We all make a renewed effort to look after our health and wellbeing in January, watching calories and alcohol intake, maybe joining a gym as we detox our bodies after the enjoyable excesses of Christmas. But shouldn’t we also detox our safe haven, our home? As well as focusing on ourselves, we like to focus on detoxing our homes for the new year. Here, we share four ideas of what you can do in the home to give it a refresh…
1. Physical clutter
We all know that having a cluttered home is not good for our wellbeing so it really is worth trying to keep it clutter-free. Even if you can’t do this on a daily basis (we all know life gets in the way of best intentions), then have an hour one evening during the week or over the weekend to clear around and put things away in their correct places. While you’re at it donate or recycle things that aren’t bringing you joy anymore and keep things that uplift you and make you feel good. Tidying expert, Marie Kondo advocates just this. She created the KonMari™ Method that offers easy but effective ways to help you avoid relapsing into clutter-ville. As well as her infamous folding techniques,the method uses a unique selection process of choosing to keep what sparks joy, which means you are not selecting what to discard but rather choosing to hold onto items that speak to your heart.
For most of us the place we tend to sit down to relax is in the living room, so when it comes to the home concentrate your efforts here. Create a sanctuary to recharge your batteries – the possessions you keep should only be what you need and what makes you happy.
2. Visual clutter
Some things need to be on show so we know where to find them and have easy access to them, but this needs to be balanced. If you have your books and favourite decorative items displayed on reclaimed wood shelving then make sure it is not overly cluttered. Stand back and look at it from further away – if it looks too busy you can take some items and put them away in a wooden sideboard and add some houseplants instead to make the display more visually appealing. The same principle applies to magazines on your rustic coffee table. Rather than stacking months worth of your favourite titles on the surface, stick to the latest three months and either store the rest in a drawer or recycle them if you’re never going to pick them up again.
3. Stay focused
As human’s we like to gather and so creating a central focal point in the room naturally relaxes us. In the dining area, this could be a show-stopping rustic dining table around which you can spend quality time with family and friends. Pair this with a reclaimed wood sideboard – very important to keep the dining room essentials neatly tucked away when not in use. The most obvious focus point in the living room is the coffee table so make it count. As we are talking about keeping the house (and mind) clear and decluttered, opt for a statement-making mango wood coffee table with storage.
4. Be bold
If you want to create a more dramatic refresh to a room, as well as keeping clutter at bay, introduce a bold colour into the space. Pick out features, such as a chimney breast or some decorative wall cladding to accentuate using a vibrant colour. This will give the room some wonderful personality and individuality without overfilling the space with ‘stuff’. Choose reclaimed wood furniture as this stands out wonderfully against a striking bold backdrop.
5. Let in the fresh air
The quickest and most simplest way to breathe new life into a home is to open the windows and doors and get rid of the stuffy air and toxins. We know it’s cold out there, but grab an extra jumper and let the fresh air in!
