Are you looking to add a little je ne sais quoi to your home, but you don’t have the budget to redecorate? There are ways that you can make your home stand out, without costing the earth. Stamp your personality on your home with ideas like these:
Colourful shelves
Give your objets d’art some contrast with a background colour. Painting with plain, dark colours is effective for this, although using a patterned wallpaper can look good too. It depends on what you’re using those shelves to display.
Feature focus
Point your furniture to a main feature in your room that calms you and makes the room feel comfortable and warm. Perhaps look into getting a Wood Burning Stove Northern Ireland company to suggest ideas of a new heating system suited to you located at sites including www.stovebay.com/stoves/category/40-wood-burning-stoves#.xlctz-hkhpy.
Galleries
Cluster your paintings and photographs together to give a stunning effect. This can either be on shelves, hung closely on the wall or in a more quirky fashion such as displayed on a series of clipboards.
One way that allows you to ring the changes is to screw batons along the wall. You can then use this as a shelf for picture frames that are easy to change and arrange as the mood takes you.
Upcycle
Your local charity shop is a treasure trove of items that can be repurposed to give your place some personality. Old-fashioned lamps with vibrant shades, old ceramics planted with succulents or cushions made from vintage fabrics. Car boot fairs are another great source of things that can be given a new lease of life.
For some examples, see this article on upcycling dining chairs from Ideal Home magazine.
Soft furnishings
Many decorators advise keeping things neutral; plain walls and cheap laminate flooring, as this can create a calming backdrop.
But if you want to make a statement, you can take inspiration from the Scandi look and add some bright splashes of colour. Cushions, rugs and throws are all temporary ways of brightening a room. You can also reupholster tired furniture with vibrant fabrics.
Open shelving
Rather than hiding your objects away in cupboards, display them for all to see! This can be a really effective way of showing more of your personality. Break with tradition by separating your collections. Put surprising objects together to create an effective display; cherished photos with childhood mementos, favourite books alongside collectibles.
That’s our first five tips for making your home your own. There are more to come in another post. We hope that you enjoyed these and found them useful!
