You’ve finally taken the leap to hire an interior designer and you’re ready to create the gorgeous, custom space of your dreams. When people think interior design, they often think of luxury – from marble countertops to hardwood flooring to elaborate tile work.

But you don’t just want your space to look luxurious; it should feel luxurious, too. At the end of the day, you’ll be the one living in your freshly designed home.

Here are just a few details you can discuss with your interior designer to help you feel like you’re spoiling yourself every day:

Kitchen Amenities

If you like to entertain, you know how important a beautiful yet functional kitchen can be. A few extra amenities can increase both the elegance and functionality of the heart of your home.

• A glass rinser can help make doing dishes feel like less of a chore. Along with the convenience, they also help get your glasses cleaner.
• If you don’t want to lug a heavy pot full of water from the sink to the stove while you’re cooking, consider installing a pot filler above the stove to save time and effort.
• Coffee bars are a classic addition to any kitchen. Treat yourself to that coffeeshop experience in the comfort of your own home by building a coffee bar, and add some cabinets and shelves for extra storage.

Bathroom Amenities

Don’t overlook your bathroom. Bathrooms can be more than just functional; they can be havens of rest and relaxation – like your own personal spa! When designing your bathroom, there are plenty of luxurious amenities to consider.

• A detachable shower head, or a shower system with a separate handheld shower, can help you enjoy a more relaxing shower, and make cleaning your shower easier, too.
• Some people are doing away with tubs altogether and opting for spacious showers – but for those of us who still love a soothing bubble bath, a soaking tub is an excellent choice to submerge yourself in relaxation.
• If you decide you want both a spacious shower and a soaking tub, consider designing a wet room into your primary bathroom. Containing your shower and tub in a beautifully tiled space will really give your bathroom that spa-like feel.

If you’re getting ready to sell your home, you might be wondering, “What can I do to help my home appeal to potential buyers?” Maybe you’re even thinking about completely overhauling an outdated bathroom or a retro kitchen. Great news: you don’t have to renovate your entire house to make it more desirable. A few simple updates and a bit of preparation can help any home stand out in a competitive market.

Clean

It can be hard for potential buyers to see past dirt and grime. Give your house a good deep clean before putting it on the market. Be sure to focus on areas of the house that might not always get a lot of attention during regular cleaning, such as:

• Bathroom grout and tile. If your grout is light gray when it’s supposed to be white, it’s probably in need of a deep clean. Bathrooms are important for most buyers, so giving your grout a good scrub to restore it to its former glory can go a long way.
• Floors and carpets. Maybe your floors have seen better days, but you might not have to go as far as tearing up the carpets or laying new floors. Rent a carpet cleaner or hire someone to deep clean your floors for you, and it’ll make a world of difference.
• Windows and other details. Take the time to clean not only your window glass, but the sills and the rails and the casing, too. This might seem like a detail most buyers would overlook, but it goes a long way toward making a house feel fresh and new. Keep other small, detailed areas in mind, too, like baseboards, radiators, vents – anything that might have been collecting dust for a while.

Repair

Are there old nail holes on your walls that you’ve become blind to overtime? Do you have a cabinet door that doesn’t hang quite right, or a cracked tile that needs to be replaced? Before you list your home, take care of all those little fixes and projects you’ve been putting off for ages. Especially when it comes to walls, it won’t take you long to spackle and sand before moving on to the next step on our list.

Paint

A coat of paint can make all the difference, especially if the paint colors you chose for your walls aren’t necessarily to everyone’s taste. Before you put your home on the market, give the interior a fresh coat of paint. Choose softer, more neutral colors that can appeal to anyone. You want potential buyers to be able to picture themselves in the space, and they might struggle imagining themselves relaxing in a home with bright orange or green walls.

Unless the exterior of your house is really worn down, you probably don’t need to worry about painting it. Give it a good pressure wash, and if you think it needs refreshing, try painting just the front door to draw the eye and add some curb appeal.

Update

You don’t need to remodel your entire house before you sell it, but there are a few key updates you can make to add significant value and appeal to buyers: