Home Renovation Trends of 2018 (for Perth and beyond)

When it comes to home renovations and improvement, each new year brings an abundance of fresh designs and trends that are spotted and implemented by designers and home owners alike. As a boutique home builder specialising in house renovations across Perth, we get the insider knowledge of what home owners across WA’s capital are finding hot and not, with our top 5 renovation trends listed below.

1. A Parents’ Retreat

The typical family home in Perth consists of a few bedrooms, a few bathrooms, a kitchen and a shared living space where the family can spend time together. While this is great for helping families bond and enjoy each other’s company, over half of our home renovation projects are actually requests to add a parents’ retreat to the existing house’s structure. Why is this such a popular trend? As a lot of parents know, it can be hard to spend quality time with just each other, and even just to unwind for an hour or two – a parents’ retreat provides the perfect place to escape (and to showcase your nicest furniture and décor without fear of it being accidentally destroyed by a boisterous child!).

A parents’ retreat can be as simple as converting an existing room into one where you can escape and unwind in peace, or building an extension (or even a whole second storey) to their home. In fact, many of our clients request a whole second storey to be added to their home with the sole purpose of it being a parents’ paradise, with a master bedroom, ensuite and “retreat room”.

These retreats can include anything from looking like a normal lounge area with a small library, to ones that include a bar and entertaining area – the sky is the limit! You’ve worked hard to own your home, why not create a space just for you to enjoy it?

One of our favourite parents’ retreats to create was through a second storey modular addition for this Mt Hawthorn home, which was completed in just 6 weeks!

2. Outdoor Entertaining Taken To The Next Level

Long gone are the days of an outdoor area consisting of some chairs and a lonely barbeque in the corner. With houses designed more and more for entertaining, 2018 will surely see this continue, moving out to include the humble alfresco.

When it comes to an outdoor space in Perth homes, people are increasingly looking at using this as a second living area, with tvs, bar fridges, sofas, speakers, mood lighting, electric fireplaces, built-in benches with full stove tops and ovens… the list goes on!

A combination of Perth’s relatively nice weather year-round, as well as the need to make the most of the space available in decreasing land sizes contributes to this rising renovation trend, with the end result able to be as low key or luxurious as you would like! So, if you feel as though your existing house is a bit cramped, why not turn your unused outdoor area into a stunning multi-functional space that you can enjoy all year round with friends and family galore.

Credit Source: brookegiannetti

3. Maximising Space

When it comes to most homes, having enough space is nearly always an issue. Those with older homes often find that while their yards are quite spacious, their actual house is quite limited in the space available and often rooms like bathrooms are quite small and cramped. Those with newer homes constructed in the last 20 years are, more often than not, built on smaller block sizes. This has caused room sizes to be smaller in an effort to squeeze in an extra bedroom here or a second bathroom there. That’s why smart moves to maximise your space is definitely a top renovation trend, and one of the main reasons we get so much work across Perth!

Maximising your home’s space can include extreme space maximisation such as adding additional rooms or even a whole second storey to your house, or more small scale space utilisation such as increasing the storage in various rooms throughout the house. Some renovation hacks to increase your space if you aren’t looking at extreme modifications to your house can include adding over-head cabinets throughout the house, getting custom, bespoke built-in cabinetry to your rooms to create new wardrobes (see below for more on this which is a trend of its own this year!) and built-in shelving, and even better utilising existing spaces – if you have a raised bed, why not use specially designed boxes that can slide underneath to store your shoes and extra linen, or purchasing 2-1 furniture pieces like a storage ottoman, or tables with drawers.

4. Large, Luxurious Walk-In Robes

No longer seen only on the Instagram profiles of the rich and famous, a luxury walk-in robe can be easily obtained by us mere mortals also, and we are seeing this more and more in the Perth renovation market. This generally includes bespoke cupboard designs, either in the existing wardrobe space if it’s large enough or, more commonly, building an entirely new one to replace the cramped robe area they had before (if at all).

Often when large-scale renovations are being considered such as adding extensions and second storeys, a new walk-in robe is up on there on the list of rooms to include to help turn an ordinary master bedroom into an extraordinary one.

When it comes to a new walk-in robe, it’s all about finding that mix of practicality and luxury. Ensure you have a space for everything – long dresses, shorter shirts, shoes, ties, hats and jewellery. Mirrors, designer lighting and a dressing island are also highly recommended to ensure your new wardrobe looks anything but plain. Having a separate vanity area for makeup application is also highly desired, and some people even take it to the next level with a sound system and tv. If this is your dream, you might as well go all out! The image here is of a custom-designed walk-in robe for our client in Highgate – find out more about how we transformed a small cottage into a luxurious house complete with theatre and dream closet here.

5. Upside-Down Living

A home renovation trend that started becoming well known a few years ago but is only growing in prominence each year, is the concept of upside-down living, also known as reversed living. More and more people who have existing two storey houses are choosing to restructure their current design so that the kitchen and living areas are on the second floor, with the bedrooms downstairs; a twist on the more traditional format, hence the name “upside-down living”. The reason behind this is simple – to show off your views better! Many people would rather see their views while they are cooking, dining or entertaining, instead of being restricted to seeing these views only when they look out their bedroom windows, often when it’s too dark to see much.

For those considering a second storey, they are also building the kitchen and living areas in their new addition, and converting the existing areas downstairs into additional bedrooms, studies, theatres, and even extra living spaces for children. It’s the perfect way to ensure you’re taking the best advantage of those stunning views you’ve paid for! One of our clients in Fremantle employed us to do this, and says it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. You can find out more here.

While these are the trending renovation projects we are seeing this year, when it comes to renovating your own home, anything is possible! Undertaking a renovation project on your house can be a big investment, so it’s important you take into consideration things like your existing home’s structure, your budget and council regulations before employing anyone to start transforming your current home into your dream house.

The Perth Home Renovation Specialists

The team at Nexus work closely with all of our clients to ensure that every step of the renovation process is completed to the highest possible standards and that nothing is missed, which might cause you problems later down the line. If you’re thinking 2018 is the year you finally take the plunge and renovate your Perth home, contact our Director for a free consultation. Now’s the perfect time to make your dream a reality!