TOP 10 WAYS HOMEOWNERS ARE BREATHING FRESH AIR INTO THEIR HOMES IN 2022 (without spending loads of money).
With the excitement of Christmas over, and the long January days are on the horizon, now is the perfect time to give your abode a chic makeover. But, what if your bank account is looking a little sparse after the festive period? The good news is a transformation doesn’t need to cost a fortune!
Swoon, the UK’s leading online design-led furniture brand, has compiled its most in demand top trending furniture pieces and accessories to show you how to begin 2022 with the latest and freshest home décor ideas – all without breaking the bank. Plus, Swoon’s Head of Design, Sam Baldry, shares his expert tips on how to breathe fresh air into your home on a budget!
Home Decor Tips – Transform the sofa
Bored of looking at and sitting on the same old sofa? You don’t actually need to purchase a new suite to refresh your lounge! You can easily update the design and bolster its comfort by adding chic cushions and throws.
Rather than spending your savings on a new sofa, you can instantly transform your tired one by adding fresh colours and textures. The rich teal shade of the Niki Jones cushion coupled with the soft and indulgent feel of velvet will have you snuggling up in no time. Add a coordinating throw to finish off your new look, and you’ve achieved a fresh look for a budget price! Grab yourself a good book – you’re not going to want to move any time soon!
Home Decor Tips – Get lit
Never underestimate the power of good lighting. Try adding a lamp to the corner of a room or your bedside rather than always relying on a central ceiling light. This simple yet effective tip will create a subdued and subtle ambience in your space, adding a calmer, atmospheric glow. The houseof Ribbed pink concrete and opal glass lamp is simple, yet modern and gives off a diffused radiance – perfect for a bedroom.
Sam Baldry, Head of Design at Swoon, comments:
“Sometimes you don’t even have to go as far as buying a new lamp to create atmosphere through lighting. If you already have a lamp that you love, simply changing the ordinary bulb for a colour changing one, or adding a dimmer switch will allow you to easily adjust the ambience to something more romantic or warm.”
Home Decor Tips – Add a pop of colour
With 84k Instagram hashtags for ‘painted walls’, we suggest you hop on board this trend and get out your rollers and brushes! 2022 is set to be a year of contrast for paint trends, with neutral warm tones working alongside rich statement shades. So, why not treat your abode to a feature wall? This is why stencils are perfect, to make other colours stand out! Just be sure to look for the best stencils for painting.
If the majority of your room is already a pale shade, choose a wall, be brave and take the plunge into brightness (or darkness). Alternatively, for an extra stylish look, pick out a feature object in the room and match your new wall with that. If your interior is inspired by the great outdoors, opt for COAT paint in the shade Home Grown – a classic hue of green which helps to bring a natural, yet bold statement into your space! Its self-priming, quick-drying formula has a rich coverage, so one coat should do the trick. More time for you to get back to relaxing on that sumptuous sofa!
Home Decor Tips – Shop for shelving
With 248k ‘shelving’ hashtags on Instagram, it seems the humble shelf is a popular addition to provide depth and interest to instantly upgrade a featureless wall. Add one shelf or more to quickly create a sentimental gallery of your treasures and prize possessions, or add plants and flowers for a tropical, nature-inspired display.
A few mounted ‘shaped’ shelves such as the Orien are ideal to create a unique wall design. With two dark timber shelves framed on a diamond-shaped brass support, these shelves are an artistic piece in their own right. If you were looking for more storage, and an easy way to transform an entire room, add wall-standing units along a wall for complete coverage, and lots of space for your belongings.
Sam Baldry comments:
“Shelving is a really great way to change up a room. It offers a distraction and breaks up plain walls, adding depth and giving you the opportunity to create a display or practical storage. Choose your favourite books and plants to express your individuality and character.
“Decide whether you want to make your own, or select ready-made options, just remember to use a spirit level – nobody wants a lopsided look!”
Home Decor Tips – Create more space
If your room is on the smaller side, or if you desire the illusion of extra space, try adding a mirror (or several). By reflecting light around your room and creating a sense of enhanced space, you can easily transform any area of your abode.
We love the Claddagh geometrical mirror with its interlocking rectangles which resemble a Celtic cross, or the Echo which plays magic tricks on your reflection with its interesting use of primary shapes and negative space. For an even more dramatic effect, cover a whole section of a wall in mirrors or have a piece of mirrored glass cut to the size of a recessed area. This super affordable tip can create a brand new aesthetic for the fraction of the price of buying new art or canvases!
Sam Baldry reflects:
“Whether you want to add space, light or just somewhere practical to see yourself, a mirror is a great design feature that can work wonders in changing the look of any room. I love the idea of creating a gallery wall of different shaped mirrors – mixing antiques, charity shop finds, and new purchases to create an amalgamation of reflective art.”
Home Decor Tips – Make a feature of the floor
When decorating, we often forget to look below our feet. Adding a colourful rug will bring additional cosiness and warmth to any room – ideal for the winter months.
Utilising different textures in your soft furnishings will not only add another dimension into your interior, but diversifies the range of colour and helps to transform the look of a room. If you’re a sucker for warm tones, the Columbus rug features a bold range of colours which vary from delicate blush pinks to rich reds.
Home Decor Tips – Display the drinks
It may be (dry) January, but that doesn’t mean all the drinks have disappeared. If bottles and bar accessories are cluttering your kitchen, why not transform your space with a classy drinks cabinet? With 31.6k hashtags regarding drinks cabinets on Instagram, it’s clear that hosting from home is still a huge trend for the Nation and is here to stay for the foreseeable future!
Store your tipples in style with the Ziggy copper-clad bar cabinet! With dazzling doors that open up to reveal a wine rack and bottle storage, this cabinet will be a real focal point, and a definite talking point when the parties restart!
Home Decor Tips – Booster beside the bed
Often neglected, the bedroom can become a dumping ground for clothing and clutter. If your New Year’s resolutions revolve around getting a better sleep, there is no time like the present to transform it into a sanctuary worthy of your beauty sleep.
Update your boudoir with a stylish bedside table such as the Reyna, with beautiful deep drawers for storage. With its chic dropping handles and calming shade of grey satin painted wood, this stunning storage is sure to create a peaceful aura in your bedroom.
If you prefer a more modern look, try the Helix. Made from mango wood and steel, this rounded, open unit will look chic piled high with books and a lovely lamp on top. It’s a contemporary masterpiece which requires no assembly, just personalisation!
Sam Baldry comments:
“A bedside table is a truly multipurpose piece of furniture. For many, its top drawer contains precious items like passports, spare keys and priceless photos. For others, it may just be a practical solution as a base for some nice lighting. Whatever its usage, a bedside table can make a bedroom look ‘finished’, providing a calming sense of symmetry in a room when placed either side of the bed.”
Home Decor Tips – Get some coffee-couture
2022 might be the right time to take a look at some coffee couture. With 2.5 million ‘coffee tables’ hashtags on Instagram, it is clear they are an extremely personal and customisable piece of furniture that has the potential to transform any room. A coffee table isn’t just for coffee, it’s a style statement.
With simple design tips, a new coffee table has the potential to refresh your whole space. Pile it with the latest design magazines or beautiful candles and flowers, and see how it brightens up your living room – and the faces of your friends.
The circular Sahan coffee table features a beautiful, hammered brass dish cradled in a black metal framework, and perched on subtle brass feet. Elegant, but full of hand-beaten character, this table is the perfect choice to transform your lounge from drab to fab.
Home Decor Tips – DO put baby in the corner!
If you were saving for a new sofa in 2021, and your new re-style budget allows, why not splash out on a corner sofa? Whether you want to free up space in the middle of the room, or simply want to create a new space using the sofa’s shape as a ‘wall’, corner sofas are transformational items.
The five-seater Althaea sofa epitomises supreme relaxation, providing comfort as well as class – with sink-into seat cushions and protective arms. Available in a range of colours and fabric options, this sofa says “sit on me” in style.
Sam Baldry comments:
“Corner sofas are inviting for all members of the family – they’re multifunctional spaces for watching TV, sleeping or just lounging about.
“The beauty of a corner sofa is that it is so much more than a corner sofa! You can change the look of your living room every couple of months by quickly changing its configuration or where the sofa is located in the room.”
So, with 2022 just beginning, isn’t it time for you to deck out your home with a few new bits and bobs? You don’t have to spend a fortune, just focus on a few key pieces and experiment with textures and colour to really upgrade the appearance of any room.
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