Unless you’re a key worker who’s been working tirelessly in the hospital, supermarket, delivery van or car, it’s very likely that over the past months you’ve become VERY familiar with every single nook and cranny in your space, what with the never-ending round of lockdowns and stay-at-home message from the government. And while having a roof over your head, a cosy bed to sleep in and a safe haven for work, rest and play is something we must not take for granted, we can’t help but yearn for a change of scenery!
So, when we came across India Knight’s article My ten rules for a happy home in Sunday Times Style, we were intrigued. She says: The ‘make your house into a hotel’ look that has been so unaccountably popular for a while is showing its limitations: coming home from work to a hotel-looking room is one thing: living in one 24/7 is quite another. Ditto chilly, over-curated spaces whose aesthetic relies on no-one ever making a mess. What we want now are rooms with heart and soul, and interiors that make home life work better….It’s time to rewind to winter 2016 when hygge was all the rage and we were being encouraged to embrace maximum cosy hunkering, except it’s going to take more than a candle and a couple of sheepskin rugs this time around – we need to be practical too, what with so many people’s homes now also having to function as work spaces too… Here are solutions to common problems. They will improve your home this winter. We’ve selected our favourite snippets from the article:
• Let there be light: Lighting is everything. A beautiful room will look ugly with the wrong lighting, and an ugly room will be unimaginably enhanced by the right kind…You want light that makes everything golden and flatters furniture and people. And get a separate reading light.
• I need a lie down: Uncomfy mattresses are actual hell.
• Rest your head: Invest in a life-enhancing pillow!
• Feng Shui your fridge: Tidy up your fridge!
• Pimp your sofa: Instant DIY non-upholstery using layers of old sheets, blankets and pretty quilts are not chic but they hide anything unattractive and are the height of winter cosiness.
• Cut a rug: You can also use rugs outside in the summer.
• Pretty as a picture: Framed photographs, postcards and pictures– say no more!
• Affordable style: Mix new stuff with old for maximum effect. Modern rooms always need the odd old thing and vice versa!
• Books: Books are the quickest shortcut to making a room feel warm and cosy, plus you’ll never be bored.
• Bring the outside in: Have something alive in the room. You don’t need to be told this if you’re a greenery obsessed young person, but there is something flat about rooms with no plants, blooms or even seed heads, branches and dried flowers. Get some ready-forced indoor bulbs and you’ll be so glad! New life! Hope!
Oak Low Leaning Ladder Shelves
