Home & Lifestyle

Living Room: Instant Update

We will often use our monthly budget as a reason why we don’t create the home or living space of our dreams. But there are hundreds of ways to make the different rooms in your home look stylish, without breaking the bank.

Smart, savvy shoppers take inspiration from the pages of Belle or Vogue Living magazine, but then seek out a more cost effective way to bring to life the trend or vision they fell in love with.

In recent months, much loved homeware stores have increased both their range of products and embraced a much more modern style. Take a look instore – hopefully you will be inspired by what is there. Home styling can now be done at a really reasonable price.

Lay the tray. Rethink the classic serving tray. While great for brekkie in bed, what it’s even better for is adding some stylish organisation to your living room. Place it on your ottoman or coffee table and then organise some of your favourite things onto it. A beautiful smelling candle, a selection of your favourite magazines, a small vase with a posy of flowers. It looks great and will become a real feature in your living room.
Reflect on it. Mirrors are a tried and tested way of bringing life to a room. They do a multitude of things; bring more light into the room, if they reflect outside then they help bring the outside inside. They can make a small room feel much bigger than it is and they can also bring character or style into a space. Whether you go simple, using just mirrored glass, classic framed, French provincial style or free standing from floor to ceiling, a mirror can add a huge amount of style to your living room.
Pots of Colour. Often when you buy a pot plant, it comes with a generic white (boring!) pot. Having a colourful plant sat in a dull old pot is a crime! With a simple pot change, your plant can really bring some style into your living room space. Designer pots are available in many homewares shops these days – they will bring new lines, shapes and colours into your space. Don’t be afraid to try something new and bold, adding some accents to your home environment.
Candle by day or night. Candles are the Swiss army knife of interior design. They bring so many different benefits into a room. Let’s start with scent… You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on candles to find some amazing scents that will make an impact when anyone enters your living space. From French Vanilla to Coconut & Lime, there’s a scent for every home and every occasion. Use a combination of candles throughout the living room. Scented, tea light candles to set the mood, taller pillar candles in hurricane lanterns to add some drama. And don’t just keep them for night time usage, there’s something wonderful about a room full of candles in the daytime, particularly on a dreary wet day to brighten the mood. $50 spent on candles will really add that wow factor to any room.
Why so serious? It’s important to remember to not take it all too seriously. Make sure you have some fun designed into your space – it will make for a great ice breaker or conversation starter when friends or family come over. And remember – nothing is permanent, don’t be afraid to play around, have fun and if you don’t like the result, just change it! Whether it’s your favourite words or photos printed onto a wall or canvas, a table lamp that’s a bit out there, or a faux fur rug or cushion, make a statement and express your personality.