By Betsy Hood
Lights are peeled off the tree as ornaments are gently wrapped up and tucked away until next year. Dried up garland is carefully pulled down from the mantle and taken to the street. The absence of decorations that were enjoyed for the holiday season now leaves our homes feeling empty and lifeless. January is here and with it a time of renewal and the opportunity to begin the year with a fresh start.
It’s often hard to see your personal possessions in a new light, especially if you’ve owned the same pieces for several years—or even several decades! January is the perfect time to experiment with rearranging or reupholstering your furniture, re‐hanging your art, or replacing your accessories. Sometimes all it takes to make a room feel updated is to rearrange the elements on which your eyes naturally focus.
Well‐known interior designer Bunny Williams once said, “If you love something, it will work. That’s the only real rule.” This idea is so encouraging when it comes to decorating and re‐decorating your space. It’s also freeing because it allows you to experiment in your designs, relying on your own intuition for what you like and what you think will work.
There are many ways to experiment with interior design and to freshen up your home while in the process. You can rearrange your spatial design using existing furnishings, and you can also reupholster furniture with good bones, replace your accessories with timeless yet updated options, and add color to your fabrications through custom pillows and window treatments.
Before you start to freshen up your home for the New Year, it’s a good idea to look back over the past few years and really get to the root of how you use each room. While your home should be a reflection of you and your personality, it should also be a functional place where you feel comfortable and are able to relax. By understanding the purpose of each room, you’ll be able to see the gaps in your design and start to slowly fill them.
If you enjoy relaxing in the living room, adding layers of pillows of different sizes will allow you to create a comfortable and inviting setting while still giving visual interest to your upholstery. Having custom pillows made means you are able choose several different patterns and fabrics that work with your existing furnishings, and they also can update the appearance of your space. Color on color or pattern on pattern is not a bad thing!
Another way to easily update your space is to reupholster worn down furniture. Not only will this lengthen the life of your upholstery, but it will also provide you with the opportunity to bring a fresh design element into your space. You can change the feel with new fabric, add texture with nail heads, create dimension with contrast cording, and experiment with a multitude of other interesting custom details. Recovering furniture that has good bones can really update the look and feel of timeless elements within your design.
Accessories and window treatments are two aspects in design that dramatically warm up a space. While window treatments are often a larger investment, adding new trimming to your existing treatments is a great way to change the look and add a custom element to your design. Accessories placed appropriately can add function and form to your room. An antique box where you hide your TV remote control and phone charger, or a custom lampshade to add a pop of color against neutral walls are just two options of many that let you put your personal touch and style into your space.
Start this year off with a fresh set of eyes and view your home as a blank slate. Take away the clutter and slowly add back layers of detail that communicates who you are through your own personal designs. Have confidence knowing that if you love it, it will work.
Club Sally is your online source for home decor and furnishings. We provide access to customizable products that are generally exclusive to the interior design trade. Your design, our service—let’s make it happen. Visit clubsally.com to learn more and to get started on your next custom project.
