How can we make our homes more peaceful and enjoyable places to be in?
Creating a cosy home is important more than ever. We all have a lot going on at the moment.
For us in the Adelaide hills, we’ve had the recent bushfires and now we have the effects of this virus. But what a resilient bunch we are because from what I can see, we are all getting on with things as best we can and taking things one day at a time.
Cosy Example 1. Mantle Styling. I used a round mirror in the mix to keep things interesting with the straight lines of the mantle.
Another tip is to group items in 3’s (I used the candles here) and space them by themselves to stop things looking ‘bitsy’. This also allows your eyes to rest with some negative space between your items.
How do we create a cosy space that feels comforting for both us and our family?
When it comes to our homes, we can be thankful that we have a safe place to retreat to. Now more than ever our homes are our sanctuary, the familiar place where our lives play out.
There is a level of acceptance that comes when, rather than resisting the restrictions we are currently bound by, we can look for opportunities for connection and peace within our homes.
Now more than ever I want my home to feel peaceful and function well for all who live in it.
In my quest for a cosier home, here are 7 tips I’m trying on for size.
Cosy Example 2. Mantle Styling. Use organic shapes and pieces (like these AMAZING flowers from www.ivyshed.com.au for my wedding anniversary!), mixed with hard angles like the mirror and artwork for lovely contrast.
Use colour like the terracotta and blush to complement cooler colours like the grey blues. Always remember your negative space (at the right hand end of the mantle) when you have lots of goodies to display like I did!
1. Layer up for the cooler days.
Already the evenings are feeling cooler and I’m grabbing an extra jumper during the day, so it’s time to get your home ready for the change in weather. Pull out any extra throws and thicker blankets you may have stored away, and place at the end of beds and on the sofa. This way you can feel warm and comfortable, because there’s nothing worse than feeling cold and cooped up.
2. Create a creative workstation.
If you have kids, or even if you don’t, creating a space in your home for art and self-expression will do wonders for your mental health. Find your art supplies of crayons, pencils, graphic markers, paints (depending on your patience for clean-up) along with plenty of paper and set up a space specifically for creativity.
If you’d like to be more adventurous, you could try your hand at a more advanced home-made project like building a shelf, sewing a cushion cover, making a macramé wall hanging, creating a string of pom poms or trying your hand a line drawing. Whatever you choose make sure it’s something that would add beauty to your home, and bring you joy in the process.
If you’d love to learn how to create your own watercolour art, my friend @jasmine.heather.artist runs online workshops to guide you through the process. Then you would have your own special piece to take pride of place!
Cosy Example 3. Mantle Styling. If you have a few textural pieces that you’d like to display together then a handy tip is to keep to a neutral colour palette. Here I let my love of texture shine and incorporated wood, ceramics, rattan and even a rusty horseshoe into the mix.
Don’t ever forget to add some foliage to your styling, and often the bigger the better. It doesn’t have to be fancy, here I simply grouped some jasmine and wisteria from my garden together for maximum beauty factor.
3. Pretty up the place.
Remember how I said that it really does matter how your home makes you feel? Well, for those of you that can’t see the point in well-chosen accessories (is that even a thing I can hear you saying?), trust me when I say that lighting a scented candle and popping some foliage from the garden into a vase will make the world of difference to how you feel in your home.
It’s not frivolous, it makes you feel better and you can’t put a price on that in this current climate. Yesterday I picked some roses and put them in my daughter’s rooms and that little gesture brought some added joy.
4. Rejig your space.
Now is the time to change the layout of your space. If your lounge room is too pokey with the whole family now residing there, or if you’re feeling a little flat and need a bedroom refresh – there’s no time like the present.
You may only change things around temporarily to suit the fact that we are all staying at home, or to surprise your child (remember the excitement of setting up your room in a different way as a kid?), but regardless now is the perfect opportunity to play around with some varied room layouts and experiment to your heart’s content.
5. Be Sadie the cleaning lady.
I know a lot of us have already instinctively started doing this, but cleaning and sorting is such a satisfying past time when you’re spending more time than ever at home.
It’s productive work and results in us making a difference in our own sphere of influence. So whether it’s cleaning all the windows or sorting through the laundry cleaning cupboard, when your home feels more orderly you feel more peaceful and at rest.
Cosy Example 4. Mantle Styling. Here’s more of a moody collection I created. Adding some black is vital to pulling this off, and then contrasting it with some fresh white pieces keeps it from looking dreary.
Another tip is the use of height to create a hero piece (don’t you notice the branches straight away?!), and yes you can use stacked books to achieve the height you like. I also love using pairs of identical objects for some repetition too.
6. Bite off a DIY project.
When you spend more time in your own digs you automatically notice everything that ‘needs to be done’. Well rather than let the overwhelming feeling paralyse you, why not pick one small project that you could tackle. Now would be a perfect time to repaint the guest room, order a new rug for the lounge or bedlinen for your bed.
It’s a win-win as you are smashing out those things that you’re forever trying to get around to doing, and at the same time supporting the economy and better still; small business! Take that extra bit of time to source your things from a local small business and give both you and them the warm fuzzies.
7. Love your accessories.
Something I love to do is change up my accessories. This is where my love for decorating kicks in as it such a refreshing and addictive activity. I encourage you to give it a go in your own home choosing one mantle, coffee table or display area in your home.
Gather all your accessories into one central location, think things like nice books, vases, candles, art, pot plants and interesting ornaments so you can see them all together. Then pick different groups of objects and rearrange them in a new way. I promise this will make your home feel fresher and you’ll be able to appreciate your meaningful objects in a new way.
Cosy Example 5. Mantle Styling. I love to use the tip of grouping smaller items together so you see them as almost one thing (I achieved this with the vertical books, horizontal books, stone bowl and ceramic cup). Try this with your small bits and bobs, it works like a treat.
Here I wanted to create a fresher feel by using 2 types of greenery and a bold artwork in a light timber frame. Using glass is another great way to achieve an airy, yet grounded look. Try it out yourself and see how you go!
Well I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration to cosy up your space and make it a place that nurtures you and your loved ones.
Try some of the tips out, I know you’ll be so glad you did.
You’ll find yourself smiling more and enjoying your sanctuary away from it all. If you’d love to try your hand at some accessorising, changing furniture layouts or refreshing a room but it’s not really your bag, then remember that I’d love to help you.
While we have all moved away from unnecessary face to face interaction for the time being, online communication is going from strength to strength. I’ve enjoyed helping clients over the last week via photos, phone calls and video chats with their design dilemmas, and I’d be happy to help you too.
Reach out to us at hello@designrelease.com.au if you’d like to book in a 30min video chat where I can see your space and help you in any way you need. Think gallery wall, shelf styling, paint colour recommendations, furniture layouts… the list goes on.
In the meantime, stay safe, be grateful and enjoy the cosy home you’ve created.
Want to transform your home into a cosy, warm space this winter? Read all my tips on how to do just that….