Add Patina to Your New Home

Create a lived-in look to your new construction home with these 6 tips.

New construction doesn't have to end up sterile and cold; here, natural light, natural materials and plants create a nurturing and warm breakfast nook.

Two new townhouses in Center City, Philadelphia went up at a similar pace, became occupied around the same time and wound up looking identical. Featuring no architectural trim, they presented simple bland faces to the street, adorned only by white workaday front doors and garages. One sunny spring day, Mickey Galatola could stand it no longer. Grabbing a paint brush and a can of blue-purple paint, she set to work draping her entry door and garage door in a welcoming violet hue. After all, hadn't her neighbors painted theirs' a classy forest green a few weeks ago?

While they may have chosen to move into new homes for the larger closets, higher ceilings and straighter floors, the two neighbors missed the textures and patina of an older home. Painting what little exterior details you do have is a good way to add charm to the outside of your home, as is adding touches like window boxes. But inside, where you might be frustrated by a lack of character, a myriad of possibilities awaits.

"Broadly speaking, two things contribute to a new-construction house not feeling like home," says Ann Sample, interior designer and author of New Spaces, Old World Charm. "Those are: all of that extra space that you thought you'd love, and a lot of missing details." Here are some ways to get that lived-in look:

Design by: Jaymes Richardson and Don Raney

1. Don't be a wallflower.

"Strong colors brings walls in, so a room feels smaller and cozier," says Ann Sample, interior designer and author of New Spaces, Old World Charm. Playing with paint techniques, like sponging or stippling, can help lend depth to bland drywall or can mimic decorative details like wainscoting. "And, wallpapers that evoke older design periods bring texture to surroundings, as do wall fabrics made of grass cloth or jute," Sample adds.

Natural materials make this kitchen warm and cozy. The backsplash has an intricate natural motif and is made of natural stone, while a warm colored rug adds a mild southwestern flair.

2. Go natural.

Consider adding natural materials in other places, too. "People are often seduced by new construction because all of that shine, and gleam can be refreshing, especially if you've previously lived in a creaky old house," says Susan Fredman, a Chicago designer. "But I try to tell my clients that it's okay for surfaces to have a little movement to them, a little change as they age. Stones like granite and limestone can chip, copper gets a patina, wood can peel and crack."

A vibrant rug really anchors this otherwise beige space.

3. Gussy up just a bit.

"For me, drapery is the number one way to add warmth to a new home," says Ammie Kim, ASID, Los Angeles. "It dresses up naked spaces right away, and it can impart any kind of style to a room instantly, even if you want to stick to a contemporary feel by avoiding patterns and using lighter materials." Rugs, too, create a sense of what Fredman calls "friction, a counter play against everything being new and neutral."

Ceiling treatments are popular with designers, because they help temper the scale of large rooms, making them feel less lofty. Designer: Robert Couturier; Photo: Laura Resen

4. Mold your surroundings.

"Today's new homes often feel unfinished because they have little or no trim around the windows and doors, or below their high ceilings," says Ann Sample, interior designer and author of New Spaces, Old World Charm. "Since you've been blessed with high ceilings, take advantage of it and add crown moldings to give them dimension and scale, or give the illusion of lower ceilings by adding beams."

The carved wooden doors were salvaged from a 17th-century castle in Spain. Photo: Laura Sesen

5. Recapture that old feeling.

With old houses being demolished at a steady rate, a whole new industry has sprung up that attempts to rescue interior details — ranging from moldings to entire staircases — and fixtures, such as chandeliers and fireplace surrounds. "Architectural salvage" is now a yellow page category, and many such retailers have set up Internet shops. (New Spaces, Old World Charm also provides an extensive list of resources.) "Sometimes these finds are more trouble than their worth to adapt," says author Ann Sample, "so I usually recommend that homeowners start with smaller, more manageable items, rather than, say, a clawfoot bathtub." Another option: reclaimed wood flooring, complete with color gradations, varying widths, wormholes and nicks.

The collection of trinkets that fill the bookcases in this room gives the space a personal flair.

6. Get personal.

"If you have hand-me-down furniture that's been in your family for years, keep it!" says Sample. "An eclectic, more layered approach means that you're not married to any one style or any one period, and that things won't look boring in five years." If you don't have a cache of vintage trinkets, buy some. "Something like a dramatic chandelier that's totally against your modern sensibility adds instant oomph," says Kim. "I recently added a gilt-edged antique mirror to a client's very contemporary powder room and it looked great. It was the finishing touch that made everything look that much more interesting."