Serena K Agius November 26, 2020
Summer holidays and Christmas in Australia means lots of Light & Fun.
After this challenging year for all of us, reflecting some clarity in our homes and businesses introduces a simplicity that we’ve been longing for in our over-complicated lives. Nurture yourself by finding your own uniqueness and letting your home surroundings reflect this idea.
A Cheerful Holiday look
a) The impulse is to change up and open up. Look at where can you introduce more light & space?
b) Can you tear down old curtains? It is possible to get new blinds on board, if you act quickly it is still possible with some manufacturers.
c) It’s remarkable how washing walls, removing grime and finger marks will lift your rooms and corridors.
d) Now is a good time to take a fresh look at the pictures and artwork you have hanging up. Remove faded prints. Paintings that have very dark tones in them could be removed to make way for light-filled, hopeful images.
Welcoming Visitors:
Are you planning for day visitors or providing guest accommodation or both?
a) How are you going to do it? Create a plan, particularly if you’ve been working from home. At this time of year, our relationships take precedence and decide when you are going to remove the extra desks and workspace and for how long.
b) What room do you need to make? Is this going to be converted into a temporary bedroom or pleasant sitting area? A lamp and occasional table will assist with flowers or decoration to add to the 2 easy chairs you’ve had no room for until now. Portable storage, shelving can be removed or cleared for your guest's clothes.
c) Besides the bed & towel, details like infusers, flowers, magazines, personal toiletries and drinks, add thoughtful touches that make people feel appreciated. I have a friend who does this beautifully.
DE-Clutter:
Now you can see how important it is to make that space.
a) Remove the stuff that’s accumulated all year from work & sports
b) Remove relatives’ & your offsprings’ things that you’ve been storing for them while they find other digs or pastures- hire storage or get them to do it themselves.
c) Is there furniture you can remove to the spare bedroom or storage in the short term?
d) Remove your usual ornaments to the linen cupboard or pantry so that your surfaces are clear for flowers and any decorative seasonal ornaments.
e) Remember Marie Kondo's mantra: Does it bring you joy? If not - feel the anticipation of creating an empty spacious look. The new space will allow you to breathe and bring more joy.
Light:
a) Be strategic with where you put your coloured or plain lights. Grouping light features and multi-layered strings work well.
b) Externally, unless you are catering to children in your family, clusters and drops of abstract shapes work well. It appeals to our Australian sensibilities and environment. In the interests of being real, (More important than ever this year), try not to make a story out of your display that’s not relevant to your circumstances. I believe over sentimentalising has seen its day.
c) If you’re using candles or lit ornaments inside, remember a cluster looks great, although in a few different spots. Don’t overdo it. Remember to group and/or string ornaments when arranging them and using other lit features.
d) Consider visually how you can use the principle of contrast, of Yin & Yang - light and dark when setting up displays.
Colour:
Australia is full of light and colour at this time of year from purple, white and pink trees to dense greens and golden greens filling our countryside.
a) The Heat of Christmas- is reflected in white & gold; pair green with silver. Go easy on the red - it's a HOT colour and use it for accents paired with white & silver.
b) You can decide on your colour scheme- what will work with your current ornaments or do you have the funds and energy to make your own or total replacement this year?
c) Pink and Purple are good substitutes for red with a dash of yellow thrown in. These speak of renewal and freshness and are reflected in many of our summer flowers.
d) You might decide to go all floral this year to introduce freshness and reflect the transience of this year. Plan ahead as to what will be in season and decide what minimal Christmas ornaments or lighting can be used alongside them.
If you still find it hard to make decisions because you find it difficult aligning your tastes with these guidelines send me an enquiry on the Contact form. I can help you with this. Visit the Services page for more details about my specialities. I'd love to hear your comments about this blog post and if you've put any of these tips into action. Send your comments, which may be published, via the Contact form.
Photo Credits:
Image 1: Lynda-Hinton-QyDLHeUerd4-Unsplash
Image 2: luis-felipe- lins- Unsplash
Image 3: Carolyn V-Unsplash
Image 4: Darren Richardson on Unsplash
Image 7: Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
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