How To Renovate

EP48 No Vanilla Renos Please!

• Tash South • Season 1 • Episode 48

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What makes a home truly special? It's not the magnolia walls or the  generic fixtures that developers often choose to please everyone—and ends  up inspiring no one!

Whether you're renovating to stay or planning to  sell later, the "vanilla renovation" approach robs your space of the very thing that makes a house feel like a home: personality.

Join  me inside as I make the case against soulless renovations and share ways for creating spaces with character, that will still appeal to future buyers. 

We explore the balance between timeless  foundations and bold accents, examining how thoughtful material  selections can elevate  your home, but without risking resale value. 
Contrary to what seems to be the common developer mindset, homes with personality often command higher prices and attract more interested buyers. 

I chat about how you can add your own DNA into the design with confidence, but still maintain that balance, and how neutral doesn't have to mean magnolia or white. 
I also share my own adventures in painting an entire living room (ceiling included)  black!

Hit play to break free from the developer mindset that results in forgettable  spaces.
I’ll see you inside!

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Hi I'm your host, Tash South I'm an Interior Designer and Renovation Consultant.
Each episode of How To Renovate is short, but brimming with practical advice to help you manage your renovation project with confidence and success.

Grab some more renovation advice & free resources and become part of the South Place Studio Renovation Community at
https://www.southplacestudio.com/freebies

Everything I teach about renovation falls within my Five Pillar Process for A Successful Renovation, to learn more about the process, head to
https://www.southplacestudio.com/pillars


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Speaker 1:

Hello, hello, hello everybody, and welcome back to the how to Renovate podcast. It's Tash here. I hope you're having a good week. So far it's been a good week here, just super busy, as always. Kids keep me busy, work keep me busy. But you know I like being busy, so that's okay. So this week on the podcast oh, I'm getting a bit controversial, we're talking about vanilla podcast. Oh, I'm getting a bit controversial, we're talking about vanilla renovations.

Speaker 1:

Now there are very few things that annoy me, but, um, vanilla renovations are one of them, and by vanilla renovations I just mean, you know, those ones where usually it's done by a developer who's not really put any thought into the home. They just want to make it as bland as possible so as not to offend anybody, and hoping that it will appeal to everybody and then try and sell the home that way. But I really, really believe that, whether you're a developer listening or you're a homeowner listening, um, I just please add some personality into your renovations. It doesn't have to be crazy, it doesn't have to be out there and bold and, you know, put people off buying it if you're a developer. But people want some personality in their homes. So, you know, start them off at a good place, because if you're renovating for yourself, of course I always think your home should reflect who you are. Even if you're thinking of renovating and then selling on, even in a year or two, there are things you can do to make the property not only more interesting for the next buyer, but also you're going to be living there for a while. So you know you want a place that's inspiring, that reflects a bit of who you are. I mean, I don't know anybody who just wants to live in a cream or grey box for a few years.

Speaker 1:

So this episode I want to get into just a few points. It's going to be quite a short episode, but just a few ideas on what you can do to avoid those kind of soulless vanilla renovations. And again, if you're a developer listening, please don't do this come and come and have a chat with me. Send me an email. I'll help you not to make your, your properties so vanilla. So Give me a call, we'll have a chat. Okay, moving on.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so firstly, adding your own design DNA into the property. So this will definitely avoid that kind of bland feeling. And I think when you're renovating and you're doing a big renovation where you know you're tearing things out, you're demoing and you're about to kind of rearrange, rip out, start again, for example, it's the perfect time to really think about how you can bring some personality and some design into the space, and that's with materials. So that's choosing something a little bit more interesting when it comes to tiles, flooring, taps, kitchen cabinet doors, kitchen worktops. You know you don't always have to go for the cream, the white and the standard. You can really make intentional choices with your materials, just to have a bit more personality. And that could be something as simple as having some something slightly different in the tone of the wood, like going for real wood, so going for engineered wood over laminate. Just these simple kind of changes, just making it feel a little bit more real, a little bit more upmarket, a little bit more textural, will really really upgrade how the space feels.

Speaker 1:

And that also extends to tiles. I mean, like I said at the start, you don't have to go crazy and choose, you know, navy tiles or pink tiles, but choose something with a bit of interest. It can still be neutral, but perhaps choose something with a bit of texture, maybe something that looks like it's got, um, perhaps a marble grain in it, or a terrazzo that's still subtle, or you know there's, there are ways you can do this and things you can choose so that you can really give your space some personality when it comes to kind of the renovation stage. So I'm talking about the things that you're actually going to be built in and stuck to the walls, like your fire, like your tiles, wooden flooring, your kitchen worktops, that kind of stuff. I think you need to start there, bringing in some personality, and I do think it can be subtle but still look good and not be boring. So this episode is not about telling you to go crazy with your design, particularly if you're going to be reselling later on. It's about letting you know that you can still choose things with some personality, with some texture, something that's a bit more elevated that will actually, at the end of the day, make your home be worth more money, because if you have something that's not just like any other developer property out there, something with some character to it, that's going to actually invite more interest into the home and invite more offers.

Speaker 1:

So take some time to not just go with standard and choose well, which moves us on really nicely to number two, which is balance. So, like I said, going for personality or adding personality into your, your renovation, doesn't mean you have to be reckless and paint every wall a different color. You know there's a balance between the two. Balance some boldness with timelessness. So I would say, choose kind of timelessness on those things you can't change very easily, like the wooden floors, like some beautiful tiles, like some really beautiful taps perhaps, and then you can balance that with some boldness in the other elements that might be easier to change. So that could be wall colors, for example, or it could be furniture, or it could be cabinetry or freestanding pieces of furniture. So that's how you can balance the two so you can have a really good beautiful base, so that shell of everything that's kind of fixed to the walls that you can't take with you and you can be more considered with those more timeless, make some really good choices. It doesn't always have to be the most expensive thing on the market, but you can really choose. Well now you can choose some really beautiful things that don't cost the earth. So balance those two out, balance out your material choices and your finishes in the property and then balance that with some boldness and some personality that you add in with some other things that might be easier to change.

Speaker 1:

And another thing you can balance on this point is old and new. So I always talk about bringing in some antiques and balancing the old and the new. So obviously, when you're renovating from scratch, you are going to be you have to be choosing quite a lot of new things to go in, like the tiles and the wooden flooring and all of those things. For example, most people choose new. They don't really choose second hand for those kinds of things. But you can balance that out with some more kind of antique pieces, some older pieces perhaps. For example, I've seen where people have used old bench tops or school bench tops and perhaps they've done a kitchen island in that or they've used that elsewhere in the home as a countertop or as a desk. So think about how adding some older pieces, some more characterful pieces, into the home can balance out the old and the new, because that's also a lovely way of just bringing interest to a home and just avoiding that kind of bland vanilla feel.

Speaker 1:

And then that leads on to number three, which is confidence. So you know it's your home, whether you're going to sell it in a few years time or you're going to live there for a longer time, do it with confidence. You can balance, like I, like we just said in point two, balance with confidence. So choose your materials with confidence. Make Make sure that if you're not wanting to go extreme with your material choices and you still want your base to be neutral, but elegant and beautiful still, so you can make those choices and then bring in the kind of balanced pieces so they're bolder pieces with confidence. So just own it and especially if it's something that you can change more easily down the line, if there's something that you love it's a little bit crazy perhaps it's an antique piece, perhaps you want to paint the ceiling gold do it and do it with confidence and live with it for a while. And these things really bring personality to a space.

Speaker 1:

And then, of course, we've got the whole other element of the styling. So you're starting with your renovation, which you are now not going to start with vanilla anymore. You're going to start it with some more interesting, elegant, better choices for your materials. Then you can layer in some pieces of furniture with some boldness and then you can style with confidence. So bring in those elements, like from your heritage, from your travels, bring in the colours that you love, the textures, the textiles, layer those up. Bring in you know there's some interesting window treatments. Bring in some amazing artworks, some sculptural pieces. Just, you know, do it with confidence, and there are ways that you can make sure that these things work together. So just be confident and just trust that a home with personality will always be better than one that just blends in and just looks like every other one out there. So if you're wanting a home that really is an extension of who you are, that you want to feel comfortable in, that you want to feel like it's yours and it's your precious space, then really just bring in some personality and do it with confidence.

Speaker 1:

Something that I've done in my own home that I know not everybody loves is I have painted my entire living room black. I've painted the walls and the ceiling black. Now it is in a separate room. It actually leads off of the open plan kitchen diner and it has a large panel of glass on the side and it also has a large skylight above. So actually it's it gets quite a lot of light, um, so I think it can handle the dark color, but that is something that totally I wanted to do. I didn't really consider anyone else's opinion, I just did it with confidence. I wanted to it to feel like a snug. It was.

Speaker 1:

It's a small space anyways, and it's where we watch tv as a family and I wanted it to feel like a little mini cinema, so when you're watching tv you're in a dark place and you can get cozy. It's got a little fireplace in there, so that was kind of my inspiration for it. But it just went totally bold. I just I didn't kind of say, oh, let's keep the ceiling white, because I'm a bit worried, I'll just put the black everywhere walls, ceiling, shelving, everywhere and then I added loads of plants and some objects from my travels and so on to the shelves, lots of books, lots books, some pictures of the family, to break up the black a bit. But I really really still love that space, even though I did it quite a few years ago now, and I think you just have to have the confidence to do it and because if you love it, then just do it. You're the one that has to live in the home and you don't always have to impress other people who come into your home. I know there are people who come in and probably hate it, but they don't have to live there. They can paint their living room whatever colour they want to. So I just think, own your decision. And I still say a home with personality is better than a bland one, so I would just encourage you to go for it. And then, lastly, number four is to renovate for you, not the next buyer.

Speaker 1:

Now I know we've talked about resale in this episode and I think I've covered how you can think about resale in terms of thinking about the materials and keeping those kind of neutral. But still interesting, and I think just back onto that point, neutral doesn't always just have to be white or cream or grey. Gentle tones of greens can be a neutral. The colour of stone or using stone tiles that can be seen as a neutral. So there are lots of neutrals out there. Don't, I think, be tied to the thought that neutral has to be white or cream. Lots of colours work really well as a neutral. I think pale, very pale pink is a great neutral as well. So explore what neutral means and how you can bring some of that into your choices as well.

Speaker 1:

One of the biggest reasons people go for the more bland beige, vanilla renos is because they're thinking about reselling or they're a developer and they want, like I said, to not offend anybody. But I think, unless you're flipping the property immediately, you're the one living in it. So you know design for your happiness first, and actually I found that buyers respond more to a home with personality. I've renovated and sold quite a few properties now myself and I've always followed what I've talked about in this episode, where I'm doing things thoughtfully for the future in terms of, especially in terms of layout. So when you're renovating and you're changing layouts, always think really carefully about function. It functions well, how it can function well for you and those who will come next, and perhaps how it can be flexible and easily adapted. But when it comes to actual finishes and so on, buyers respond more to home with personality.

Speaker 1:

In just the property that I renovated last year, in 2024, that was going to be resold, I went for neutrals, like I went for green in the tiles with brushed nickel taps. In the bathroom I went for brass. In another bathroom, with quite a dramatic porcelain effect, faux marble, I went for wooden flooring throughout. So you know, just picking things with some personality and then also, if you're selling, staging it with personality as well actually attracts more buyers, and I know that for sure because every property that I've renovated has actually sold quite quickly and also has sold for one of the highest prices on the street. So I do know that these points work, and I'm always talking about renovating for yourself first. But we mustn't just ignore the fact that homes do need to be sold for various reasons. It can be any reasons down the line and we must think ahead to those as well. But I maintain that a home with personality will definitely attract more attention, more buyers, higher offers if it's done right.

Speaker 1:

So I hope you found this episode really useful everybody. If you did, let me know, send me an email, drop me a comment, just click the subscribe button If you'd like to follow the podcast. It really does help, help us. It helps us kind of move up a little bit, helps other people find us who might need this information as well. So thank you so much. Thanks for listening and I hope to see you in the next episode. I'll see you then. Bye. For now, for more information on my five pillar process for successful renovation, you can go directly to southplacestudiocom forward slash pillars, where you'll find an introduction to the process, which covers each of the pillars and what they cover. Go now to southplacestudiocom forward slash freebies. I have created some amazing freebies for you there. There is one on the process, like we just said. There is one on planning permission, there is one on kitchen design, there is another one on lighting planning. Go and check those out. There's so much free information there to help you with your renovation.