10 Tips from 'Property Brothers' for Designing Your Home

Real estate twin brother duo Drew and Jonathan Scott, known to many as the hosts of the show “Property Brothers,” shared some tips on home design and renovation during their recent visit to Manila.

The two marked the Philippine launch of the home and lifestyle entertainment channel HGTV, which is home to “Property Brothers.” HGTV is now available on SkyCable and soon on Cignal Digital TV.

Drew is the real estate half of the duo, while Jonathan is an experienced contractor. In an interview with ABS-CBNnews.com and selected members of the media, the “Property Brothers” hosts said they hope to inspire Filipinos to design their homes in a way that reflects their personality while being comfortable and functional.

Here are Drew and Jonathan’s 10 design tips:

1. Consider your personality and interests.
• Jonathan: “It’s important that your home is a reflection of your personality. My home has inspirations from all of my travels. I hate it when I walk into a house and you can’t tell who lives there, or everything seems so generic and boring… The home should be a collection of a person’s interests.”
• Drew: “Have some sort of a theme to the space, but that doesn’t mean that everything has to look the same.”
2. Tie your space together with little details.
• Drew: “One of the easiest ways to tie the space together is flooring. I just did a house where we had this beautiful hardwood floor all the way to the kitchen and the bedrooms.”
• “I also used the same marble in the kitchen as I did in the bathroom, so there were certain key elements that were together. But the colors of the walls were different and the décor was different for each room.”
3. Have a focal point for each room.
• Jonathan: “The easiest way to make a focal point is to color a wall or place an artwork. It should be clear in the design. The way you place your seating in a space can also help draw your attention to wherever your focal point is.”
4. Home lighting is crucial.
• Jonathan: “Have an abundance of light. A dark room will feel smaller and less inviting. There are different types of light – there’s ambient light, there’s light on your cabinets and kitchen, there’s access lighting that can wash a wall without you having to paint it. Lighting is such a huge thing because it is cost-effective.”
• Drew: “If you’re thinking of changing the look of the room without having much money to work with, go for better lighting.”
5. The size of the furniture can make or break any room.
• Drew: “Make sure that you have appropriately sized furniture. Some families have small rooms with big couches and seating to look functional, but it looks terrible.”
6. Mix old and new pieces to add character to a room.
• Jonathan: “I like designing around conversation pieces. So maybe if you have a beautiful piece of furniture that has been passed down to your family, that’s a great piece to go around.”
• Drew: “You can have a modern design using technology to make your life easier and still have these rustic and traditional pieces. You don’t have to have your house looking stark white to make it feel modern. Always bring character that means something to you and your home.”
7. Want to freshen up a room? Rearrange the furniture.
• Drew: “If you redesign the space – just the layout, the furniture and the décor – it can feel like a brand new room even if you haven’t done any hard renovation. You don’t always have to rip things out to start fresh.”
• Jonathan: “Put in stuff that’s going to stand out, like pillows, artwork and curtains. Those things can easily infuse color.”
8. Know when to refurbish, replace and dispose home items.
• Drew: “It’s a matter of looking at your room and picking up a few key pieces – maybe one or two – and work them into a new design. If you have a really nice couch but the colors just don’t work with what you want to do, reupholster it. If you have a beautiful wooden table but you’d rather have a white or gray table for your design, then you can paint it out.”
• “We love to reuse cabinets in kitchens as much as we can. But if it doesn’t work out, we take them out and donate them… But some cabinets are adhered so hard like cement on the wall that you just have to tear them and get rid of them to start fresh. If you paint it and it’s still ugly, get rid of it.”
9. Don’t over-renovate.
• Jonathan: “You don’t want to go putting all your money into a part of your home. If something happens and you have to sell your home, you would want to still be able to get your money back… Be careful not to put in things that other buyers won’t pay for.”
• “If you’re looking to sell your home, we say it’s better to do a light makeover on everything instead of just spending all your money on one area. A light makeover on the whole place can make it feel fresh. Otherwise, your buyer walks in and says, ‘I love the kitchen but the rest of the house looks terrible.’ Then, they’re not going to give to you the amount you’re asking for.”
10. Plan carefully. When in doubt, consult an expert.
• Jonathan: “A lot of people don’t know what they’re doing, and some think they’re professionals. Always get references, cross-check and make sure that they actually have a legitimate business.”
• Drew: “One thing that people do wrong in the beginning is that they don’t take the time to educate themselves on the process or on the costs. People would jump in and start buying the couch they love, that kitchen countertop or cabinet. All of a sudden, they realize they’ve blown up their budget… Getting a professional is a good thing, or steal all the ideas you want from our shows.”