Adding wow factor to your home extension
2025,04,24
Adding wow factor to your home extension
Tips and ideas to create a truly breath-taking home.
When planning your home extension or renovation adding wow factor doesn’t have to cost a fortune to achieve, but it will take imagination. Like an architect, you will need to visualise the space. One of the main things about wow factor is that the design feature takes you by surprise, something you didn’t expect in the space.
Frame your views
Position your windows to make the most of outside views. Whether you are lucky enough to have a home with idyllic vistas or simply overlook your back garden, plan your window sightlines. Frame views well so windows become naturally eye-catching features. If the view isn’t particularly pretty, you could consider landscaping and how to develop a more attractive setting, perhaps planting an ornamental tree or adding large planters. This way every day can be brightened by beautiful views of the changing seasons when you relax with a cup of coffee and reflect on life.
Different shaped windows
After you have worked out which direction your windows face, think about the shapes and sizes you want. Many people spend a lot of time considering whether to go for bifold, sliding or French doors but never think beyond the standard rectangular shapes. Windows can be any shape you want – circular, octagonal, or even zig zag. Remember feature windows don’t have to open; they can be fixed. Perhaps a mix of different shapes and sizes could be more creative and add an element of surprise. Ask your architect for advice on the best shapes and sizes to complement your design and maximise views.
Be ahead of the curve
Think outside the box. Home extensions don’t have to be four straight walls and a flat roof. This cylindrical master bedroom suite at the end of one wing of a bespoke, L-shaped home is a great example. The curves are built into the architecture of the building. Externally, the curved walls act as a foil to strong, vertical lines. Inside the bathroom, mosaic tiles draw attention to the curving wall and lead the eye around the space. Curves can be introduced on a smaller scale too. Maybe a handcrafted kitchen with curved cabinetry and circular islands or breakfast tables and pocket doors that open to reveal a fully stocked bar or even home office. Other 21st century twists might include a pop-up TV.
Drops in floor level, raised ceiling heights and double height spaces can all transform a home into something unexpected. Rich visual experiences are key to making the spaces we inhabit inspiring. Consider creating interior views that allow you to see from one space through to a second or third in the distance. This luxurious, open plan interior with views from the kitchen area and out to a terrace as well as to the entrance hall with a cantilevered stone staircase is brimming with wow factor. However, this effect can be created on a more modest scale, too. Creating and framing views with internal glazed doors from a living area to a kitchen and garden beyond, for instance.
