Styling
Style & cohesion in your home is all about ensuring what ‘looks good’ is also functional and suits your family's lifestyle. This balance is challenging. It’s through these choices of colour and accessories that your personality will be highlighted. The best way to make an impression is usually through a feature or features, and these are highlighted by keeping the rest of the room simple and contemporary, this will help them stand out.
When thinking of cohesion it’s a great idea to think about keeping a couple of the following elements the same throughout your home - your lighting style, your power points and door handles, fixtures and fittings, tapware & hardware, window coverings. The best elements to create cohesion, though, are to stick to a neutral paint or fabric colour and one type of flooring throughout.
A great way to add personality is to use accessories such as family photos, artwork, or your own personal knick knacks & quirky odds and ends to make each space a place you don’t want to leave. It’s really important to not get so carried away with trends that there is no sense of who lives in the house. This doesn’t mean having to have family photos out everywhere, but it does have to feel lived in to feel like a home and not a display house.
When you are thinking about styling your space try not to overfill spaces, especially big spaces. Instead, focus on a few key areas and tie them all together with a cohesive theme. Check out these ideas:
Sofa - zone for comfort - lots of cushions, and a coffee table - as big as possible - style with items of varying heights with a ‘hero’ piece.
Shelves - bookshelf - use layering - combination of books lying down, and some standing up and some decorative bookend pieces.
Art - a room should have a focal point - print or painting or a statement piece eg couch or rug - if art - go wild and tie it into the scheme of the room, one that's more subdued in colour and pattern.
Your home should adjust to your lifestyle not the other way around and therefore your selections for your home should reflect your lifestyle - busy with kids/work etc.
Finishes need to be practical and long lasting, low maintenance with the use practical finishes.
Use wooden floors over carpet, and dark tile grout over light.
Keep your finishes simple and low maintenance, use a small number of durable easily cleaned finishes and take them throughout the home to create great visual flow.
High traffic areas such as kitchens and bathrooms need to be low maintenance & avoid clutter.
Storage is vital for avoiding clutter, so storing like items together is useful & stylish vignettes is effective - a place for everything in each zone, looks great and functions well.
Investing in quality storage systems is essential for managing everyday clutter. - baskets/tubs you can see through, shelving and drawers that can be adjusted, leaving only the simple and beautiful on display.
For elegance use beautiful canisters for storage, also plants/foliage.
Keep it simple and allow your beautiful benchtops and surfaces to shine.
**Tip. Always remember to go with your instincts when it comes to the things you want to see in your space.Things to think about are what your lifestyle is, and what your needs are.
** Tip: Samples are a must - finishes needs to be durable and look good and luxurious, a space should make us feel good.
** Tip: Zone areas, create features and let other sections blend into the background.
** Tip: Give each room a theme but make sure something ties them altogether.
**Tip: Think about your features and focus your spending on those areas.
