7 easy design hacks for a stylish home that requires minimal maintenance

#1. GO AS SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE

For the floor and walls, the number of grout lines is determined by the size of the tiles. In recent years, homogeneous tiles in sizes of 60 x 60 cm have become mainstream.

Therefore, you should choose either bigger tiles of at least 80 x 80 cm or even 60 x 120 cm in size to minimise the number of grout lines. In addition, bigger sized tiles made your home interior look much more luxurious too.

Aside from choosing larger profile tiles, you can also consider alternative materials, such as laminate or concrete screed, which come with minimal or no gaps.

#2. OPT FOR CEILING TO FLOOR, CLOSED CARPENTRY

Gaps in between the floors and walls trap dirt and stain very easily. Hence, minimising such gaps will mean less cleaning of these crevices.

When the surfaces of the furniture such as the cabinets, cupboards and wardrobe are exposed, dust, dirt and stray objects get trapped in the gaps between the ceiling or the floor.

Hence, sealing up such gaps with ceiling to floor, closed (instead of open shelves) carpentry helps to keep these undesirable particles away. In addition, you will get extra storage to keep the clutter at bay!

#3. AVOID DESIGN ELEMENTS WHICH MAKES THE SURFACES UNEVEN

Similarly, any surfaces which are rough or uneven will encourage dirt and dust to either get trapped or accumulate over time. As a result, you will need to dust and vacuum more often to keep these places clean.

Hence, steering clear of textured wall surfaces, tiles, laminates, 3D wall panels, fancy cabinet designs or any design installations with recessed or protruding edges, will mean that only light cleaning routine is needed to keep them looking fresh!

#4. TRADE WALLPAPERS WITH WASHABLE PAINT

Washable paint is your best friend when it comes to getting rid of stains, spills, marks and scuffs with ease. In fact, high gloss washable paint finishes are usually the easiest to clean, using only soft sponge with warm soap.

Hence, they are recommended in high traffic areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms. While semi-gloss paints are less reflective as compared to high-gloss paints, they are fairly resistant to most stains too.

Hence, such paints are good for hallways and playrooms where young children roam.

In contrast, wallpapers require much more maintenance care and effort; they have to be vacuumed with a soft brush attachment and a wallpaper dough is sometimes required to remove the stains.

For waterproof sheet vinyl wallpapers, extra care is still needed to ensure that water does not seep under the wallpaper seams and compromise the wallpaper glue.

#5. USE DURABLE MATERIAL THAT REQUIRES LOW MAINTENANCE FOR KITCHEN AND BATHROOM

There is this saying that while the kitchen is the workhorse of the home, the bathroom is the most used and sometimes, the most abused place! Hence, equipping these areas with tough durable materials, which require little cleaning effort, should be your top priority.

For flooring, Vinyl, or commonly known as Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVF), is recommended since this man-made engineered material is almost impervious to tough stains, dents, damage, and even water seepage.

In fact, its water-resistant properties make it ideal for higher-moisture areas such as bathrooms.

Furthermore, LVF comes in many finishing such as wood, stone or concrete, or even metal at just a fraction of a price and does not need to be sealed to make it water and stain-resistant.

Similarly Quartz, an engineered stone, is recommended for kitchen countertops and vanity tops since it is non-porous, chemical, scratch and stain-resistant.

#6. UPHOLSTER WITH LEATHER

Unlike leather, fabric needs to be treated to make it water resistant. In addition, fabric upholstery requires more maintenance; it usually needs to be cleaned with a steam cleaner since it traps dirt, dead skin cells and even mites.

On the other hand, the leather upholstery usually requires periodic wipes with a leather cleaner. Lastly, fabric upholstery sheds fur, loose fibres and this leaves the room dusty and filled with unsightly fuzz balls.

#7. MINIMISE THE USE OF GLASS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Glass has found its way into the modern homes due to its versatility; it has a unique ability to make a place visually spacious, bright and airy, while keeping the area physically partitioned at the same time.

Furthermore, its sleek, reflective surface brightens up the dark corners instantly and inject a luxurious appeal.

As a result, the use of glass proliferated and it can be found almost anywhere in the home; from cabinet doors, dining tables, doors, bathroom vanity top, glass walls to shower glass partitions!

Unfortunately, glass is also a magnet for oily fingerprints and tough to remove water stains. Hence, limiting the use of glass in the home by opting for open spaces, will greatly reduce your effort in keeping the place clean and fingerprint free!

This article was first published in Renonation.