Make first-time house a home
Interior architect gives journalist Aoife top advice for when budget and space is tight
Journalist AOIFE MORIARTY recently bought her first home. It’s a huge achievement, but now she’s tasked with the challenge of kitting it out. Here, design expert and PTSB Ideal Homes Show favourite Susan Mcgowan advises Aoife - and other first-time buyers - how to go about furnishing a whole house when time, space and budgets are tight.
If you manage to get a foot on the property ladder, you might be surprised to learn that the journey doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s only just the beginning.
I recently became a homeowner for the first time, and I’m delighted to finally have a place to call my own.
Given the ongoing housing crisis and how tough it was to get to this point, I feel extremely fortunate to be in this position.
But I wasn’t prepared for all the decision-making that would come afterwards – from redecorating and furnishing a house from scratch to deciding which upgrades need to be made to my small, North Dublin terrace.
My budget is limited and prioritisation is key. It’s difficult to decide what’s needed right now and what to push down the list.
Interior architect Susan Mcgowan, founder and creative director of design firm Ashen & Cloud, said her advice to any new homeowner would be to invest in facelift changes to walls, floors and ceilings as a priority.
“When you invest in the fixtures and fittings of your house, you’re investing in the property,” she said.
FIXTURES
“Things like furniture will come or evolve in time. I would definitely encourage people to invest in work where floors need to be changed or lighting fixtures, or curtain fittings, because that will have longevity.”
Susan – an ambassador for DFS furniture store – said first-time homeowners often feel tempted to “rush out and finish the place”.
“The number one issue is filling the house with stuff that will do ‘for now’,” she said.
“I understand it. You’ve just bought a home, you want everybody over, you want to be able to have it done. You’re brimming with excitement.
“As hard as it is to live with bare spaces or without something, try to resist that, and give yourself time to find those little gems.”
When it comes to soft furnishings however, there’s room to go a little wilder, according to the design expert.
Susan said: “Often when people are making big choices – with sofas or beds and that sort of thing – they’ll play it safe.
“You can kind of up the ante overall with the soft furnishings. That’s where you get to bring in texture, pattern, and all those things to make it more interesting. That comes in with art, decorative objects, cushions, throws.”
As for making the most of a small home, her advice is to invest in quality joinery and built-in storage like wardrobes and bookshelves, as well as good planning.
She explained: “The 101 of interior design is to plan the space first. It sounds
No1 issue is filling your house with stuff that will do
‘for now’ SUSAN MCGOWAN ON FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNERS
so basic, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t measure the area their sofa is going, or buy something, and it doesn’t end up fitting. Plan everything going into the space.
“Have in your mind the collection of things needed for the room. Literally catalogue it. Make a list of it.”
She also suggests using visual apps like Photogrid or Pinterest to collect links to furniture and decor to create collages.
“When I’m shopping for my own house, I just save things to my phone and then I’ll get Photogrid app and put them together to see how they look,” Susan said. “You’ll know yourself if something is not working. If you see it all together on the page, your eye will pick out the problem.”
When it comes to trends like a marbletopped kitchen or a free-standing bath, should people worry about the longevity?
“It’s never going to be a trend if you love it” the award-winning designer said. “My kitchen went in five years
ago, and the trends have really moved on since then. But I still love it.
“It doesn’t matter if it passes in and out of a trend. It was right for the space, it’s still right, and you love it.”
The PTSB Ideal Home Show returns to Dublin’s RDS Simmonscourt from April 26 to 28. Susan Mcgowan will be there today at 2pm on the DFS Interiors Theatre stage with Jo Linehan. idealhome.ie.