Get back to basics
One of the things that makes a home look less stylish than it is, is clutter. Work on one room at a time and find permanent storage spaces for clutter that you want to keep, and toss what you don’t need. Once the clutter is clear, take a good look at your room. You want to analyse how the furniture is arranged, and how much furniture is in the space, versus the function of the space. For example, in a smaller living room, all you need is enough seating for your family, perhaps a coffee or side table, a lamp for ambient lighting and a single piece of artwork to act as a focus point.
Try to reduce as much visual clutter as you can, including getting rid of unused ottomans, excess art on the walls or furniture that isn’t truly serving a purpose. If your space allows for a different layout of your furniture, try to rearrange it with space in mind. You want to be able to move freely through and around furniture without a tight squeeze. This will make the room feel more spacious, and the edited selection of furniture will feel more purposeful.
Remove all your homewares and accessories for now so you have a blank canvas to work with.
Don’t just store things, display them.
If the room you want to restyle has a bookshelf or exposed storage such as a mantelpiece or coffee table, you want to make the most of it. It isn’t just a place to stick things like books and trinkets, it’s an opportunity to style up your treasures in a way that best displays them and communicates your personality.
When you’re trying to style up vases, trinkets, books and flowers on a mantelpiece, bookshelf or coffee table, just remember that a feeling of space is advantageous here too. For example, if you have the room, don’t squeeze all your books onto one shelf. Spread them out over several shelves, some with spines out, some laid flat with a trinket or vase sitting atop them. Finish your little scene with a photo or decorative item. As a general rule, you want to create groupings of objects in uneven numbers, and in different sizes, as this is most appealing to the human eye.
Pay attention to the details
Now that you have removed clutter, unnecessary furniture, accessories and artwork from your space, and styled your exposed storage and shelving, the last thing to do is accessorise your home with very few, yet high quality pieces, to make your space feel like home.
When it comes to the living room, this may be one beautiful wool throw blanket and a few textural cushions in different fabrics or textures. For a bedroom, pick beautiful bedding to make it the focus of the room without adding clutter, and experiment by mixing and matching different coloured sheets together with statement duvet covers. For bathrooms, have lovely towels and toiletries in gorgeous containers on display. In the kitchen, invest in one conversation-starting fruit bowl for the bench or dining table. Feel free to display timber serving boards, utensils or vintage cooking wares for a styled effect.
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