Homes & gardens
SPRUCE up your home!
Exploring some great ideas to give your home a fresh new feel for the festive season.
There’s nothing like the advent of Christmas to get you thinking about home improvements.
Whether it’s welcoming
extra guests or having friends and family over for dinner, the décor in the dining room, bedroom and bathroom all feature on the domestic radar.
The one “good” thing about a Christmas gathering is that it provides a fixed deadline. So, work back from here.
Start by prioritising what it is you want to improve and how much time you have to do it. Make your aspirations manageable, or you’ll end up feeling festively “frazzled”, or consider getting someone else to do the work — but remember, others will have their own DIY projects too, so book your tradesman early.
Features that tend to
jostle for attention as the jingle bells start ringing include: tired kitchens; tatty bathrooms, that
long-awaited extension or ensuite; cold conservatories and ancient carpets.
Your
available budget comes next. A tired kitchen can be given a new lease of life with some simple accessories, a new work surface or doors and appliances, or you could give it a complete overhaul. A new window or door to let in more light; a log burner, perhaps, or even a rug to cover a worn carpet can all inject that cosy Christmas magic back in to your living space.
Next, give yourself time
for a little research. Determine colour schemes, flooring, furniture and delivery times; making those difficult choices and ordering materials now will save you time, money
and worry later. So, if you’ve opted to paint a room, will you need new
Putting the colour into 2016 Natural elements, stunning metals and clean tones are among the predictions from interior design pundits for 2016. Think weathered wood meets smooth cement, with colour hues going back to basics to complement and contrast with more industrial looks. Seasonal hues are also expected
curtains? Choose your colour and design, order them, and have someone to hand if they need to be made or altered.
There are plenty of good reasons to spruce up your home for Christmas, as a gift to yourself or as an investment. Either way, it’s something the whole family will enjoy, as well as your guests, and it will provide some great gift ideas, such as towels for your new bathroom or a standard lamp for the lounge.
Images: Clockwise; bathroom courtesy of BHS; sofa courtesy of DFS Furniture; stair cushions courtesy of Oliver Bonas; bed and bedding courtesy of Next
to be adopted widely as everyday colour schemes, with autumnal colours such as fallen leaves, gourds and bright yellow featuring brightly in 2016. Also expect to see soft “winter” colours like dusty roses, deep purples, and frosty grays continuing to make a romantic statement for simple, modern styling. Dusty blue-mauve, winter berry, and blue-reds will also be trending, which will go well with the Scandinavian influences we’ll see in design through untreated woods.
Warm greys will continue to play
a part for those looking to create a cosy room, coupling up well with uplifting colours such as yellow, mossy green and deep gold.
Then there’s an ocean of teals, aquas and emerald, from bright to moody, with blue-greens continuing to trend as we start 2016.
This cool palette is likely to find
itself alongside a muted plum that pairs well with this group — a deep accent in a relaxing palette.
Mid Kent Living 51
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