Interior designer Catherine Watson, of Penrith-based Bert & Wills, says decorating a new home can be overwhelming – but it doesn’t have to be!
A new home offers a glorious, blank canvas, but can often leave you asking, ‘where do I even start?’
Open your wardrobe – what colours do you see? Is your jewellery preference for silvers or golds? This can be a great way to decide on colours for your new home. Over the past couple of years, gold has seen a resurgence and our love affair with ‘50 shades of grey’ has been replaced with navy hues.
Personalising your home needn’t be daunting.
Invest in items that that you’ll use regularly like your sofa and bed and then you can save money on accessories.
I’d suggest keeping your main items like your sofa, chairs and floor coverings to a neutral palette (beiges/light greys and wood tones for flooring) that won’t date – changing cushions and vases is a lot cheaper than replacing a sofa!
I buy a lot of furniture and accessories from Homesense, a division of TK Maxx.
They have loads of unusual/one off items that are inexpensive and they offer a wealth of accessories – great selection of candles – but take a van or empty car when you go!
Ikea is a great place, and I also love the supermarket offerings – Sainsbury’s (among others) have a really good home section and Dunelm has a great range of interior products too (check out their bedding and lighting).
I must mention here that the key to a great looking room is the lighting. Don’t just put a ceiling lampshade up, include table and floor lamps as they play a big part in bringing your room together and creating the overall mood.
To quickly bring your scheme together and make it homely, add knitted throws and textured cushions. Layer it up so it feels soft and cosy. Add family photos and pictures that reflect you and give a sense of personality.
As for trends, Grandmillennial is a popular style that we can all relate to as it takes modern-day living and incorporates hand-me down furniture and inherited pieces along with second hand and vintage/reclaimed furniture. This style appreciates the past yet fits nicely with modern interiors.
