How to make your house a home with little touches
It’s taken many years of fiddling, faffing and experimenting to feel that our house is finally a home. And what works for us may not work for others, but I’m really ok with that. I follow trends and popular styles but I really try to put a spin on it that fits with me, my husband and my family.
Whilst I really love the house to look pleasing to my eye, it has to work as a practical family home too, one that’s lived in, used and abused on a regular basis. There’s nothing special about our home, it’s a working family space and it will remain like this.
So in conjunction with Sofology, I’ve been looking at the things that really make our house a home. This is very personal to me but by sharing my thoughts it may give you ideas on how you create your perfect family home.
LIVING ROOM:
There are few items in the living room that make it feel calm and relaxing for me. Firstly, I love plants and flowers. I never used to; I’m not a great plant mama, but I do my best and the presence of greenery really alters the atmosphere in any room, but particularly in here.
The darker paint colour, whilst not being everyone’s favourite keeps the room feeling warm and cosy. It’s actually the best thing we’ve ever done in this room and has totally transformed the light in here, creating a lovely inviting space.
Follow trends and popular styles but really try to put a spin on it that fits with you, and your family.
DINING ROOM:
Our dining room is an incredibly well used room. It’s not just a dining room (in fact we rarely dine in here actually) but more of a den or hangout space. Consequently the room has a very special place in our daily routine. We all congregate here in the mornings, hangout working or playing in the day, and spend time chatting in here when we come in from work or school at the end of the day.
There are many pieces in there that make the room more homely but my favourites right now are the cushions and artwork. They’re chosen specifically to work with the green and pink decor but to give the space personality.
KITCHEN:
In the kitchen it’s all about colour and pattern. I’m a big fan of injecting colour into our home now (might be the years of living with white minimal walls that converted me) and it’s these yellow Tolix style stools that turn this kitchen into a family space.We sit here A LOT. We eat here, the girls craft or do homework here and I work here too. Whilst the area gives us the chance to be together, it’s the pop of colour that really brings it to life for me.
BATHROOM:
We have a very small family bathroom in our Victorian house, but in a recent redecoration I added lots of green on the walls and on the shelves. It’s the greenery in here that’s brought it to life. And believe it or not a lot of them are faux plants. They’re a great way to make the room feel more homely and you don’t have worry about watering them – or killing them!
BEDROOM:
Another big thing for me across the home is texture. I’m a big fan of building in lots of different textures into the decor to feed the senses. In our loft bedroom the wooden floor is covered with a variety of sheepskin rugs. The wonder of moving from the hard, cold wood to the soft, warmer feel of the rugs never fails to bring a smile to my face, even now 3 years on.
It’s this kind of experience that apparently helps us feel more connected to nature, bringing relaxation and wellbeing into our lives.
KIDS’ ROOMS:
The kids have grown up with a love of design. They’re incredibly creative and with being exposed to my job and my love of home decor they’ve developed their own sense of style. This was shown recently in Ella’s bedroom when she designed her own makeover.
She’s not afraid to try new ideas and this green angled ceiling and big mural were all her own idea. Whilst they are bigger features in this room, it’s her idea on how to bring it all together that really inspired me and showed that it’s a combination of both the big and small that really makes our house a home.
