If you need some help fine-tuning your Alexandria home renovation design plans, here are some suggestions for your consideration. Planning a home renovation is akin to having a blank canvas to work with. However, in order to end up with a masterpiece, you’ll need to have a clear focus with your design ideas.

1. Multi-Use Kitchen Islands

Kitchen islands can be more than just extra counter space. Depending on how much space you have available, an island in a kitchen can include either your main kitchen sink or a second sink for use during meal prep and appliances such as dishwashers and mini-fridges. Islands can be even more functional with stovetops, shelving, and varying surface heights to allow for multi-purpose use.

2. Baseboard Drawers and Other Creative Storage Options

Is your home lacking sufficient storage space? If so, consider creative renovations like adding baseboard drawers in your kitchen or bathroom. Another possibility is to use available space along the top part of walls to place shelves for items you don’t use daily. Clever storage options also include:

• Knee-wall dressers
• Wall-hung cabinets for TVs
• Built-in benches with hidden storage space
• Pull out drawers under stairs

3. Dog Shower Areas

This may seem like the ultimate in excess. But if you have one or more family dogs frequently needing to be rinsed off, having a separate shower space for dogs is a clever way to relegate pet cleaning to a certain area of your home. Plus, you can always add shelves or cabinets in the same area to store your pet supplies.

4. Raised Platforms

Do you have a larger room you want to divide during your renovation? One way to repurpose larger spaces like this is to have a raised platform built in one part of the space. The raised area can serve as a sleeping area while the lower portion could function as a sitting or relaxation area. If your home doesn’t have a dining room, the elevated part of the room could serve this purpose and the lower part could become a cozy living room. A platform raised a bit higher could also conceal a bed if you want an instant spot for overnight guests.

5. Wine Storage Under Stairs

If you need a place for your wine collection in your home, a full wine cellar can be included as part of a basement renovation. But if you don’t have space for this kind of update, wine cabinets can be built under your stairs for convenient access and appropriate storage of your various vintages.

6. Home Steam Rooms

For a different and refreshing twist on a bathroom renovation, why not consider a home steam room? This can be a welcome addition to your home if you want to soothe minor aches and pains and promote mind-body relaxation. Include S-shaped seats and you’ll have a place to lie down. Shelving for towels can also be added.

7. Mixing Up Materials

A white kitchen must have light-colored wood countertops and stainless steel fixtures, right? Not if you want create a more personalized and visually appealing space. More homeowners are ditching traditional home renovation concepts in favor of things like rustic wood range hoods combined with modern countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. The mix-and-match concept can also work with color and material combinations (e.g., two or three different wood styles of varying shades in a single room or multi-color shelving).

8. Architectural Detailing

An Alexandria home renovation is a perfect opportunity to add architectural details to your living spaces that can create entirely different looks. For instance, a large family room that naturally flows into the dining room can appear less overwhelming to the eye with a series of symmetrical beams. Visual relief can also be provided by such things as faux mantles and non-supportive columns.

9. Subtle Design Updates

Not all renovations have to dramatically alter your home. You may be surprised at how much of an impact smaller design changes like installing molding at unexpected angles, placing a larger trim around doorways and windows, or updating or completely changing lighting fixtures can have on various rooms.

10. Creative Uses for Unused Spaces

Creative renovation design is all about paying attention to details and looking for opportunities to use spaces that normally go unused, like corners or narrow spaces. This means considering things like curved brackets on narrow shelves and corner kitchen cabinets. Using narrow spaces or unused corners can also give you room for things you thought didn’t have the space for in your home, like a small corner home office crafted with a corner cabinet that has a built-in desk. You can even set up shelving in a corner by your patio door to create a mini-mudroom.

Finally, don’t entirely focus on trends with your improvement plans. It’s just as important to choose updates that match your personal preferences and lifestyle. Once you have some home renovation design ideas to work with, a home remodeling contractor can help you fine-tune the details.

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