lf planned well, renovations can be a richly rewarding experience and play an important part in enhancing the quality of life of anyone who is brave enough to take on this task. I remember reading somewhere that an exceptional house provides a frame for an extraordinary life...and with the help of a well thought out renovation plan, a house sinuously evolves into a place where you drop your inhibitions and pick up your life!

Here are a few guiding tips.

Be sympathetic to your home`s vernacular

The truth is that however hard you may try, your 45-year-old bungalow in P.E.C.H.S. will never be a post-modern masterpiece by Arshad Abdullah or a Spanish hacienda by Samar Ali Khan. I have seen friends tearing down lovely wooden windows and installing ALCOP in a bid to go the contemporary way or turning a fairly respectable house into a confused amalgamation of styles. So don`t fight with the history simply refine and update it.

Before jumping into the software side i.e. carpets, drapery, and furniture, concentrate on the hardware and get that right. If wiring needs to be concealed then this should be your priority before the flooring and paint job gets underway.

Flooring is very important and depending on your budget, you can opt for marble, tile or hard wood / laminate. Whatever you choose, do not hold back on the skirting. They provide a nice finishing touch.

Sometimes old houses simply have too many doors or windows in a room. You may want to permanently seal off some of them or vice versa. See how the layout can be improved. The idea is to de-clutter. Remember clutter can be very stressful.

False perforated ceilings with recessed lights look cheesy and too `added on` in old houses. A nice way to bring a room together is to go for decorative plaster of Paris mouldings. Choose the simpler ones as they look understated and blend well with whatever look you have in mind for your room.

Installing new wooden doors immediately adds a fresh feel to the property and is an investment. Depending on your budget, you can choose imported Malaysian doors or visit the ever-faithful Timber Market in Karachi.
The other alternative is to use the existing ones and change the hardware. If your windows and doors were painted white in 1978, scrap it off and polish them. Let the grains show.

The old tired looking ceiling fans have to go. Repainting them mars the effect you want so replace them with new ones. Do not compromise on this expense and you will be delighted with the result. The tube lights also do not belong in the house anymore so out they must go.

Every room needs an accent wall and textured paint finishes are ideal for this. A fresh coat of paint is actually a very affordable option to change the look of your house. For the interiors, neutrals are a good bet any day; use one or two degree darker shade of similar colour for the accent wall. A word of advice — in subtlety lies beauty.

Another safe bet would be to use wallpaper with bold geometric designs on the accent wall.

Instant Art

Framed printed posters on the walls are passé. Get your family involved in an art project and experiment with oil colours and charcoal. Draw abstract designs and use as much colour as possible. Have them professionally framed and hang similar ones together in a series. The result will be quite dramatic and the experience will be unforgettable.

First Impression

The renovation is not quite complete if the lawn is ignored. Change the soil and the grass. Leave the old trees but clear out the rest. Most of the lawns tend to have a rather predictable grass-in-the-centre-and-flowerbeds-on-the-sides layout. Maybe we can be adventurous this time.

Instead of the conventional flowerbed on the side layout, why not have it in the centre of the lawn in octagonal or hexagonal shape with Malaysian Palm in the centre. Accentuate the shape with marble chips or slightly larger sized pebbles. Plant additional smaller sized flowerbeds on the four corners in the shape of paisleys.

Create walkways with stones and do use floor lights and diyas for special evenings. Just think out of the box and do what you have not done before.