How to fall in love with your home again

I’m willing to bet that you have NEVER spent as much time in your home as you have this past year. There’s literally been nowhere to hide from that long overdue DIY project, the furniture you secretly loathe and the spaces that desperately need an overhaul. The great thing though is that there’s never been more time to get stuck into those projects that have been bugging you for ages!

Lockdown has been the perfect time to fall back in love with your home. Almost like looking at it under a lens, spending so much time stuck indoors has created the opportunity to put a microscope on how our homes actually work for us. It’s not just how it looks either. How our homes make us feel has become a hot topic. There’s no escape from jobs that need doing or rooms that require attention. The things that may have been nice to have are now things we NEED to have.

How often have you looked around this past 12 months and thought the following:

• Does it work for me anymore?
• Is that chair/bed/sofa actually comfortable?
• I’m bored of looking at the same things every single day
• How can I create more SPACE?!

An appetite for decorating has replaced restaurants, holidays and coffee dates. The money that may have been saved on commuting and eating out is being poured back into paint pots and interior updates. Instead of investing in a new season wardrobe, we’re spending on our living spaces.

Shop your home

I love the philosophy of Lisa Dawson – self-confessed interior addict – who advises people to ‘shop your home’. “Making the most of what you have, repurposing and thinking outside the box when it comes to how you use it is a truly sustainable way to furnish and, indeed, decorate your home,” according to Lisa. So, in the spirit of shopping your home, switching things up and ringing the changes with some simple revamps, here’s my top tips for breathing new life into your living spaces so you can fall in love with your home again.

Living rooms

Chances are, your sofa has been sat on more times and for longer stints than ever since lockdown. Whether binging that Netflix series or becoming your afternoon retreat, I’m pretty sure your sofa or favourite armchair has seen plenty of – well, your backside – recently!

In general terms, a good sofa or chair has a lifespan of around six to eight years before its innards begin to get tired. Sitting on them more will obviously affect their tolerance and can make them start to sag. Be honest, has all the wear and tear of 2020 left your seating feeling a bit sorry for itself? In which case, I’d really recommend re-stuffing. Investing in new fillings can totally reinvent your sofa. I’ve had customers who have been astonished at how much comfier their sofa has been after treating it to all-new insides.

Workspaces

Working from home? It’s an ever-increasing club. Whether you’ve been coping at the kitchen counter or a makeshift space at the dining table, home offices have had to become a daily consideration. If you’re likely to be at home for the foreseeable, it’s time to get serious about your workspace.

Creating a functional set-up is key. While a standard office chair isn’t imperative, something that’s supportive, comfortable and not likely to impact your posture most certainly is. A good dining chair will do – I’d recommend a fully upholstered one rather than anything with a hard, wooden back and make sure it’s curved rather than straight. Something that wraps around you will be more supportive and the proportions are key – especially if you’re sitting in it all day long.

“Whether you’ve been coping at the kitchen counter or a makeshift space at the dining table, home offices have had to become a serious consideration.”

If you don’t already have anything suitable, why not look around online on one of the local marketplaces or an auction site like eBay? You could pick up something quite cheaply and have it upholstered in a fabric you love. That way it will still have a purpose in the future placed somewhere like a hallway or bedroom.

Bedrooms

I don’t know about you, but my bedroom has become a bit of a sanctuary. Not confined to somewhere I just sleep anymore, it’s my destination for self-care and those important daily rituals like reading a book or indulging in a newly supercharged beauty routine.

If your bed has become your retreat, it’s worth thinking about how you can make it more inviting. Adding bolster and scatter cushions will not only make it feel more cocooning and comfortable, but they can provide a great support when you’re propped up reading or watching a movie on your screen. This is also an affordable way of switching up the décor. You don’t have to completely redecorate to make things feel brand new and to fall in love with your home again.

If you need help with a simple or perhaps more sophisticated furniture upholstery project, drop me a line for an initial, no-obligation quote by filling in the online contact form. Alternatively, you can email me directly at sharon@vintiqueupholstery.com or call me on 07764 182 783.

Credits: Liberty, Arley House, Villa Nova, Romo, Linwood, Etsy, eBay, Iamfy and La Redoute.