By the time this is published you will be completely sick of turkey and promising yourself to eat less before Christmas!
I hope Thanksgiving was good to you and your family and you were able to relax and enjoy some wonderful times. I am gearing up and getting my shopping list ready and need to squeeze in a trip to the store between visiting with my in-laws, hanging out with my daughter, having acupuncture and a facial! Whew! I feel overwhelmed and busy and that is just my leisure time!
While holidays get hectic and stressful there is no better catalyst for you to spruce up and love your home a little bit. Having just moved, having family over for dinner has urged me to hang those last few pictures and get the draperies for the spare room done. I have pulled out my festive centerpieces and lovely fall napkins and am very excited to host this dinner!
What motivates you to spruce up your home? Visitors? Putting it up for sale? It is a good idea to look at your home through new eyes as we can tend to overlook everyday blemishes. If you have a friend who is a gifted photographer, why not have them over one evening and stage a photo shoot of your house. You will be amazed at the perspective that others have on your home and the different feel and vibe you may see through photographs.
If you could wiggle your nose and change one thing in your home….quick without thinking…what would it be?
Mine is some of the wood trim in my home. Most of it is beautifully milled and painted white but a few items such as the trim around cabinets and the built in bench at the front door are light oak and do not work with the chocolate brown hardwood.
I love this hardwood and it was one of the reasons I bought the house and I NEED to change this light oak to the rich tones I love so much in the floor.
This is a very quick project I could do in an afternoon; all I need is a dark gel stain, some tape, fine grit sandpaper and a brush. So why oh why don’t I get this done? It bothers me every time I walk through my front door, so I sometimes use the entrance through the garage.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, what do you love about your home? One thing, maybe two things that bring you guaranteed joy when you are at home. Focus on these areas and ask yourself how you can bring that bliss to other areas of your home. There must have been something you did right in that area that speaks to your inner designer, that space is peaceful and perfectly balanced and coloured.
You made it happen once, I am confident that you can work that magic again in another less perfect area of your home.
Now that the rush of Thanksgiving is behind you look ahead, Christmas is on its way and I can’t think of a better holiday to decorate around! Plan for it now before the time runs out and your find yourself amongst the stress of planning a renovation in December. For Christmas cheer and wedded bliss I do not recommend it!
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Contact her at 403-343-7711 ext. 227 or email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com.
