? Do you have the kind of furnishings that can easily be converted to sleeping spaces?
  • How are your storage spaces? Are they enough to cope with all that needs to be put away between uses? Are cupboard and closet contents able to be easily accessed?
  • How do your kitchen and bathroom shape up to their tasks? Do you find yourself feeling a little embarrassed by tired old furnishings and fittings that could really do with a makeover?
  • Are there adequate outdoor or entertaining spaces for people to relax, spread out and enjoy important things like the post-Christmas-lunch recovery, in comfort?

Now’s a good time to look at what needs doing and see whether there are some renovations you could carry out to add some sparkle and practical upgrades to your home and haven before next Christmas.

The Kitchen

One of the key areas in any home is of course, the kitchen. In most cases the preparation of the family meals takes up quite considerable time, repeatedly, every day and every week, all year round. Over time it is easy to get used to what you have and to put up with the little idiosyncrasies of your kitchen. A fresh look might reveal the places where you have been selling yourself short by putting up with inconveniences that have been overcome in good contemporary kitchens, with new styles and designs.

Modern kitchens have come such a long way from those of last century.

  • Pantry and cupboards now come in sleek and efficient styles, designed to make access and storage a breeze.
  • Two-way cupboards give access from different rooms.
  • Splashbacks are no mess, no fuss and come in beautiful colours and materials to complement any sink.
  • Stylish taps and mixers bring flexibility and shine to the overall look.
  • Benchtops and doors give you options of many beautiful materials to choose from, to resurface and revive tired old surfaces.

“But what about the cost?” you say…

It’s fair enough that you’ve let other things take priority, when budgeting for life and its many contingencies. But when you look at the time you spend in your home, and especially in your kitchen, it really does warrant letting yourself make updating and renovating a top priority, to improve your own quality of life. Not to mention the value of your home as an asset and the improvements that increase its worth.

The best way to create perfect spaces for your next Christmas gathering or entertaining event – and for generally enhancing your experience of daily living – is to make a step-by-step renovation plan and carry it out.

Cost can be a daunting factor, but you’d be surprised how much can be done at a pinch by purchasing quality goods at auction. Inexpensive factory seconds, discontinued lines and regular stocks are out there to be found by the ardent bargain hunter. Those in the know have been taking advantage of some heavily discounted prices on all sorts of home renovation supplies and getting a lot more done for a lot less of a financial outlay. You only have to take a look at the incredibly wide range of renovation, kitchen and building materials at Renovator Auctions in Sydney to see how renovations can suddenly become possible, achievable and within your budget.

You might surprise yourself with the things you can achieve to make your home even more liveable and welcoming for friends and loved ones, for the many Christmases and celebrations to come.