My ten rule for a happy home.
We have all been staring at the insides of our houses for months on end now. Unsurprisingly, everyone has become obsessed with interiors. Specifically, interiors that feel like something – a refuge, a place of shelter and comfort, somewhere that is emotionally resonant and significant. What we want now are rooms with heart and soul, and interiors that make home, life, work better.
And now here comes gloomy old winter, with ever increasing restrictions and no prospect of normal festival activity in sight. 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 so many people’s homes now having to function as work spaces. We have some additional suggestions from the lovely Charlotte about items for your home/office https://www.charlotteplansatrip.com/en/preparations/home-office-set-up/
Work, if you can in the room your like best. If the kitchen table, with its proximity to kettle and snacks, is a much nicer place to feel creative and comfortable than some cobbled-together faux office squeezed in a cupboard. If you can work from the bed without becoming overwhelmed by the desire to nap, bed trays on legs make good laptop rests. http://chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk/bromley-family-home/
Anyhow, here are solutions to common problems. They will improve your home life this winter.
Let there be light
Lighting is everything, A beautiful rom, will look ugly with the wrong lighting. Ceiling spots are not always the answer. Don’t go and spoil your good work, by using hideous, very white LED’s, the bulb’s matter as much as the fittings (lamps). You want light that makes everything look golden, and flatters furniture and people. The trick is to use, bulbs that give a good colour rendering, and daylight bulbs in work and prep areas, like kitchen under cupboard lighting.
Why is finding affordable lighting so ridiculously arduous, there are some great lighting suppliers out there and Castlegate lights have a great range and variety and for more designer lighting David Village lighting.
Always mix up your lighting, table lamps, and floor lamps and always get a reading light, either for a desk or in your bedroom.
I need a lie down
Vispring, Hypnos and Harrison Spinks make heavenly mattresses, but some can be on the more pricey side, but remember you spend a good portion of your life in a bed and over a 10-year period, a bed can pay dividends in terms of comfort – Uncomfy mattresses can be actual hell.
Loaf, top of the range mattress, funnily enough called ‘top dog’ is blissfully comfortable as something costing far more, or even Soho Home, do a diffusion line mattress called ‘mollies 1000’ costing less than the comparable Hypnos. http://chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk/5-easy-steps-to-make-your-bedroom-your-haven/
PS, If you are considering a bed in a box, note they often smell gross for weeks and because of the foam used they warm up a lot. If you like a more natural bed and cooler, they are not for you.
Rest your head
Invest, like your bed in a good pillow, the best are from natural pillows, like goose down. But if allergic there are some great wool pillows out there now, which are hypoallergenic and can be washed. They regulate your body temperature better and healthy for you and the environment. But always buy a pillow that suits your style of sleep, softer if a front sleeper and plumper if sleep on your side or back.
Sort your cupboards and fridge
De-clutter and thrown out items in your fridge if not used for some time. The same goes for your cupboards, especially your kitchen, and if you can and there are many aftermarket accessories available, get pull out baskets installed. They make finding and accessing everything from jars to condiments easier to find.
Pimp your sofa
You are unlikely to get a new one delivered before Christmas, even with all the current restrictions in place. But changing the legs on your sofa can be transformative, especially if they are dated or plasticky. Have a look at JA Milton Upholstery.
For everything else, throws, blankets and pretty quilts can do wonders, Not necessarily chic, but do wonders for hiding anything unattractive and are the height of winter cosiness.
Always check leg height and seat height on any new sofa, as some make you feel like sitting on the floor, or not supportive for your back and head. Also, squishier and deeper is always better for sofas if you know older people – they get trapped and can’t get out easily.
Get a rug
How about ‘weaver green’, makers of durable rugs and kilims out of recycled plastic bottles. They look and feel like wool underfoot and have the added advantage of going in the washing machine. – Perfect for halls, kids and dogs!
There are some great rugs out there, which can create a real focal point, add pizzazz to any room and cover a carpet that’s seen better days. They cost less and take then with you if you move. Try ‘woven’ or ‘rug maker’.
Pretty as a picture
Cheap frames usually have plastic ‘glass’, which makes them look like cheap frames. Not so those by Nielsen – actual glass and widely available. Creating a collage of artwork, can do wonders for a wall, just keep the frames all the same colour.
Affordable style
Zara Home and H&M have excellent stock that punches well above the price point. Mix, it up with old stuff for maximum effect, otherwise it can all look a bit mono dimensional and by the numbers. Modern rooms always need something old, and vice a versa.
Books
Books are the quickest shortcut to make a room look cosy and warm, also great for acoustics. Plus the upside, you’ll never be bored.
Bring the outside in
Have something alive in the room. You don’t have to be told this is you are a greenery obsessed young person, but there is something flat about rooms with no plants, blooms or even seed heads, branches or even dried flowers. http://chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk/how-plants-and-accessibility-to-the-garden-can-boost-your-mood-and-wellness/ Otherwise know as ‘basophilic’, access to nature, the outside, use of green and natural prints and materials are know to have a positive effect on our mood. New life! Hope. We at Chameleon Interior Designs are here to help https://chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk/services-3/