Happy 2011!
I hope everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday and that you are ready to go for the New Year. Resolutions have been made and some have already been broken and I trust that you are resolving to make your living space the most amazing that it can be this year.
Resolve to only have the best quality you can afford in your home, only beautiful and lush fabrics and high quality materials.
Keep the space blank until you can fill it with that perfect chair or picture rather than cramming in any old thing you happen to see. It is better to wait for the item you love than settle for the item you could easily find.
Resolve to bring more colour into your life, paint a room or buy some funky fixtures with coloured glass. Buy toss cushions in the most outrageous colour you can and lavish them on your bed. Look for paintings or photography which inspire you and make you happy – hang many of them in one room to create a repetition of colour and style. Pick a subject you love and repeat, repeat, repeat!
Resolve to replace old, damaged, worn and unsafe items in your home. If something needs fixing…fix it. If a sofa is tired and worn out – recover it. If the baseboards need touching up – touch….ok you get it.
Take a critical look at your home and make a list of attainable goals for making your house sparkle.
Resolve to inhabit your favorite spot in your home, the spot you have created for your enjoyment. That comfy chair you envisioned yourself reading in daily – have you given it any attention? Spend time in your home every day appreciating an element or elements that you have put time and effort into and pat yourself on the back for creating such a lovely environment!
Resolve to share your home. Share your space with family and friends, put on a pot of tea and invite your neighbor over to visit. If you are reading this article I assume you are interested in interior design and therefore have lovely spaces which should be shared with everyone possible! This is a blessing we all fall short on and keep all the beauty to ourselves.
The person you are inviting doesn’t care if you have dust on your piano or if your linen napkins actually say ‘swan’ on them, they are just simply thrilled to be invited over.
Resolve to make your home more green by setting up recycling bins and replacing bulbs which use less energy. Cover drafty spots and pinpoint the areas where your home is losing heat or is inefficient.
You may need more insulation in your attic or some high R value blinds on your windows. Try to use less water, even ounces per day make an enormous impact on our environment.
Resolve to have an absolutely fantastic 2011.
Stop everyday and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us, enjoy your homes and share your blessings with everyone you meet. Thank you for reading, resolve to continue reading – all the very best this year.
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Feel free to contact her at 343-7711 ext. 227, email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com or join her facebook group called ‘Ask a Designer.’
