Ideas for furnishing a brand new house.

[StillHereLolNow]

We are in the process of buying a new home. It is brand new but has already been built so we can’t choose any of the flooring, carpets etc. The whole house is painted white and I just wanted some advice on what blinds/shutters to have. We are thinking of shutters but not sure about the colour. I was thinking about white shutters for the whole house and adding colour with the furniture. The carpet is a light cream/beige colour.

Also would you think about adding maybe a media wall to the main lounge or would you just leave the walls white as they are. I am really struggling to find something that would look nice. The kitchen worktops are laminate but I have always wanted marble. We are thinking of changing them but was wondering whether this would be pointless when it is all brand new. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

New homes very rarely come with enough storage, before I bought anything else I’d be thinking about fitting built in wardrobes in the bedrooms, to use every inch of possible space. I’d also fit the largest possible bathroom cabinet in the bathroom and any en-suites, the lack of storage in new builds mean you’re always looking for clever places to stash stuff, and these would be useful for spare loo rolls, paracetamol, etc.
Regarding the shutters you’re thinking of, just be aware they don’t provide a true blackout so if you’re fitting them in bedrooms allow space for a blackout roller blind to be fitted behind them (I’d be inclined to make it a thermal one too, new homes can be very warm, and pulling down thermal blinds on a hot day can keep the house cooler.)
The media wall is a fab idea, if I was in your shoes I’d get it custom built by the carpenter that built my wardrobes (again to maximise storage) and paint it a bright shade to give a pop of colour.

White shutters mean you can paint the rooms any colour you like when it’s time. I’d worry that the colour I picked for the shutters would restrict me later down the line.

I’d start with the furniture you’re taking with you and where you’d place that. I had wardrobes built in to my bedroom which limited where I could put everything else, if I had my time again I’d have chosen differently. Same with a media wall, will that restrict where you can place sofas etc?

My honest advice would be to move in and live with the house for a good 6 months, by which time you’ll know where you could use additional storage, how warm, light the rooms are and whether shutters are your best option. It takes a while to know how you’ll use the space.