Dear Alice | 5 Ways to Add Charm to a New Build | Create Alluring Interior Spaces

This week on Dear Alice, we’re talking about one of Sue’s favorite topics: How to add charm to a new build. This week’s episode can be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcast.

Anybody who isn’t following Sue Hall on Instagram needs to. It’s @HallaHall. Suz lives a beautiful, colorful life. She loves original art. She lived the last 13 years in an attic and made it the most lovely, charming place ever. Walking into it feels like walking into a hug. We are going to learn from the best today on how to add charm to your home!

Whether you are living in a brand new home, a new to you home, or just the home you are currently living in, we are going to prioritize the Top 5 Ways to Make it Yours.

1. Lighting

As designers we are often scanning to see what our budget is before we start a build. And for those with existing homes you might have what we call the ‘boob’ light hanging in certain areas of your house. Those are a really affordable way to light a room, but not the most extraordinary way or the charming way. Those are the things that you should first look at and decide which ones are giving you joy, and which ones you absolutely hate. Then piece by piece slowly find ones you really love. If you hate it, take it down! It’s a way to make your home feel higher end and completely custom.

Budgets: As far a budgets go, you could be a great shopper or find things in a thrift or estate sale, or Alice Lane! We will give you retail pricing on lighting. Typically for a 3,200 sq ft home average retail would be around $15,000 - $25,000. Suz recently moved into a 2,800 sq ft home and has spent around that. Some of her sconces were vintage. She had them rewired with a custom shade so hers may be more around $25,000 to $35,000 if she were to do it all really well.

Jess did a new build about seven years ago and spent around $60,000 on her lighting. Her home is around 5,500 sq ft. These lights are pieces that are not only functional but also create an atmosphere and makes your home feel more expensive and elevated.

Builders will typically budget around $8,000 for lighting for a 5,000 sq ft home. In order to make your house feel special, lighting is going to carry it home.

Lamps: Lamps also create a mood and a charm and can highlight pieces of art or a focal piece in a hallway. They can create warm pockets of glowing lamp light and a moody ambiance.

Can lighting: If using can lights be sure to use the right kelvins. That is the temperature of the light. There is one that is called natural light or bright white. You don’t want to do that. You want the warm glow. The warmest is the 2700 pocket. We like to stay in between the 2700 K and 3000 K. The coolest whites light is 5000 K. Make sure you can work with the temperature of your bulbs. For bathrooms and kitchens, 3000 K is great. Hallways and bedrooms can be more around 2700 K.

2. Space Planning

We are always studying space planning. When you are looking at pictures notice a space that draws your attention. Look at the way they place the furniture. The heights are a little bit different as you’re going through the different pieces of furniture. Try not to do a sofa in an L shape and two chairs opposite or push your furniture up against the walls. It becomes too generic. Try to mix it up. This will add charm to your space. We recommend referring to Architectural Digest and study the space planning. Small spaces add charm and become little characters layered on top of each other and hugs you.

“The imperfect and unusual details that might lead to problem solving can really inspire creative solutions.”

Other architectural accents like vaults and moldings and, can really add charm. Featuring some of those elements can really add a lot. Sunlight and shadows that bounce off a vault is really magical.

3. Walls

It’s all about the finishes on your walls. Most are made of gypsum and drywall and then adding a texture to it. You don’t want a lot of texture. We recommend wholly smooth texture or the lest amount of texture as possible. It’s harder to do because the imperfections can’t be hidden as well, especially on ceilings but it does create a better look.

There are different things you can add to the walls to make it charming. Certain rooms can have paneling or finish work, moldings, base work, can all add charm. Doing interesting things on your walls can add charm. The Tiger Oak entry, we paneled that whole area with additional finish work which add a mood and charm.

Wallpaper - we are a big suckers for wallpaper. Not wallpaper circa 1980, however. It can create such a vibe and a dream. Wallpaper murals can be magic and an amazing way to bring charm.

If you’re not ready to add wallpaper, do more saturation in a room. Rooms that you tuck away into or reserve for a special task, such as a library or an office, these are spaces that deserve saturation and a different persona. You gravitate to these areas differently. If you can’t paper it, paint it. It’s the cheapest way to change a space.

Don’t forget the 5th wall; the ceiling. It lifts the line and takes the tension away and helps create a charming space as well.

Art: It’s a must to hang art. It makes it feel like someone lives in your home and gives it a soul. It’s a game changer. Go bigger in spots and when the time is right, go small and intimate. Those are the charming details when you can contrast scale with your art. It’s a transportation to a more creative space. Collect art! It really is everything.

4. Flooring

Where you can, add design in tile or a hardwood floor. You can decide what direction you put your hardwood floor in. We are building a new store for Alice Lane and we are laying our floors in a diagonal. It does require about 10% more materials and a little more cost to lay it. But the line is space expanding. Herringbone floors are always great for libraries, or kitchens, or rooms that don’t have rugs. You get the payoff of hard work for incorporating patten. Historically they don’t do herringbone from baseboard to baseboard. There is usually a border that adds charm. There is also the concentric rectangle. We’ll do that in a lot of vestibules and little entry pockets.

We love to create a tile pattern. Wether that is a mosaic or you are created your own tile pattern, there is a myriad of options you can look at. Your tile can add so much charm. You don’t have to lay it straight.

If you don’t want to invest in new flooring, add a rad rug. They make such a difference. They ground and pull the room together. Make sure you go big on the rug and your room will feel expansive and give it a cozy feel.

5. Layering

When drapes show up it creates a layer of softness. You can get a cozy feel, contemporary or traditional feel with drapery. The rods and hardware also add charm. So pay attention to that. It’s like putting mascara on. It’s the layer that makes the room come alive.

Organic pieces will also help contrast the newness of your home. Usually in your travels picking up items is a great way to remember and support the local artists. Go thrifting or estate sales. That is where you can find a story to add charm to a house. Chairs are such character pieces. They are the artsy fashion moments a the side of a fireplace or at a desk. That add charm to a chair or add a stack of books on it. Add books. It says a lot about the person that lives there. It invites you to a scene. Plants or having a live tree in your house is so good and so charming. Add a fern to a pedestal. It takes it from sterile to charming. You can swap our your hardware. or heat registers, light switches. You can start at the main level and go from there.

You don’t have to rip everything out. Add the right layers and you can get the charm.

Any questions or podcast ideas? Email us at dearalice@alicelanehome.com we love hearing from you!