KC Compton Living

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New construction homes look finished when you move in. They don’t always feel like yours.

Ours came with the standard builder package: basic hardware, basic lighting, blinds and a lot of blank walls. None of it was bad. It just didn’t feel like us.

These are the five upgrades that made the biggest difference, and none of them required tearing anything out.

1. Cabinet Hardware

Most of our kitchen cabinets came with no hardware at all. We added black pulls to the doors and drawers, and it’s one of the fastest ways to change the look of a kitchen. Against white shaker cabinets, the black finish makes the whole kitchen look more finished.

• The black cabinet hardware we used
• Another black hardware option

2. Pendant Lights

Our kitchen came with chrome pendants with seeded glass shades. We swapped them for gold pendants with clear globe shades. It’s the same spot and the same wiring, and the kitchen feels completely different.

Builder light fixtures are usually the first thing I want to replace. You can see how we chose the lighting for our entryway in our picture frame wainscoting post.

• The gold globe pendant lights we used
• The light bulbs we use

Other pendant styles I like for replacing builder lighting:

• Simple gold pendant light
• Gold dome pendant light
• Modern farmhouse pendant light

3. Curtains

Builder homes usually come with blinds and nothing else. In the boys’ room, we added floor-length blackout curtains across the whole window wall.

We hung the rod close to the ceiling and ran it the full width of the wall instead of just over each window. It makes the windows look bigger and the ceiling look taller, and the blackout panels make naps and bedtime a lot easier.

• The blackout curtains in the boys’ room
• Another blackout curtain option
• Curtain rod

4. A Gallery Wall

New construction comes with a lot of blank walls. We filled one with a simple grid: nine matching gold frames with oversized white mats and small family photos.

A grid of identical frames looks clean and intentional, and it’s easier to hang than a mixed gallery wall because every frame is spaced the same.

• The gold gallery wall frames we used

5. Greenery and Pampas

Faux greenery and pampas are the easiest way to finish a space. They add texture and height without adding clutter, and they don’t need watering. In the fall, I swap the greenery for brown stems. You can see that in our fall decor post.

• Faux eucalyptus stems
• Green pampas
• Pampas grass

Builder-Grade Upgrades FAQ

What builder-grade upgrades make the biggest difference?

For us, it was cabinet hardware, pendant lights, curtains, a gallery wall and greenery. None of them required demo, and together they made our new construction home feel like ours.

How high should you hang curtains?

We hung ours close to the ceiling with the rod running the full width of the wall. It makes the windows look bigger and the room look taller than hanging the rod right above the window frame.