Styling Your Home For 2014 And Beyond

2013 is almost over (where does the time go?) and we’re all gearing up for the holiday season where we’ll eat way too much food and spend way too much money, but have a great time doing so nonetheless! Get Christmas out of the way, though, and thoughts switch to the New Year, with focus changing from buying gifts for people to buying things for the home. Yes, the New Year is the time of year when we all tend to go a little bit DIY crazy. The time of year when we suddenly realise that the home isn’t looking as fresh or modern as it did at the beginning of the previous year. As we approach spring, our enthusiasm for the home has peaked and we are just raring to indulge in a property makeover. But where do you start?

Before you can even think about restyling your home for 2014, you are going to need to have a good old declutter.

I know getting rid of your old stuff can be hard, but it really is for the greater good. By decluttering, you can free up precious space – space that can be used to breathe new life into a room.

One of the key principles to decluttering is to resist the urge to replace the old things with new. To free up that much needed space, you have to limit the flow of things coming into the home. Don’t buy for the sake of buying!

Once you’re committed to buying less, you can begin getting rid of the stuff that you don’t need. Here are some tips on how best to do this:

1. Put a plan in place. Remember, one person’s rubbish is another person’s treasure. Rather than simply taking all of your items to the tip, consider selling, donating or recycling your goods. Do some research in to how’s best to dispose of your things.

2. Get rid of the easy stuff first. Decluttering is easier if you focus on removing items that you feel no attachment to first.

3. Don’t be afraid to let go. It is common to think that you might need a certain item one day, but that thick layer of dust accumulated over the past five years begs to differ! Does getting rid of something really affect your life? Don’t let fear hold you back.

4. Don’t feel guilty. Disposing of gifts from loved ones is probably the hardest part of decluttering. Just remember, these items belong to you and it is your choice what you do with them.

Finishing off DIY jobs

With unneeded items out of the way, you now have plenty of space to decorate. Before starting on a new project though, make sure the unfinished DIY jobs are taken care of. You know the ones: that shelving unit you bought but never found the time to put up after looking at the instructions, or that wall you stripped but never got around to painting. Starting one project without finishing another generally results in a half-decorated home, and you don’t want that!

Redecorating

Now that everything is in order, you can move on to the best part: redecorating. The best way to restyle your home this New Year is to focus on one room at a time. Going gung-ho and stripping walls in every room may result in a string of unfinished DIY jobs to put right at the start of 2015, so stick to just one room until completion. The best place to start is with the room that is most important to you. This is the room you will have the most passion for and the ideas of how to restyle it will be flowing. You will probably already have a pretty good idea of how you want your room to look in terms of décor and furniture; one area of restyling that you might not have considered though, is lighting.

Lighting trends for spring/summer 2014

Few things are more important to a room than the lighting. Not only is it necessary for functionality, it is essential in creating personality, forming a mood and ambience in a room.

Seaside resort

With summer holidays looming, lighting in early 2014 will be all about bringing the ambience of a seaside resort into the home. This can be achieved by keeping spaces open and using ceramic wall lights to portray the sun and create a focal point in the room.

Modern urban

The modern urban interior will still be very much on trend in the early part of 2014, with brick, wood and metal all being used to create a vibe akin to a Manhattan apartment. To complement such a look, a silver or bronze Badger ceiling pendant will bring a room to life.

Show off your personality

2014 will once again see the chandelier reigning supreme. There is no better type of lighting to show off your personality in a living or dining room or master bedroom than a beautifully hung chandelier with low energy lamps. Look for ironwork with crafted leaves or glass droplets in a silver or black finish.

At one with nature

Finally this spring/summer, you should look to become one with Mother Nature and use lighting that complements the natural elements and flowers in bloom. This can be achieved with some timeless Tiffany lighting in the form of a table lamp or floor lamp, or floral ceiling light. With decluttering, finishing off those various DIY tasks, redecorating, and purchasing and fitting new lighting all on the agenda, it’s looking like 2014 is going to be a busy one. You best lay off those mince pies!