Show and tell at new-builds
YOU may not be planning to move anywhere soon but if there are new-build properties on sale near you it’s often worth taking a tour of the show home.You could pick up some useful interior design tips and find out about the latest devices to help save energy and reduce bills.
From solar panels to state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems – designed to refresh stale air in your home while retaining its warmth – there’s a whole new world of energy-efficiency solutions that many of us living in older homes know little about.
Visit a new-build show home and at the very least you’ll find inspiration on how to organise your kitchen if you’re planning an update and most developers hire specialist interior designers, so you can copy their ideas.
Miller Homes North East’s Longridge Farm development in the Northumberland market town of Bedlington, 10 miles from Newcastle, has a show home with interiors designed to reflect the development’s eco-friendly ethos.
Fabric made from recycled plastic bottles has been used for curtains and furniture is made from reclaimed wood and other natural materials, while the soft green, blue and teal colour scheme has a calming affect.
“We have tried to keep the entire house as natural as possible,” says Becki McClurry from Newcastle-based Q Interiors. “We’ve used pendant lights made of rattan while windows are simply dressed with cotton voiles – which filter the light beautifully – on natural wooden poles.The aim throughout was to create a feeling of tranquillity and understated luxury.
“This isn’t about shiny, hard surfaces; it’s about mellow wood and butter-soft fabrics that you would never guess had been manufactured from plastic bottles.
“We’ve taken great care to source furnishings that are as beautiful as they are environmentally-friendly and the lounge rug is just one example of that. Large and in an antique Persian-style, in muted shades of green, blue and cream, it too is made from recycled plastic bottles but it is stunning to look at and to feel underfoot.”
Around 165 two to five-bedroom homes are for sale in phase two of the Longridge Farm development and sales director Lauren Angus says the location has been extremely popular.
“You really have all the benefits of semirural living,” she says. “The development is surrounded by open countryside and is close to the coast, while being only a very short distance from Newcastle.
BUYERS are increasingly keen to be closer to nature and these new houses have been created to the highest standard with some really fantastic features and they are also energy efficient – and that matters more than ever.”
Buyers at Miller Homes developments in Northumberland, County Durham, North Tyneside and Tyne & Wear are currently being offered a choice of incentives.
These include a mortgage offer of 1.87 per cent for an initial fixed term, or a five per cent deposit paid by the developer plus free carpets, or a part exchange offer that includes a deposit contribution. Homes at Longridge Farm include three-bedroom houses from £196,950 and four bedrooms from £270,000 (03301 731846; millerhomes.co.uk).