Time for change
Because we still love staying at home…
LET’S face it, we’ve spent more time at home than ever this year. While some of us craved our former freedom, others thrived with the new normal. With DIY stores recording soaring sales and social media reporting a surge in home improvement searches, there’s never been a better time to make your space as fun and entertaining to spend time in as possible. Read on for our favourite ways to ‘play at home’. GALLERY WALL Apparently, this has been the most Instagrammed home accessory trend of 2020, according to MyJobQuote – #gallerywall has well over a million posts, and have been spotted in the celebrity homes of Ben Stiller and Jessica Alba, among others. They’re a great way to make an empty space more interesting, and show off your personality. Whether you choose to go for an orderly look or mix up different-sized frames is down to personal choice. Fill them with prints, photos and life mottos you love. pengelly.bigcartel.com HOME GYM Suddenly, the idea of a home gym is topping people’s wish lists. No commute, no monthly membership fees, no gym-timidating muscle men dripping sweat over apparatus you’re waiting to use (and subtly lower the weights on) and, best of all, a real impetus to exercise. If you’ve a spare room, a garage or a decent-sized shed sitting full of clutter, clear it out and get it converted. Real success comes when you’ve combined enough space for the equipment you want in a space you’ll want to spend time in. Consider lighting (soft and low if you’re a yoga lover, brighter and higher if you’re more into weight-training and cardio), ceiling height and the music source. Accessorise the room with scented diffusers, plants, pictures and even a flatscreen TV – anything to make hitting your home gym as appealing as possible. OUTDOOR CINEMA If your favourite watering hole is now just a few steps away, why not complete your garden playground by shifting family movie night outside, too? It doesn’t have to cost a blockbusting budget either; it can be as simple as hanging a sheet between two trees or taut against a wall, and aiming a portable projector at it. As long as you can connect your projector to a streaming source and bluetooth the sound to a speaker, you’re good to go. If you crave a more sophisticated set-up, you can buy projectors and portable screens as a pair. All that’s left is to style up your outdoor cinema with loads of comfy cushions, a few fairy lights and some snacks.
MAN CAVE
Did months cooped up indoors leave you craving more me-time? Somewhere to escape busy family life and relax? Creating a man cave – or she shed – doesn’t have to mean an expensive renovation or garden construction; turning an area into a designated room that’s solely yours could mean sectioning off wasted garage space, doing-over the attic or even simply clearing out a cupboard to create a stylish home bar. If you’re not short on space, absolute man cave must-haves, according to Instagram searches, include a dark colour palette, a flatscreen and surroundsound speakers, some neon signage, a cosy lounging area, a games zone (read pool table and darts board) and an extensive drinks offering.
STENCILLED PATIO
Months in lockdown allowed homeowners time to browse the internet for ideas on how to tackle long-ignored DIY projects. For Pinterest fans, that resulted in many transforming tired patio stones via stencilling. Moroccan, animal print, florals, art deco; there are lots of tile designs online to choose from. Good stencilling takes time but the results can be impressive. Once the patio has been mastered, you’ll probably itch to stencil other items like your garden table, too. It’s certainly a creative way to spruce up your outside space without breaking the bank.
OUTDOOR BAR
Bars may be back in business but that hasn’t really seen us clambering in a panic to snaffle one of the few socially distanced bar stools available. Moreover, it’s prompted a flurry of homeowners to build a boozer in their own back garden. From transforming sheds into tropical tiki huts, complete with straw roofs and strings of LEDs to stacking painted wooden pallets in a corner to create a chic cocktail bar, entertaining friends at home (and showing off your mixology skills) has become the new going out. Mojito anyone?