5 Design Ideas for Creative Room Renovations

Remodelling and renovating rooms can make it feel like you’ve moved into a new home – but knowing where to start is often the biggest hurdle. Here are some creative renovation projects to get you started.

1. Hall or nothing

First impressions count and as the first area of the home to greeted you, the hallway is important to get right. A well-designed hallway will set the tone for the rest of the property, as homeowners Christine and Jan discovered when they set about renovating their 100 year old home.

Part of the reason they fell in love with the house was its hallway, with its beautiful stained glass window in the door. However, the rest of the decor was letting it down.

They sanded down the original floorboards, restored a stunning wooden staircase, stripped back dated wallpaper and incorporated Thistle Magnetic Plaster from British Gypsum into their design. Magnetic Plaster was applied to two walls in the entry hall. Once dry, Christine and Jan painted over it with a fresh white Farrow &Ball colour and started to get creative with their flexible space.

One ingenious way Jan and Christine are using the wall is as a storage solution to hang scarves and bags when guests visit. “We don’t really want a coat stand in the hallway – they always look messy and end up full of clutter, so we figured that we’d really try to make the most of our new magnetic wall and have coat hooks that we can attach to the wall as and when we need them,” says Christine.

2. Sound asleep

Whether it’s rowdy next door neighbours or noise pollution from within the home, it’s important to consider whether sound solutions are required before any room renovations are carried out. It wasn’t until homeowners Gareth Dunn and his wife moved into their new semi-detached house that they realised noise was a major issue, especially in the master bedroom where sound carried through from the house next door.

“Although we were always aware of sound coming from next door, it wasn’t until they had a baby that we realised how thin the walls actually were,” says Gareth. “Obviously the baby is up during the night and as the noise travelled through the walls we were being kept awake too. This really affected our day-to-day lives.”

After fitting Low Space Liner from British Gypsum’s range of sound solution products, Gareth has noticed the noise travelling through the bedroom wall has significantly reduced.

3. Beautiful bedroom

Your bedroom is your personal sanctuary, yet often gets overlooked when it comes to room renovation. Homeowner Lori Arnold was used to creating Instagram-worthy interiors but felt that, when it came to a full-scale makeover, her bedroom was not feeling the love.

Full of mismatched furniture and general clutter, a total makeover was required. Lori incorporated Thistle Magnetic Plaster into the design overhaul so that she could easily attach lights, shelving and artwork to the wall to create a feminine look with a tropical twist.

“I pored through Pinterest for ideas and pulled together a look with a mix of pale colours, stylish wall lights, big mirrors and interesting magazine storage. Then I bought a rubber plant to finish the design, as I’d always wanted one!” says Lori. “I decided to use the Magnetic Plaster on the wall behind the bed so that we could easily display some cool prints and create some statement lighting.”

To complete the look, Lori upcycled old pieces of furniture, used storage boxes to hide household clutter and replaced the curtains to match the colour scheme.

4. Out in the open

Open-plan living has become more and more popular, with many homeowners choosing to transform their formerly separate kitchen and dining rooms into one large open plan area.

So when the Cherry family’s 1930’s home no longer worked for them, they decided to embark on an extensive remodel which involved reorganising the interior layout. The trouble with open-plan areas, however, is that it can be difficult to make room for storage.

To tackle this issue, the family opted for British Gypsum’s Gyproc Habito, a plasterboard with a reinforced core making it five times stronger than regular plasterboard, throughout the home and the newly extended kitchen.

“Because it’s so much stronger than normal plasterboard, we could be much more flexible in the design of the kitchen. We weren’t limited by how much the walls could support so we didn’t have to make sacrifices, says Susannah Cherry. “We could have the cupboards, shelves and appliances wherever we wanted without worrying if the walls could support the weight.”

5. Superior studies

Undoubtedly, study rooms and offices have now become an integral part of our homes. So it’s important to make sure this space looks well organised and can be utilised for multiple purposes.

Homeowner Melanie Barnes decided to tackle her cluttered office in the hope that, once re-worked, it would make a huge impact on her day-to-day life.

To maximise space, Melanie incorporated a magnetic wall behind her desk using Thistle Magnetic Plaster. While the main aim was to create a functional workspace, Melanie also didn’t want it to look too much like an office. Instead of attaching her work schedule to the wall, she put up photo magnets of things to inspire her, including her family, published articles and pictures.

“One of the best things about this room makeover is how organised it has made me. I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful, creative hideaway!” says Melanie.

Sarah White is residential sector manager at British Gypsum. She has 16 years’ experience in the construction industry and has long championed the cause of improving the quality of new build homes across the UK. As a manufacturer, British Gypsum is committed to supporting self-builders to create their dream homes.