I have to be honest: I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s day. On the one hand, it’s great to rekindle romance on a random Tuesday in February, but on the other it’s a bit of a tacky commercial thing. This year however, I am seeing a lot of different approaches to the day: love for friends, kids, pets, family, co-workers – it looks like this year, love truly is all around.
But being in the home decor and interiors space as I am, I would like to write about a different kind of love: love for the home. I often walk through my house thinking goodness, I love this place! An old quirky farmhouse, in constant need of attention like an unhealthy relationship, but it brings me joy every day. Even if the bath now has a hole in it, because the bore hole water has such a high metal content that it ate a hole into the PVC. Or even if 3 of the rooms are so hot in the summer that you can barely be inside it. Or even if the roof is in desperate need of being replaced, but we’re too afraid to do it because we’re not sure if the beams are strong enough. And like in a relationship, sometimes the love and the passion is not as strong as other times, and then you have to rekindle that spark.
And here are my favourite 5 things I do to make me fall in love with my home all over again.
1. Style it new
Caribbean Living
Whenever I feel like some little corner is getting a bit stale, I rework it. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, maybe just change what you’ve got happening on your mantelpiece or on the console in the entrance hall. But by making small adjustments, like you would get a manicure to make you feel pretty again, you can create a special little corner again.
2. Accessorize
There is nothing that can refresh a room like a couple of new scatter cushions and a few accessories. Cushions are not expensive, and if you have a neutral background palette, you can easily swap them out. And don’t throw your old scatters out – just stash them away somewhere. Like a pair of favourite earrings, I have reconnected with old accessories after having had them in storage for years, only to find a completely new for use them.
3. Move art around
This is something I do quite often. Just this last weekend, I found a new spot for one of our very big paintings and it gives a whole new dimension to that wall. And if you’ve fallen out of love with a painting, sell it and buy something you love. Or store it – you may discover it again in a few year’s time! (If you want to read more about the Ikea hack above, click here!)
4. Paint a wall
I have sung the praises of humble paint for years: it’s easy, inexpensive and above all – it doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment! Like an innocent fling, if it doesn’t work out, you can just repaint it in another colour and no-one gets hurt.
5. Move your furniture
Aside from the wonderful benefits of a good workout, moving your furniture can really energize a room again. Even if you just move side tables and lamps, it will already spice things up.
Your home should be a special place. It’s where we raise our kids, share our lives with our friends and family, where we work from, rest, nourish mind and body and spend a great deal of our time.
Here’s to loving your home this Valentine’s Day!
Pink trainers with heart feature image by Shutterstock.
