Happy 2019! The new year always spells hopeful home projects. In this new year, embrace the opportunity be the unapologetic home décor lover to create your inspiring, authentic and wonderful home.
Joyful Ambience, Natural Elements
and Rich Textures are Décor trends for 2019.
So, go on, make the best of it!
Besides potential outcomes like cost-saving, you can take the chance to bond with your family over some of the projects. Regardless of your style direction, types of skills or space you are decorating, we hope you get a chance to dive into our list of most-loved ideas and emerge beaming with joy:
ARTFUL GALLERY WALL
If you have felt the occasional pang of desire to fill the blank walls and just can’t figure it out, trust me you’re not alone – for this project can seem so daunting yet we cannot help buying those art prints. So today, we like to share our unsophisticated method, where first things first, there is no rule and all you want to focus on is playing up the richness of each framed art print.
- Step One: Gather about nine to fifteen art prints you love and frame them up. Pay attention to how each frame can bring out the beauty of the art prints.
- Step Two: Pinpoint the centre of the wall at eye level or lower and designate the largest frame for that spot. This gives the wall a focal point. Next, lay all the frames on the floor ensuring they stay within the parameters to that of the wall. Tip: There is no one-size-fits-all composition for each home so pick one that suits your style and space.
- Step Three: Get ready your drill and screws for installation, starting with the centrepiece you have pinpointed earlier and work outwards. Screws are better for heavy frames and allow the frames to be as flat against the wall as possible. Tip: Invest in a power drill and learn to use it safely for other home improvement projects.
- Step Four: Allow this wall to grow over time with new addition and we encourage rearrangement occasionally ¬– remember, no rule. Finally, if you love rich textures, go ahead and add outstanding frames and even wall sculpture or mirror.
LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE
Every home deserves unique pieces to dictate its design decision, leading to unexpectedly beautiful results! By adding a signature lighting design to your living and dining spaces, your home style can be elevated immediately. Head to lighting shops and explore the possibilities. Installation is easily arranged with most lighting shops if you have a working electrical point. Tip: Choose bulbs that enable you to switch between Warm White, Cool White, and Daylight to serve the various functions of these space. In addition, if you like creating different ambiences, you can go for Smart bulbs that let you change between millions of colours via an app. For creating softer feels, you can add chain lights that come in various power source configuration like solar, battery and via an electrical cable.
STYLE YOUR SHELVES
Let your bookshelves or storage cabinets break free from its undervalued existence and dignify them with your much-needed attention. An arrangement of the books, plates and glasses according to its colours, height and types can quickly revamp its looks. Where available, gems like heirlooms, gifts from best friends and collectibles from memorable travel trips are the best personal items to add. Complete the look with your favourite sculptures or ornament, greenery, candles, vases and clock. Tip: Do not overcrowd the areas and resist adding irrelevant items like loose letters, toys and etc.
MURAL MURAL ON THE WALL
Hats are quint-essential in our climate and they make for very good wall murals! Take them out from its stashed-away hiding places and hang them up in an artistic way. The one-of-a-kind display over your console or bed is not only a neat conversation starter but allow you to accessorise yourself easily! If vertical space is a challenge, you can hang the hats across two walls. We love how this stunning collage injects a sense of culture and spectacle to any home!
YOUR ‘JACKSON POLLOCK’
Pollock’s abstract splashy, drippy, wobbly paintings are so spontaneous and limitless that even kids can have a go at recreating. His unconventional painting technique enables such freedom of expression that every recreation can be original! Start by laying a canvas on the ground above any sheet cloth or old newspapers. Using alkyd enamels, shake, drip, fling, wave, twirl, and splatter this smooth paint with sticks, hardened brushes and even pouring from its containers. To own your art, dance and move around to create your own style of line weights and splash patterns – Pollock’s movement was famously coined as ACTION PAINTING and we can see why. Starting with just black and white colours give you a chance to grasp your style of expression before adding on colours. You can find the necessary art supplies at shops like Art Friend.
MAKE THOSE WALLS TALK
Not all storytelling is within picture frames, on paintings and with hats. These days with advanced printing technology, one can find wallpapers of all sorts and even personalise them. We love the collections from Wallpaper From The 70s and given the trend of things, we are soon to be spoilt for choice. Though there are different materials available, like paper-based, non-woven and vinyl ones, we recommend paper-backed vinyl or solid sheet vinyl ones for our humid weather. Regardless of its cost and different maintenance needs compared to painted walls, there is no doubt the high impact quality that wallpapers can. Pop into wallpaper shops to view in person to trigger the love for them.
PERSONALISED HOME ACCESSORIES
Personalisation is not only showing any sign of disappearing and in fact going more mainstream and into our homes. With so many personalization experts out there, you can turn words you love to beautiful framed art prints, cushions, key rack and more for a small fee. Alternatively, you can learn online and create beautiful art prints yourself. Brushes that we have tried and are affordable are Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Big Brush Pens and Tombow Dual Brush Pens. You can find these pens at shops like Art Friend and Popular.
CUSHIONS UNITE
Cushions are another underrated home accessories because, on the opposite scale of things, boring, bland and uninspiring cushions can drag an otherwise stylish room down to their level. Inject your personal style into the living room through great looking cushions of good scale to your sofa and armchairs. You can go for up to 6 cushions for a 3-seater sofa and 2 more for an L-shaped sofa! It’s good design practice to consider the colours of existing walls or furniture during the selection. Besides the obvious ones with colours and patterns that make you feel good, consider the safety and maintenance of furry ones and those with tassels especially if you have young tots at home. Take this chance to develop a good design eye for colours while choosing a colour theme of cushions to compliment your sofa. Classic patterns like lines, strips and circles can offer various styles and are better than those with overpowering elements. The final touch of a singular most-loved, very personal and exclusive cushion goes a long way in showing off your personal style.
ORGANISE TO DECORATE
Can we agree that this project, like spring cleaning, is not something we jump up on a Saturday morning to get an early start? But good housekeeping gives us space and time for more exciting home projects so let’s get it right so we do not have to do it every month. So first off, understand what you need storing, where are the spaces for storing and how often are the stored items used. Look towards either end of the house for storage spaces. Reason being, they are the most hidden of spaces and installing multi-purpose shelves is not going to kill the design of your entire house. These multi-purpose shelves give you the flexibility and durability to stash as much as you need and it can be hidden away with doors or curtains. From functional to see-through to wildly-decorative stackable storage boxes, you can play around with how minimalist or high fashion you want your storage shelves to look. We like to highlight that when you are done putting everything away, they still have to be visible and accessible.
UPCYCLE WITHOUT WASTE
Last but not least, our all-time favourite home décor idea is upcycling. We see upcycling as a way to preserve wisdom, helping us think twice about what we can do with an object or material before throwing it away. There are tonnes of ideas to share so let us kick start with giving all glassware we have, plus those used over the festive seasons, a new lease of life. We do not encourage overwhelming yourself with extensive production and complicated designs. A simple gold ring accorded to the top of glasses, cups, containers, bottles and etc gives them an artisanal look. With masking tape, a simple brush and gold paint from Art Friend, you can see the rewarding finishing even before the paint dries.
We hope these projects can bring you great joy and enhance your love and appreciation for home décor.
Have fun creating treasures in your heart and home!
If you found this article useful, HuggyHomey recommends Creating A Home and Love Yourself, Love Your Home.