If we were playing 'word association', what words would you associate with the concept of 'design' or 'designer'? Probably something along the lines of 'good looking', 'stylish', 'appealing', 'desirable'. And 'expensive'. Am I right?

What if I told you that when renovating your property (whether your own home or an investment property), you can achieve all those things - a good looking, stylish, appealing, desirable property - without the expensive price tag?

You see, the concept 'designer' is just that - a concept. Not a price tag. If you use the principles of good design when you renovate your property, then it doesn't matter how much or little (within reason) you spend on it, you will still get a designer result. Regardess of what your property looks like now then you WILL create a more designer looking property if you use the principles of good design. However, because like most people, many of the designer properties you've ever seen are new and undoubtedly expensive, there is a perception that spending lots of money is the only way to achieve a great looking property.

That - I am happy to say - is simply not true! Have you ever seen an expensive property that does not look 'designer'. Of course you have. And that's because whoever made the colour/finishes and other design choices on that expensive but poorly designed property did not have an appreciation of good design.

On the other hand - have you ever seen a cheaper property that looks designer? I'm sure you've seen many! That's because whoever made the colour/finishes and other design choices relating to that renovation knew what they were doing (ie had an understanding of how to apply good design to that property).

This is great news for property investors whose main intention with their renovation is to maximise the return they get from every single dollar they spend.

The 'design principles' are a set of rules that designers, architects, artists etc. all around the world use in their work. There are many of these design principles, but the ones we mainly work with here at Hotpace (and are those that you should consider when doing your own renovations) are Focus, Cohesion/Repetition and Balance.

Here's a bit about each one of these Design Principles so you can get a greater understanding of how you can use them and why they are so important to the choices you make when you renovate your property:

Cohesion/Repetition: This is when you use your design choices to create a ‘flow’ through the property. You repeat similar elements and details (colours, shapes, textures) throughout to create a sense of cohesion from one space to the next

Focus: This is where you have one good focal point per room/area - to help relax the viewers eye and provide ‘meaning’ to a space. You can also use Focus to draw attention away from imperfections in the property (very useful - especially when renovating on a budget!)

Balance: This is when you create a 'balanced' (and more aesthetically pleasing) look to a space/area by using the right colours, shapes and scale (sizes of things). This is the most abstract of the design principles but probably the most important. It is the consideration of 'visual weights' to create a balanced, even space out of an unbalanced, uneven looking space. I know that sounds a bit cryptic - so if you want to find out more, Google it.

So, now you know why properties professionally designed tend to have an 'edge' about them. And most importantly, now you know that you can transform your own property in 'designer style' if you employ the design principles in your design plan.