Remodel Tips
REMODEL TIPS FROM COLLECTIVE DESIGN’S PROS
At Collective Design, we love a good remodel. There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from helping clients transform their existing residences into homes they love. We typically undertake remodels that fall into one of the following five broad categories, outlined here with a few tips from our pros on how to make the most of a renovation. Which remodel personality are you?
1. Furnishings: You love your home’s bones and space, but the bear-paw-print upholstery and heavy wood tables no longer suit your style. Our furniture store team and designers are perfectly positioned to give your home a full furnishings overhaul, complete with accessories that make the space feel styled and finished.
Pro Tip: Often old furnishings aren’t scaled properly for a home. When you right-size your anchor pieces—sofas, chairs, dining tables—you suddenly improve the flow and feel of the home without moving a single wall!
2. Cosmetic finishes: In addition to new furnishings and accessories, you need new paint and fixtures—lighting, plumbing, the works. Collective’s interior design team can create an entire new look within your existing walls—with consult from the architecture team if there’s any need for a shift in interior architectural elements. “Adding such things as wallcoverings and fresh textures, updating lighting, fixing drywall before you paint—all of these things make a huge impact on a home,” says Design Director Lisa Yates.
Pro Tip: If you’re updating your lighting, tell your design team you want to change out your old can lights to accommodate LED bulbs. “They replicate the color of outdoor light better,” Lisa says.
3. Structural changes: The minute you decide to move a wall, a window, or a door, you’re into a structural remodel—in which case, you want to employ architectural service. Collective’s integrated team of architects and designers makes it easy to access a full design team simultaneously. “We often lead these remodel efforts while our interiors colleagues speak to all of the details,” says lead architect Zane Levin. “The benefit is that we can coordinate to save our clients time and money and prevent headaches.” What’s more, Collective’s partner construction company, Pinnacle Mountain Homes, offers additional integration as a building partner, so you have all three professional services under a single (literal) roof.
Pro Tip: As soon as you get into construction mode, you’ll want to move out. “You should never live in the house during a remodel,” Zane says. “It’s not good for anybody!”
4. Addition: Many of Collective’s clients come to us wanting to expand their home’s square footage. Our team easily connects existing structures with additions to make the new home an integrated design when the addition is complete.
Pro Tip: An addition is an excellent time to update your home’s exterior with your design team. “Even just painting the trim and fascia can add depth and character,” Lisa says. “Your designer can help you choose the right colors to give the house a whole new look.”
5. Partial or complete gut: This one is, of course, the most major of the remodel options. “In some cases, we’re basically rebuilding the house,” Zane says. “I love these remodels because it gives us a chance to be creative within interesting constraints—we want to preserve a footprint or a view out a window. We hear from the client what they love about their home, and then we work with our interiors team to make the rest of the home fit the clients’ vision.”
Pro Tip: If you’re going to remodel a room, don’t do it halfway. “We really believe in doing the full package, even if it means touching less of the house,” Zane says. “If you’re going to redo the great room, redo the finishes, the lighting, the furnishings, the paint, everything. You’ll enjoy it more—and you can move slowly through the house if you need, doing things right as you go.”
Collective’s team welcomes the opportunity to meet with you and discuss your remodel goals—and how we can become your partner in designing a home you love!
