Final touches

Some homes – especially rental homes – have been neutralised to a point where everything is a serviceable beige or grey. Owning a home, however, does not mean things are necessarily better: a lot of people keep their homes relatively neutral in colour because “that will avoid clashing colours” or “it’s going to be easier to sell”.

The latter is a bit of a silly one for me as I feel that a home should be a place set up for the person who lives in it, not a potential future owner. I know: controversial!

As for avoiding clashing colours… well, there’s always the option to paint over a wall that looks a bit too garish. It’s a small job to do but it could yield big results, provided the colour you choose is better suited than the old one.

If you feel strongly about the neutral look, you can always accessorise with colourful curtains, pillows, throws, rugs, artwork,… the options are endless. While I don’t want to advertise changing to the en vogue colours each season, it can be fun to mix it up every couple of years, or even change colours with the seasons and reuse them every year.

Another option to spruce up your home could be the use of plants. Personally, I own a selection of orchids, some of which are always in bloom, and a couple of leafy plants that make me smile whenever I look at them. Of course, not everyone has green fingers, but you may just consider a cactus.

Artificial plants are also an option. Forget about the plastic plants from the past: these days, artificial plants come pretty close to the real thing and cannot really be detected all that easily.

Here’s your task for today: Sit down in your favourite seat in the lounge and look around: are there any obvious spots that could benefit from a nice plant, or a colourful item (a vase, some artwork, a piece of fabric)?

Now sit down in a spot that you don’t normally sit down in and repeat. It’s amazing how different your lounge looks now, and how easy it is to identify spots that could do with a little tender love and care.

I wish you happy thoughts and good luck.