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Are you building the home of your dreams this year? Do you know what it takes to create a cohesive, timeless vision for your home and stick to the plan?

In case you’ve never been through the process of planning a home from scratch and all detours and the hundreds of stacked and complicated decisions that entails, I’ve rounded up my best new build advice for you here!

Build + Renovate with Confidence – Free Zoom Event

And, if you’re still worried about your new build or renovation project? Be sure to attend my FREE Zoom event at the end of this month. Both events are limited to the first 1000 guests, so add it to you calendar!

Navigate your new build or renovation projects in 2024 without regret!

Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 3 pm PST / 6 pm EST

Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 9 am PST / 12 pm EST

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My Best Advice for Your New Build

Choosing Windows: The First Decision in Your New Build

Click here to read this post | Choosing windows is the first expensive decision you’ll make in a new build. Your window colour will drive all other exterior options on your new home so you want to get it right. Here’s how to choose windows for your new construction.

Lucy Williams Interiors

Are Black Windows the Best Choice for your New Build?

Click here to read this post | Black windows with a white exterior and interior is the hottest trend going at the moment, but are they right for your new build? Here’s what you need to know before you choose black windows for your home.

thin-black-windows-new-build

Bradley Heppner

A New Build Conversation about Exterior Stone (It’s All in the Undertones)

Click here to read this post | If you are building a new house, you may be wondering which stone is right for your exterior. Choosing exterior stone for a new house is all about the undertones.

What’s the Style of YOUR New Build?

Click here to read this post | While the obsession with the modern farmhouse continues, I’d love to know what style of new home you are building (or planning to build in the future)? And, here’s my advice on which new build details can fall totally flat in your design if you aren’t careful. 

Modern farmhouse

Which Undertone Should I Choose if I’m Starting from Scratch

Click here to read this post | Getting ready to tackle a new build home? You may be asking yourself: which undertone should I choose first if I’m starting from scratch? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. 

 

The DIY Guide to Getting Your Dream Kitchen

Click here to read this article on Medium | Planning to copy your dream kitchen for your new build? Maybe you have a handful of kitchens you love and you want a mix of all of them? Here’s why you need a better plan.

Interior Design by Wamhoff Design Build found on Houzz

 

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5 Comments

  • Cornelia says:

    On my screen, the New Build Stone reads green grey…

    2
  • Virginia says:

    Hi Maria, I have a curiosity for you – we now live in London, in a late Victorian period property which is in a historic conservation area. Sometimes this means that you have no choice regarding fixed features of your home, because you must preserve the original building materials. This doesn’t often seem to be the case with many of the advice posts you have about coordinating exterior undertones, and I wonder if the rules are sometimes different ie you can just “ignore” a yellow-undertoned brick in the back part of your house when it doesn’t coordinate with your garden furniture, or whether you should choose a front door colour that pops and makes you happy regardless of how well it sits in the surrounding historic brick. Is this something you could speak to in a blog post if it’s not a big enough topic for a whole course? Cheers!

    • KNJ says:

      Hello Virginia, I’m definitely not Maria but I do understand your issue….does one pick something one loves regardless of the hard finishes. I suspect the response would be two fold. 1) I surmise it will always look like something is amiss (especially on the front of the property) unless you could decorate, design around it to ‘blend’ the item which you love but is amiss. The backyard is more private so most likely only you and your guests would see it and it may be easier to decorate/plant to minimize the mismatch……but…this is where I’m going to go off the rails from Maria…..2) since YOLO, I would pick what you love. If the end product which would be amiss (not coordinate with the undertones or clashes with the existing colour choices) doesn’t bother you, go for it. You can always change it out when you need/wish to sell the property. I think the design industry refers to such things as ‘happy mistakes.’ It brings you happiness because you truly don’t get bothered by the mismatch. Since you mentioned it being in a historic area and my sense is the British have a bit more decorum than across the pond, you may get a few more comments, snickering, questioning about your choices. I hope Maria writes a post regarding dealing with historic designations as well as living in mature neighborhoods (not dilapidated, but stately) where anything with colour jolts the neighborhood. Enjoy you time in London!

  • JS says:

    Thanks for the great advice on a kitchen design, it’s really tough to nail down a specific design so why not work from an existing design and adjust what you want. The painted cabinets are definitely trending these days and my wife loves them, but will they look old and out-dated in a decade? I guess we just re-paint them when the time comes lol.
    Unfortunately I missed the seminar, will there be another one this year?

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