At Home in the New Year
2021 is finally here! It’s a welcome fresh start, and an inspiration to look forward to the new.
Many of us have spent more time at home than we thought possible in a year.
If that’s got you thinking about how well your home works for you, here are some tools to help you:
Our Top 5 Home Inspirations for 2021:
Identify what’s Important to You
This may be the atmosphere or ‘feel’ that you want the house to have, or the social life and relationships the space facilitates, or it may be some design details or features. Ask the question ‘Why do you want to change your home?’ Your answer to that question will show you where your priorities lie.
Invest Yourself
The most important soul your home can have is yours. Whether that’s yours as an individual, a couple, or a family; put your heart into it, and into the process of designing it, and a house with soul will be the inevitable result.
Texture
Take time over the feel of materials – inside and out. It can be easy to choose finishes from catalogues that only give you a photographic representation of what your flooring or brick will be like. Nothing beats getting a real sample of the wood that you’ll use: touch it, look closely at it in different lights, and get a feel for it.
Go Fractal
Fractal is a design word to mean ‘on multiple scales’ - the fine detail as well as the big picture vision. When you think about the design of your house, think around it deeply: in three dimensions and in four seasons; as it responds to changing light and to weather. Most importantly know it in detail. The deeper and more multi-faceted your understanding of the house is, the more of you will be put into the house, and the more it will match up to what you want to achieve.
Keep Talking
Conversation helps flesh out your ideas into specifics, so take every opportunity to talk to your partner, your designer, and anyone else involved in your home. Talking helps keep everyone on the same page, and helps you understand it from different angles and viewpoints.
I hope this has inspired you with new ideas for your home. You can read more on our blog about Creating Places that People Love.
Best regards, and Happy New Year!
