Six updates that stop your style going stale
Many homes become time capsules to the date people moved in, inserted their furniture and left it intact for years (sometimes decades). Of course, there is something lovely about that familiarity, that rock that we build our lives upon. But we are not sedentary creatures. We travel around and gather memories, we find new pieces that capture our hearts, our tastes are constantly evolving. If our homes are to be a mirror to our personalities then they need to be able to evolve with us. Moving pieces, swapping some out, and bringing new bits in all helps to ward off staleness and keep your interior feeling ‘you’. In this editorial we present several easy updates you could make in a single spring afternoon.
1. A Piece that Pops
Perhaps the most obvious way to update an interior is to introduce new pieces. It is not always going to be convenient to be swapping out the upholstery, and in many cases there will be larger pieces that are there to last a lifetime. However, plenty of smaller pieces can still give off big energy and can have a transformative impact on a room. Eyecatching side tables, ottomans, bedsides and consoles in bright and bold finishes instantly communicate change in a refreshed room.
At NiX we love any excuse to bring in fresh pops of colour whether that be a Cerulean Blue Revive Side Table, Blush Pink Bits & Bobs Bedside, Sage Green Shipshape Chest of Drawers, or Scarlet Red Good Turn Table Lamp. In such vibrant colours you only need to dot around a few new pieces to affect the room and give it a whole new aesthetic. Shake up the room you remember.
2. Alternate your Artwork
The hooks in the walls may be there to stay, but nothing is tying the artwork down. By moving your art around you quite literally allow something else to take the limelight. This simple technique helps you rediscover works you already have and lets you see them in a new light. A piece in the hallway takes on a new life in a sitting room, and artwork hung in the study brought into a dining room becomes appreciated by guests.
Flat and compact, the footprint of our artwork has a hidden perk; it is very easy to store. We buy artwork we love, sometimes on impulse, and not always with a place in mind. Safely kept, artwork can await your next refresh before being put out on display. Move pieces around, store some away, and bring others out to have their moment. A reliable trick with choosing the artwork for your space is to pick out colours that are already referenced in your space. If you’ve given your room a summery update perhaps with yellow tan shades or a green chest of drawers, pictures with these colours will work in harmony with this space.
3. Substitute your Scatter Cushions
Scatter cushions are a particularly fun way to inject fresh colour and brave patterns to your sofas and benches. They breathe new life into your room by creating new colour palettes that compliment, harmonise, or contrast your existing upholstery. Scatter cushions are the last piece of the puzzle that can tie the whole space together. They are an easy element to swap out when you tire of them, or can be changed out in an instant when you want to give your room a refresh. Read our blog on styling with scatter cushions to be inspired by thoughtful and effective ways to use them to great effect.
4. Messing with your Table Dressing
There is quite an art to table dressing, but the first bit of impact can happen with very little effort. Our fabric by the meter works excellently as a tablecloth for both our long Tuck In or compact Gather Round Dining Tables. Particular favourites for this are our Well Plaid check and our Regatta Blue Stripe. Alongside the all-important table cloth, smaller additions can make a difference with placemats and napkins bringing in fresh materials and colour. All of these extra dressings on your table go such a long way to create an inviting and homely dining room.
5. A Cycle of Scented Candles
Our perception of a space is a multi-sensory experience. How we feel in a room is determined by more than just what we can see, but also by what we can smell. Scent is enormously transportive and can reinvigorate memories and nostalgia, create a sense of calm or of energy, and even at a more basic level, refresh the room by giving the space something new. When updating your interior consider changing your candles too. Tune in to the seasons even more by choosing candles that match; floral, mint, and fresh scents for spring or summer months, woody and tobacco notes for autumn, spices and berries for winter.
6. Flora for the Season
And finally, the update you are probably already doing; flowers. The natural world goes through its own regular updates, with each season leading gradually into the next. If we are to live in homes with windows that open up to ever-changing surroundings it makes sense to carry through some of these changes to our interiors. Botanical decoration is always going to be the most natural way to keep your space up to speed with the seasons. Budding vases are small enough to fit anywhere and everywhere in your home, making a difference with as little as a single flower. A fully blossoming decorative vase elegantly arranged becomes a seasonal centerpiece and fills the room with life.
In Summary...
Through making a number of these smaller updates you can transform you interior with such relative ease and give your space a new lease of life. Just by repositioning, swapping around, and bringing in some additional decor you can fall back in love with your room. And you don't need to do it all at once - phase things in, see how you feel, and change it up.
- Bold smaller pieces are a great way to bring in unexpected pops of colour to revive a stale interior and create a statement
- Artwork is not fixed, and it stores well. Exploit this by moving art around freely and experimenting with what works where
- Cushions help to reinvent the colour scheme, and can be easily be changed around on the daily if you feel indecisive
- Don't neglect your table. Hold a selection of table cloths that you can swap out for the right occasion
- The power of smell is more transformative that you may realise. A new candle is the cherry on top of an interior refresh
- Don't forget the flowers. Branches from the garden, bunches of flowers, of clippings of budding plants can all be brought in to the home to keep it seasonal
