Let there be light furnishings
Small changes can make a big difference as we finally start to see back of Winter
AS lockdown gradually eases, we can look forward to having visitors in our homes again. Imagine, having coffee or drinks with someone who does not actually live there.
How much sweeter will it be to welcome friends and family around to a house that is fresh, stylish and looking its absolute best?
And, even if social gatherings are still a way in the future, spring is a traditional time to freshen up the home. There is nothing like the sun shining through a grimy window to expose tired furniture and dusty ornaments.
TV interiors guru John Amabile knows exactly how that feels. He said: “Now we are coming out of winter into spring, there’s a bit more light about the place, we feel a bit more inspired. It’s like coming out of hibernation. We start to look around and think, I’m bored of this, what can we do?”
It’s tempting to fire up the shopping apps and start spending but, before going nuts with the credit card, John has two pieces of advice.
Have a good clean and declutter before you start – everything looks better when it’s dust-free and not hidden by toys, games controllers, books or other detritus of family life.
Next, reconfigure what’s there already. John said: “Get the windows open, curtains back and have a good blitz. Then start with your accessories. Bring a throw off the bed to the back of the sofa, change the cushions around, look at your artwork. A mirror on the wall opposite your window will reflect some extra light in. “I moved my sofa to where my chairs are and moved pictures around. I swapped the cushions from the bedroom into the front room. I take nicknacks from one room into another room, it’s enough to give a different refresh and a different angle.”
Grey, the current favourite neutral colour for home decor, is easy to change up.
John advises: “Put a bit of interest in there. You can take it in any direction - copper, silver, gold, blue, red, it’s such a good background colour. Add in a few accents and the grey fades to, well, grey.”
If monotone still appeals, the key is to add texture and different shades. “Go darker or lighter, add a woollen throw, mix some herringbone tweed chevrons, suedes, there so many things that keep in with grey.”
For a room in serious need of revival, John has just the tonic. A vibrant rug.
He said: “Rugs now are like a piece
of art on the floor. Underneath your coffee table it will give you a lovely big splash of colour. It will immediately change the atmosphere in the room.
“You can almost reinvent a whole room with that big block of colour change.”
This need not be a major investment. John recommends Dunelm, B&Q and Wayfair as great places to start the hunt.
Another way to keep the cost down is to look at the composition of the rug. If it’s going in a high traffic area, a man-made material will be harder wearing as well as less spendy.
He said: “Anything with a bit of unnatural fibre, such as a polypropylene, brings the price of the carpet down and helps it to function better.”
Whatever else is going on in the space, John wants the rug to make a statement.
“If you have gone for a minimal room, very architectural with greys, taupes and whites, the rug can literally be geometric art on the floor.
“If it’s a blast of colour, with blocks of blue and red and yellow, you then take those colours and that’s your cushions.
“Your rug becomes the starting point for the rest of the room.
“If you are a bit more traditional, with button-backed sofas and dark wood, go for something with a regency design or fleur de lys, maybe that looks more like tapestry.
That can still make a statement.”
Bigger is, he says, better. Ideally the rug should be big enough to allow the furniture to sit on.
“The front two legs should be on the rug if possible. Like a lion sipping water. Get those front paws in. That integrates the rug into the room.”
This rule applies less in a hall, which tends to be long and thin. A new runner will, he says, bring life into a room which can easily become an afterthought.
“My first tip for a dreary hall would be to get a rug. If you have a brown wooden floor and dark walls, get a blue and yellow striped funky rug.
“A vase with some yellow daffodils, pop a mirror on the wall to bounce some light in and immediately it feels like a different area.
“In most houses the hall is not huge so it doesn’t take much to improve it.
“But so many people neglect them, it’s just a walk through to get in and out of the house. A simple runner is very inexpensive.
“Or what about a new doormat, something a bit zingy? You can get these for a fiver.”
Changing curtains is, he admits, more of a “palaver”. But swapping cosy winter drapes for something lighter does lift a room.
“This time of year I like voiles. They are cheaper than heavier curtains because they are not lined.
“They let more light in during the day but when they are closed they still offer a little bit of privacy at night time.”
Linen, a huge trend in interiors at the moment, can also look good. Although he has found that Scottish clients are resistant to curtains that look crumpled.
“They love linen in Europe and round the world but Scottish people say, you need to get an iron to that. But I think we are relaxing a bit around fabrics.”
He suggests compromising on a linen that has a bit of stretch in it. “They don’t crush as much.”