Bright ideas
January is the time to pause and reflect, and bring some freshness back into the home. With the excess of Christmas stashed away, you will find pockets of space that allow you to reconsider your home’s look and feel.
You must be mindful though that January is not the time for a spring refresh – the most bitter, and coldest months are still ahead, so the home still needs that cosy, comforting feeling.
However, by making some slight adjustments, you will be able to create a space that uplifts and refreshes, calms and relaxes. Here are things to consider:
■ Keep your layers of soft furnishings to hand. Folding them into a basket near your sofa will give you the feel of order and space, whilst still offering comfort at a moment’s notice.
■ When home working, go easy on yourself and don’t feel forced to follow the typical productivity-boosting regimes. Allow yourself an hour working on the sofa, if need be.
■ Rethink your storage. Decluttering kitchen shelving, airing-cupboards and your wardrobe spaces will help bring some order to the home.
■ Consider how you could rearrange a room once the tree is gone. You could create a new zone, like a reading corner.
■ Don’t forget the power of scent. You you can create a restful atmosphere by burning or diffusing a calming scent.
■ Wil Law is a home design stylist at John Lewis, Leeds. Find him on Instagram @johnlewis_wil.