Re-Imagine Your Home

International research has shown, pre-COVID-19, that consumers are spending more money on their home than fashion.  Our prediction is that this trend will increase, in months and years to come.

Social distancing and lockdown have afforded us the time to rethink and reimagine our homes.  We have counted our blessings and noticed the shortcomings. We’ve also realised that our relationship with our homes has changed forever.

Homes are no longer a place where you go when you have nothing to do, it has now become a dynamic social space where stuff happens. While we wait for equilibrium to return, we will work, live and entertain from our homes.  And all of this will happen on a budget. 

Accept What you Can’t and Do What you Can

Not all projects are equal, some take budget and planning while others imagination and elbow grease. So draw up your to-do lists and set some long, medium and short term goals.

Tips to Get you Started:

Declutter and Clean

Use the three boxes system; box 1= keep, box 2= donate, box 3 = throw it away.

Electronically scan personal records and kids artwork.  Save it on a hard drive and in your cloud storing app and then throw it in the recycling bin.  

Be ruthless.  Here is a tip that really works; make sure you drive away the donate and throw away boxes the same day you declutter.  The longer it sits in your garage the higher the risk that you will contract de-clutter remorse and those items will slowly find their way back into your house.

Make it Smell Great

Once you’ve eliminated bad odours introduce new smells. Give your home a great scent.  There are various ways of doing this, from fragrances furniture oils to electrical or reed diffusers or scented candles.  Never underestimate the sense of smell in creating your sanctuary.

Layout

Once decluttered, relook each room’s layout. Make sure it is easy to navigate, move furniture so you don’t have to crisscross to get to the other side of the room, create pathways ensure the positive flow of energy.  

It’s well worth it to research décor design principles of the Danish ‘Hygge’ (pronounced hoo-gah), the Chinese ‘Feng Shui’, or the Swedish ‘Lagom’ (Lar-gohm). 

These principles deal with cosiness, harmony, and balance in the home and offer great guides to style your home in a way that will put you in a good mood.

Purpose

As part of the declutter process, make sure that you use rooms for its original purpose. Bedrooms for sleeping, a dining room for eating and living rooms for relaxing or watching TV.  Not only are these good habits but by setting these boundaries you immediately fool your brain into what it is supposed to do when in that room.

80/20 rule 

When redesigning your home, remember the golden 80/20 rule:  80 per cent classic and 20 per cent trend. It makes it easier to introduce seasonal changes and also more affordable, as you only have to change 20% of your décor to stay trendy.

Walls

Paint is still the most cost-effective and fastest way to transform any space.  We all know that different colours are linked to different emotions, so keep this in mind when choosing colours especially for bedrooms and living rooms.

Most importantly go with a colour that makes you happy!

Another new trend is the use of 3D wall covering. With immediate dazzling effects, you can transform a boring wall into a multi-dimensional focal point.

Wallpaper has made a huge comeback and can instantly transform a room from the mundane to exquisite.  Today it is easier to apply and remove and it is not as permanent as it used to be in the past.

With digital advances you can personalise your wallpaper, creating your own masterpieces, unique to you.

And don’t forget about the fifth wall -the ceiling.  Applying paint or wallpaper on a ceiling will turn any ordinary room into something extraordinary.

Tip:  Looking for some free images you can use in your home as either paintings or wallpaper?  Visit Unsplash for fantastic free images.

Maybe you enjoy the old masters and classics. Then join Rijksmuseum’s Rijksstudio, where they allow you to download these famous works of art in large format.  Print these on canvas or as wallpaper. 

Your Happy Place

One of the biggest elements to remember when reimagining your home is you!  Always keep in mind that you are creating a place for YOU and your family! And don’t forget to have some serious FUN while you make your home dreams come true.

Get inspired with HOMEMAKERS.

This article has been interpreted into South African Sign Language below: