Ten Tips For Life
Top Ten Tips: Making Your Home a Haven
Chaos and juggling are staples of modern life. So when you've spent an hour in a traffic jam, stayed behind for a late-night meeting or even just battled the other trolleys at the supermarket, you want to come home to a tranquil and peaceful environment. But all too often our homes only add to our headaches - the pipe's leaking again; newspapers and toys litter the floor; there's nothing nice in the fridge. Making your home into somewhere you crave to be can be easy, cheap and quick, though. Just use our guide and soon you'll be the ultimate homebird!
1. See the wood for the trees
And start off by decluttering the place. Throw out old junk, put those photos into albums, organise that CD collection and see what space you actually have left to work with. Shelves and stylish storage boxes can both be used to create extra living room.
2. Keep it cosy
Texture is a vital feature of any comfortable home. Snuggle up with warm, rich, jewel-coloured fabrics such as velvet and cashmere when it's cold and dark outside, and introduce fresh cool linens and silks in the summer months.
3. Lighten up
Create a soft, warm (and, if you're lucky, romantic!) glow by using candles, tealights and lanterns instead of harsh overhead lights. Recessed spotlights in the kitchen and bathroom are attractive, affordable alternatives to strip lights.
4. Smelling sweeter
Room and linen sprays, pot pourri and scented candles can all make your home smell heaven scent. Use sleep-inducing lavender fragrances for bedrooms and bathrooms; mouth-watering vanilla and honeysuckle for dining rooms and lounges and citron-based scents for conservatories and anywhere where people may smoke to ward off bugs and tobacco.
5. A room of one's own
Even if it's a tiny alcove, make sure you have somewhere that's 100% yours and yours alone. Personalise it with your favourite photos, books, even your old teddy bear, and retreat to it when you need a break from the rest of the world.
6. Have Mother Nature to tea
One of the nicer guests you can invite into your home. Incorporating plants and flowers into your habitat is soothing and refreshing - they look and smell beautiful, ionise the air plus bring the great outdoors inside even if you live in a gardenless high-rise.
7. Make sweet music
Turn off the TV for a change and crank up the stereo. Classical, soul, jazz, pop - music is food for the soul and can entirely transform your mood. So keep it mellow to unwind, get it pumping to liven up and turn on the smooth tunes as well as the charm to seduce!
8. All work and no play...
Offices may be a feature of many homes nowadays but make sure it's out of sight, and so out of mind, of the main living area. The very presence of paperwork and a computer can make your nerves jangle if you have spent a whole day grafting, or niggle you if there's something still left for you to do. Keep home and work as distinct as you can and you'll reap the benefits in both areas of your life.
9. Go gourmet
Once a week, treat yourself to a slap-up feast to rival any restaurant. Whether you just drop by the deli for good cheese, bread and wine, or reach for the recipe book and cook up a storm, make your home THE place to eat, drink and be merry. Cooking at home shouldn't always be about speed and convenience so revolutionise your kitchen and make it tantalise the taste buds!
10. I want to be alone
When it all gets too much, turn off the phone, switch on the answering machine and go to ground. Don't feel guilty - the world can cope without you for a bit and, let's face it, now you've created your very comfort zone, you're never going to want to leave!
For more inspiration check out The Natural Look, Brightening a Dark Living Room, Touchy Feely and Romantic Retreat.
And start off by decluttering the place. Throw out old junk, put those photos into albums, organise that CD collection and see what space you actually have left to work with. Shelves and stylish storage boxes can both be used to create extra living room.
2. Keep it cosy
Texture is a vital feature of any comfortable home. Snuggle up with warm, rich, jewel-coloured fabrics such as velvet and cashmere when it's cold and dark outside, and introduce fresh cool linens and silks in the summer months.
3. Lighten up
Create a soft, warm (and, if you're lucky, romantic!) glow by using candles, tealights and lanterns instead of harsh overhead lights. Recessed spotlights in the kitchen and bathroom are attractive, affordable alternatives to strip lights.
4. Smelling sweeter
Room and linen sprays, pot pourri and scented candles can all make your home smell heaven scent. Use sleep-inducing lavender fragrances for bedrooms and bathrooms; mouth-watering vanilla and honeysuckle for dining rooms and lounges and citron-based scents for conservatories and anywhere where people may smoke to ward off bugs and tobacco.
5. A room of one's own
Even if it's a tiny alcove, make sure you have somewhere that's 100% yours and yours alone. Personalise it with your favourite photos, books, even your old teddy bear, and retreat to it when you need a break from the rest of the world.
6. Have Mother Nature to tea
One of the nicer guests you can invite into your home. Incorporating plants and flowers into your habitat is soothing and refreshing - they look and smell beautiful, ionise the air plus bring the great outdoors inside even if you live in a gardenless high-rise.
7. Make sweet music
Turn off the TV for a change and crank up the stereo. Classical, soul, jazz, pop - music is food for the soul and can entirely transform your mood. So keep it mellow to unwind, get it pumping to liven up and turn on the smooth tunes as well as the charm to seduce!
8. All work and no play...
Offices may be a feature of many homes nowadays but make sure it's out of sight, and so out of mind, of the main living area. The very presence of paperwork and a computer can make your nerves jangle if you have spent a whole day grafting, or niggle you if there's something still left for you to do. Keep home and work as distinct as you can and you'll reap the benefits in both areas of your life.
9. Go gourmet
Once a week, treat yourself to a slap-up feast to rival any restaurant. Whether you just drop by the deli for good cheese, bread and wine, or reach for the recipe book and cook up a storm, make your home THE place to eat, drink and be merry. Cooking at home shouldn't always be about speed and convenience so revolutionise your kitchen and make it tantalise the taste buds!
10. I want to be alone
When it all gets too much, turn off the phone, switch on the answering machine and go to ground. Don't feel guilty - the world can cope without you for a bit and, let's face it, now you've created your very comfort zone, you're never going to want to leave!
For more inspiration check out The Natural Look, Brightening a Dark Living Room, Touchy Feely and Romantic Retreat.
