Pick 5 colours & Repeat

Your house should have a consistency of colour. Pick 5 colours. This could be a white for the walls, trims & ceiling, a timber for the floor, grey sofa, & then 2 pops of colour in the cushions & décor. This basis of colour allows you to add décor in those hues. So you can have timber furniture to match the floor or white accessories to match the walls.

If you like more depth of colour in some areas of your home then you can add one of your ‘accents’, like the cushion hue to the wall paint to give impact. Then team the other 4 colours around that.

Add Emphasis

A focal point in a room is a grounding space. Traditional homes use fireplaces or decorative drapery to highlight the room. In modern houses this can be the glass splashback of a kitchen, a feature wall of wallpaper or even a large decorator item like a clock or wall mounted shelving. Having a focal point draws the eye to it, so make it an area you want people to see – don’t highlight a mess.

Have a style

Most homes have an eclectic mix of items or styles due to the years of gathering furniture & décor, or renovating over decades. This can create a mismatch in style. Do some research & find what style you like. This could be sleek Modern, relaxed Bohemian, clean Scandi, Mid-Century Revival furniture, or elegant Hamptons. When looking around you will find you gravitate to certain eras or design elements & this is a place to build off. Find the items in your home which follow that theme & highlight these. Keep that design style in mind when purchasing new pieces or find ways to distract from the items that must stay but don’t quite fit. And that brings us to…

Misdirection

We all have those items or areas in our homes which aren’t pretty. However these areas are usually quite functional, so they are hard to change. Misdirection is the best way to ‘hide’ them while still being able to have a useful space. Misdirection is all about drawing people’s eye away from the problem. For a cluttered kitchen, you could add a large colourful artwork or clock to a wall which grabs attention (emphasis), for a messy children’s play room once again a large colourful artwork will draw the eye up from the cluttered floor to the wall space. Make sure not to put an attention grabbing piece in front of a messy space, make it the opposite wall so the occupant has their back to the clutter.

Think Function First

As a Designer, everyone thinks it’s all about cushions & colour, but it is more about function & flow. An area has to work properly otherwise it just gathers mess. You need to be able access all areas of the home otherwise you have wasted space & potential. When there is an area of your home that isn’t working, take a step back & think – why? Is the storage not correct, is it hard to access, not part of the natural flow, bad lighting or poor ventilation? When you nail down the problem then we can add a way to fix it which is also attractive in the space.

Is your workplace making you sick?

 

We all know the feeling of Mondays dragging on for what seems like forever. But is Mondayitis an actual condition – or are we just wingers?

The theories for causes of feeling slack & unmotivated on Mondays are wide-spread. This includes over indulging on the weekend, causing the liver to work extra hard to get back to a stable level. The differing life schedules that the weekend creates breaks our usual sleep, eating & work cycle causing more lethargy on Mondays.

One theory is Interior Design based – with the 1960’s & 70’s adopting office building set ups filled with plastic based furniture & fixtures. These toxins from the plastics are released into the air, but with the buildings being closed over the weekends, the concentration of toxins ingested on Mondays gave the occupants a much more lethargic feeling than any other day.

Sick Building Syndrome does actually exist & this could be a cause of your feelings or physical state when at work. If you do feel a certain way in your office, consider What is around you, When did this feeling start & How it makes you feel. New carpets, fresh paint & plastic furniture can all have toxins being released. Good air flow helps to remove the toxins & indoor plants have been found to be great air filters to give you more clean air. They are also very in vogue right now as well.

If there is nothing new, consider old items – bad lighting, damp areas, poor ergonomics or constant noise. Inadequate lighting can cause headaches after hours of squinting or straining to see. Consider different forms of light, such as adding a desk lamp & moving it around during the day to get the most workable light. Some buildings can be old & have drainage issues. Dampness in offices causes mould & spores to be thrown into the air. This can give respiratory issues & make you feel unwell. You may find this more during damper months, & not so much in summer.

Poor ergonomics are a huge issue in offices. Slouching, sitting crooked, looking down at your monitor & poor mouse clicking can cause plenty of back, shoulder & neck problems. Fixing your desk space & replacing your chair to focus more on ergonomic support will help immeasurably. Also make sure that you get up regularly to take breaks from the screen.

A change to your working environment may make all the difference to your physical & emotional state during the work day. Of course, if you do all these things & still find that you feel lethargic, especially moving through the rest of the work week, you should consult your doctor to ensure it isn’t another issue.

And from a mental point of view – one theory to break the Mondayitis is to love what you do. This empowers you through the whole day & gives you a purpose to the hours you spend there. To take the edge off a Monday you can pre-plan your work week on Sunday night to have a clear focus moving into your Monday morning, or if possible, finish work early on Mondays & do something you enjoy like walking the dogs or reading a book. It will make the start of the work week more enjoyable.

If all else fails – maybe just grab another coffee & hope for a better Tuesday!

A cluttered house is a cluttered mind.

This is a statement which I heard years ago & find it rings true. This is a bit of a hard topic to traverse for me as I have ‘hoarders’ in my family, but in this privileged country of ours we have so much ‘stuff’ in our homes. Right now if you were to look around I’m sure you could count up dozens upon dozens of items you are surrounded by. And on top of that if you really considered it, how many of these items do you really need?

Now it’s not just about need. We want to live a certain way & with that comes tangible items – I would rather have a bed than no bed. But when our houses become a shrine to consumerism, we need to take a moment to decide if it is important to keep it all.

As an Interior Designer I have seen minimalist interiors, with only those few precious items perfectly placed on the mantle. And then I have seen the houses with items smothering every surface, stacked on top of each other & layers of dust on top, making it abundantly clear those pieces haven’t been moved for years. There is no right & no wrong way to live. I am not dictating that everyone needs to clean out to be perfect. I am stating that in my experience the original saying sees to hold true – A cluttered house is a cluttered mind.

When you look at an area of your home (and we all have them) where items tend to gather, you can see all the work you need to do… the jacket is there because it needs sewing, the paint can sits there until I touch up the hallway, Grandma’s baking dish needs to be returned to her & the shoes are there because they need polishing. So consider that your whole home was covered with these areas. The mental toll must be exhausting.

That is what I mean by A cluttered house is a cluttered mind. It is a constant ‘To Do List’ involving time & effort you may not have.

From a different perspective, the Ancient Chinese belief of Feng Shui is based on Chi being energy or life force. In a cluttered home, the Chi cannot flow through the home safely creating stagnant or damaging energy to pool in areas.

From a scientific or medical perspective, when air cannot circulate correctly, this can lead to mould growth or dust mite being present which in turn can cause respiratory problems in humans. Long term the mould can cause damage to walls, ceilings & stain carpets. In areas that cannot be easily cleaned insects & rodents tend to live which can also create more heath issues for occupants. Sounds dire!

But that is the worst case scenario, the sort of thing you would see on an episode of Hoarders. Luckily most of us don’t live in houses such as these, however we all tend to have that area or two which does need a bit of attention.

Interior Decoration is a fickle field as every season there are new colours, new décor items & new furniture to adorn our homes. This can make it really difficult to stay in vogue without having an overload of clutter.

If it is important for you to keep your Interiors updated with all the new fashions, then consider a white based colour palette for the walls & window furnishings, & a neutral coloured floor. Note, when you hear the word ‘neutral’ this includes white, black, grey, brown, stone, taupe & linen colours. This will allow you to create a colourful & attention grabbing décor range which can be updated as often as you like.

If you prefer to have a consistent style & only add a couple of pieces every now & then, you need to consider which style you like. Pick a theme. Research the style you like. This may be Industrial or it may be Classical. Allow most of your interior to follow that theme & ensure that when you add a Contemporary piece the overall feeling of the room isn’t disrupted.

So how do you clear out?

Well Spring is always a good time for this. Just start in one room. Each time you pick up an item, think about if you really like it or could put it away in storage. With the items you choose to keep, make sure this is for YOUR reasons, not because it has always been there, or that one family member you never see likes it there. This is YOUR home everyday. Make sure it is YOURS everyday.

If possible, move these ‘keep’ items to another area of that room.              A change is as good as a holiday. If you like that cushion, you may as well keep it fresh. Even move items from room to room. You could also re-purpose items, like taking all those old picture frames & arranging them into one large photo wall collage. Or clean out the old books from the bookcase & use it to store extra cushions or throw rugs when they are not in use. This not only re-invigorates the bookcase, but also softens the look. And can save cash as you are not needing to shop for new items.

For the pieces that you have ‘put into storage’, what you do next is up to you. If you are the type of person who is happy to part with them, passing them onto family or Op Shops then it solves the issue. If you are the type of person who cannot let them go, you may want to ask yourself ‘why?’ And this answer will probably be different for each item. However one truth will always remain – we can’t take it with us when we go, so do we really NEED it?

“Love people & use things. Because the other way around never works.” – The Minimalists

So with Spring only a week away are you going to de-clutter, freshen up that interior & consider a new way of living? Ha, ha! It’s alright if you’re not. We don’t need to adopt a new religion to decorate our homes but a little bit of mindfulness can help you focus on what is really important to you & ensure that you’re not overloaded with a cluttered mind.

We are the land of droughts & flooding rains, & our temperatures all around the country can be intense. Houses can be little hot boxes or freezing cold in winter, so what can you do to make your home more comfortable?

Most people now days would just say – turn on the split system aircon, but with the rising cost of power bills & our terrible reliance on electricity, that isn’t always a viable option either. This is where Passive Solar Design comes in. This is the way to align your home depending on the angle of the sun to make a huge difference to the interior temperature.

If possible, when designing a home layout try to have –

• Living Rooms or Patios on the North facing side
• Bathrooms & Laundries to the South
• Bedrooms to the East unless you have a shift worker
• Have no windows on the West side unless they can be shaded in summer
• Have wide eaves to give shade on the windows & walls in summer
• Deciduous trees to shade in summer & let light in for winter
• Thermal mass flooring inside for winter

But when you have an existing home, you don’t get to change these, so what do you do?? Here’s some of the best tips for saving on power & better heating & cooling your home.

• Update electrical appliances & use low energy globes. There are a few good incentives & schemes to help with this.
• Look into solar or renewable energies, including solar hot water
• Insulate!!! This includes inside wall cavities, ceiling & underfloor.
• Double glaze windows, but if you can’t do that….
• Window furnishings on inside & out. This cuts heat/cold from getting into the house, & insulates the inside preventing you choice of artificial heating/cooling from getting out.
• Add plantings or obstructions outside the house. A deciduous tree will shade in summer & let light in for winter. A thicker hedge closer to the house will help insulate the walls. Shade structures outside can cut the strong sun massively from hitting your home.
• Have a lighter coloured roof. Dark colours absorb heat.
• Add a vent on your roof to let heat out of your ceiling cavity.
• Turn off appliances when not in use. Use natural light, take shorter showers, use energy efficient devices, put on a jumper & socks.
• Recycle wherever possible. Try to repurpose items rather than replacing them & throwing the old one to the tip

These things may seem pretty much like common sense, but it is amazing how uncommon common sense is now days. Back in our grandparents day, this is what they did. But our lives are different now. We are living in a time when air conditioners are a standard in every home & we all have at least 50 electronic devises that we use regularly. We have become so dependent on electricity that we feel like we have to pay – so why not be smart & make that amount cheaper. Not only will your bank balance love these changes, but your home will be more comfortable to live in.

 

For other free Interior Design Tips –

Storage for Older Homes – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/storage-for-older-homes/

Heating your home this Winter – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/tips-on-heating-your-home-in-winter/

Having an older home – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/a-grandma-of-a-home/

The latest design trend PLANTS – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/latest-decor-fascination-plants/

To help you design & decorate your home!

Would you believe that there is a science behind Interior Design? These elements help you put a room together like a Pro. Some of this may come naturally for you, but there may have been an element you are missing which makes all the difference.

COLOUR

Colour gives a massive difference to a room. It can tie it to styles or eras, can bring warmth, give a cooler feeling, be vibrant or dull, or be very bold with contrast.

CONTRAST

This refers to the opposites in a room that highlight both. Such as black & white, but can easily be used with contrasting shapes, textures, lighting conditions, sizes & design styles.

LIGHT

Light is essential for design so we can see what we are doing in a room. It’s best to have three types of light in each room, being Natural, Task & Ambient. Lighting can bring texture, shape, proportion, contrast & rhythm to a room, as well as patterns.

BALANCE

Find a friend. Balance refers to repeating elements in the room to bring it all togerher. You can balance colours, textured, shapes, finishes or styles.

SCALE & PROPORTION

This is oversizing an item for emphasis, or under sizing to draw attention to another element. This is great for creating feature pieces, or highlighting other parts of the room. You can use scale to make small rooms look bigger with smaller items in it, or large rooms look smaller with larger proportioned pieces.

EMPHASIS

This is the focal point or feature of the room. It is what you want to draw peoples’ attention to. This can be done with art, architectural features, colour, texture, shape, proportion & lighting.

TEXTURE

Texture is everywhere, whether it be rustic & rough, soft & silky or sleek & straight. It can be brought in with finishes like wood or stone, & can give patterns.

DETAILS

The attention is in the detail. It is the difference between a good & a stunning finish. This can be piping on a cushion, shadow lines on kitchen cabinetry or metal trimming on furniture. It is the strawberry on the top.

UNITY & VARIETY

Unity is the same thing, variety is different things. This brings the both together with similar colours, shapes, finishes & textures. It is a way to assemble a set with collection of items. So find a unifying theme, like all white vases, candles or sculptures with the variety being the different shapes or sizes.

RHYTHM / VISUAL INERTIA

Rhythm is repetition to draw your eye through a space. This can be done with colours, shapes, lighting, balance & proportion. Visual Inertia is similar, with the rhythm of the items making the illusion of movement, like zebra stripes in a group.

A well designed room considers all these elements which creates a balanced, interesting space. And sometimes all it takes is a small candle on the side table to tie it all together. Designing can be technical but also loads of fun!

The Industrial style comes from the warehouse district. This rustic, beat-around-the-edges look was brought in with people renovating warehouse lofts in cities to make urban housing but keeping the warehouse charm. It has a modern-sleek & minimalist appearance in many aspects as the warehouse life isn’t full of decoration. But the finishes used give the decoration.

These finishes include exposed brick, with or without peeling paint, rustic timbers, exposed pipes, high ceilings, open spaces, dangling light fixtures, concrete floors & metal benches.

The modern addition to this style is the use of shiny copper.

This can also be described as the Urban Style especially when more refined with sleek lines.

To get this look –

• Have a beat around the edges look, the Industrial style is not polished
• Expose finishes, take ceiling out to expose beams, show plumbing pipes, strip paint back or have worn timbers
• Add metal, lighting, stools, coffee table
• Add concrete or exposed brick. This could be concrete tiles, a side table, lights, concrete benchtop. Exposed brick wallpaper.
• Rustic timbers. The more rustic it is the more industrial it looks. The sleeker the timber the more Urban Design it looks.
• Fabric is kept to a minimum, but if you are adding make them textured fabrics. These are to look heavy duty, like hessian sacks. Or rustic leather.
• Pops of block colour. Colour is mostly neutral, pops of colour were used in warehouses. Bright colours which are beat around the edges of more muted, dusky tints.

 

For more Interior Design ideas see these free blog posts –

Styling to Sell your home – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/styling-to-sell/

The Top Interior Design Elements – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/the-top-interior-design-elements/

Colour Proportions in your home – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/colour-proportions/

If you’ve ever painted, renovated or built a home, you would have heard the terms like Flat / Matt, Low Sheen, Eggshell, Gloss & Satin. But what does that mean?

This refers to the sheen level or amount of shine you want for that finish. It may seem a bit non-sensible, but the choosing the wrong one may make all the difference!

For example, you may have just rendered the outside of your home. The beautiful render finish looks like stone. This is Matt. The shine is very low & it looks flat, so if you are painting over the top, you would want Matt, not shiny. This is the same for raw timbers, exposed brick & heavily worn items. If you are working towards an Industrial, French Provincial, Naturalist or Shabby Chic look, these have much flatter textures.

However, if you love ultra modern, clean lines & slick-looking furniture, then a high-gloss look is desired. Gloss grabs your attention as light reflects off it, whereas matt, flat & low sheen recede into the background.

Cleaning

We all want to make it easier to clean our houses & the sheen level can really assist with this! The glossier the finish, the more durable & easier to clean. However, be aware that gloss finishes tend to show wipe & mop marks easily as any imperfection can be seen when the light reflects off it. This also means that if you are painting an item in high-gloss which is beat around the edges, this will highlight those imperfections.

Flat or Matt finishes are not easily washable, but does have great hiding power. This is why it is used for ceilings in houses, to better disguise ceiling joins in the plasterwork as the ceiling is barely cleaned in a house. Low Sheen, Satin & Gloss lie in between the two extremes.

Standard finishes in houses

Ceilings – FLAT/MATT (not washable but hides marks)

Walls – LOW SHEEN/EGGSHELL (washable but hiding power)

Kitchen & Bathroom Walls – can be LOW SHEEN or SATIN/SEMI-GLOSS

Trims & Doors – SATIN/SEMI-GLOSS, GLOSS, HIGH GLOSS

Cabinetry – SATIN/SEMI-GLOSS, GLOSS, HIGH GLOSS

Bathroom Ceilings – LOW SHEEN (so it is washable if you get mould or splashes)

Timber or Tiled Floors – SATIN OR GLOSS

Light

Glossy finishes are more like a mirror, they reflect light. This may help with a small bathroom or darker space to help bring shine into the room. But as stated above, gloss does show imperfections & cleaning issues. High gloss cabinetry in a kitchen may show every fingerprint & breadcrumb. Satin or Semi-gloss is the alternative. This still has a sheen, just not as distinct as the gloss. Satin remains durable & also suits more design styles which are understated, such as Scandi or Country.

How to tell the difference

Most products will state their sheen levels on the label, but even easier – just look at it. Is it shiny? Is it dull? This is not just for paint colours, this also applies to laminate samples, flooring, fabrics & even tap ware. You can have a combination of sheen levels in a home, just consider where is best to use them. What would you like to draw attention to? What is the style you are after? And how do you plan to clean it?

Once you have an understanding of what look you are after & what you would like to feature, the sheen level of the finishes just falls into place.

For other great free Interior Design tips –

What is Contemporary Design? – http://www.onlineinteriordesigner.com.au/what-is-contemporary-design/

Environmental Design – http://www.onlineinteriordesigner.com.au/environmental-design/

How to get the Scandinavian Look – http://www.onlineinteriordesigner.com.au/scandi-style/

The Top Interior Design Elements – http://www.onlineinteriordesigner.com.au/the-top-interior-design-elements/

How to heat your home this winter –http://www.onlineinteriordesigner.com.au/how-to-heat-your-home-this-winter/

How to get the Industrial Look – http://www.onlineinteriordesigner.com.au/how-to-get-the-industrial-style/

 

 What is CONTEMPORARY Design?

The word Contemporary is used quite often in design language & it is implied that we all know what that means. But where does it actually fit with design styles?

Most people mix Contemporary & Modern, as both words came into the Interior Design vocabulary for the everyman at about the same time. However they are very different.

Modern design refers to architecturally designed spaces, with sleek, straight lines, plenty of gloss & a minimalist feeling.

Whereas Contemporary Design is what is in vogue now. This makes it fluid & ever changing.

Currently, Scandinavian styles, Industrial design & now Tribal are becoming the main stream trends, so these elements are all seen in Contemporary homes. The simplicity & structural nature of Modern continues to be seen, but Minimalism is out. Contemporary now includes bleached timber legs on high raised furniture & white based colour schemes like Scandi, teamed with exposed beams or metal lighting fixtures from Industrial, while still having sleek, straight lines from Modern. Rattan baskets or textured rugs stick to the Tribal with Bohemian styled patterns.

Contemporary is a much easier style to replicate in your home than many others as it is purely a mixture of pieces. This means you can pick your favourite elements from each style & incorporate them into your palette. When you get tired of it, or one elements becomes out of vogue, you can update or replace those pieces without having to change the whole design.

Contemporary is also what is currently seen in décor stores, which makes it easy to shop for.

One of the concerns with Contemporary are that it is hard to always keep up with the current trends. This is where it may be better to invest in larger pieces, such as expensive furniture or an all-over colour scheme, in a simplistic style which can outlast the current trends. This may mean a light overall selection & updating the decorator items & cushions as the trends change.

The other issue with adding multiple elements into a room is making sure that they all work well together, especially when they are a combination of different styles. This is where it is best to think about the room. If the colours balance, what you want to draw your attention to, & if that combination of pieces gives the overall feeling or flow that you desire.

The best part about Contemporary is it is always fresh. It may have parts of the old, but with a new way to look at it. Which means your old items could gain a new lease of life & look brand new.

Scandinavian design, commonly known as Scandi is derived from the Nordic countries.

This style is simple & understated. It is based in a white colour palette with bleached timbers & soft pastel tones to accent.

Small pops of shiny bright colours also adorn the style. The furniture is light & airy with higher legs & rounded edges.

The flooring is bleached, wide timber planks, & subtle texture is added with throws in natural fibres or furs for that added warmth in the colder months.

It is spacious, light & airy. It has decoration but is not cluttered. Each piece has a place.

It is mostly timeless in it’s look, it would only need an update of decorator items to keep fresh.

In Australia it is linked to Ikea as their furniture saw the first real influences of it in our country.

How to get the look –

• White based colour palette
• Timbers are bleached & wide planks. Can be rustic looking but better if clean & smooth. Matt or Satin finished – not gloss
• Simple or light window furnishings. Soft flowy sheers keep the sense of openness & air. Otherwise, simple, unobtrusive blinds in white.
• Furniture with rounded edges. Edges are softened but in the design of the piece. Furniture is understated & designer looking.
• Soft colour palette. Additional colours tend to be in small doses or the pastel palette giving a washed look. Light grey tones are common.
• An overall feeling of space & air. This is a combination of the white on white colour scheme, as well as the ‘off the floor’ furniture & minimalist decoration.
• Minimal decoration. Each piece of furniture is the size it needs to be not overstated. Decoration is functional, but designer looking to be interesting in it’s own right.

Scandi is easy to do right now as that is what is in vogue. Head to any homewares stores to see these bleached timbers & soft colours. It is a designer winter warming look, so great for the winter months to stay warm & even better for summer to keep your interior cool!

 

For other free Interior Design Tips click the links

Styling to Sell your home – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/styling-to-sell/

The Top Interior Design Elements – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/the-top-interior-design-elements/

Colour Proportions in your home – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/colour-proportions/

Renovation Procrastination – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/6-years-of-procrastinating/

Advertise your Office – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/advertise-your-office/

Wallpaper is back – http://www.interiordesigneralbury.com.au/wallpaper-is-back/

 

My house is COLD

We’re getting to the end of winter & by golly it is COLD!

This morning all the rooftops are covered in ice, as I sip my hot coffee on the way to the first job of the day – one inside a house, safe from the elements. But is it as ‘safe as houses’ in our homes? Why are some rooms so much colder than others, even with central heating? How do I get my house comfortable all year ‘round without the huge electricity bill?

There are some easy ways to make sure your home doesn’t waste energy & keeps warm in winter.

1. Find drafts

Sounds weird, but even the most solid houses have drafts. These can be from under doors, through uncovered windows, creeping through floorboards or even light fixtures or exhaust fans that are not on. The reason why our coffee thermos stays warm is that it is enclosed from all leakages & is insulated. If you left the lid off, the coffee would go cold. If you’re not sure where your draft are coming from, light a candle, you will usually see where the breezes are.

1. Insulate

This can be the non-fun one which can be expensive. Look at the structure of your home. Do you have insulated ceiling cavities, underfloor insulation, are there blinds or curtains on all windows & can you close doors tightly to block off drafts? Eskies keep the cold in due to the thick walls & you need to do this with your home. But don’t fear, you can always do cheaper options, even as a renter, to keep the chill out. This is mostly with decoration.

1. Decorate

Put heavy curtains or blankets over windows – this is where you lose most of your heat. Place draft-stopping ‘snakes’ at the bottom of doors. Add rugs to cold floors to take the chill down & extra throws to your sofa & bed to give your body extra heat. While in the bedroom, add a woollen underlay to your bed as mattresses aren’t made up of much & the cold under the bed will hit straight on your spine. Luckily, these are all things that you can invest in which you can take with you if you leave the house & also put into storage in summer if they aren’t required. These items can also be quite decorative & add much more personality to your home.

1. Live like it’s winter

Wear warm clothes. You don’t have to dress like you’re going to the snow inside your house, but wear socks or slippers in winter. Wear natural fibres closer to the skin, like woollen long sleeve shirts. These breathe & help you not sweat like polyester fibres. Our bodies need to adjust to all the seasons, having a constant temperature in the house sounds great but we need fluctuating temperatures to keep our immune system strong & help us from getting sick.

1. Turn the heater down

Studies have shown that even a couple of degrees lower on our thermostats can save hundreds of dollars when the bills come in. Try to get used to a slightly cooler temperature in your home. Not only will this help you adjust when you walk outside but when you have done the ‘draft stopping’ you may not need to have it as warm inside.

Save money, decorate more & enjoy the winter months. That’s how to get through until the sun shines again!

 

Get all the information you need with these free Interior Design posts –

Colour Psychology in your Home – http://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/colour-psychology/

Decorating Open Plan Living Spaces – http://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/planning-open-plan-living-spaces/

The Hamptons Style – http://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/the-hamptons-style/

Budget Kitchen Makeover – http://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/budget-kitchen-makeover/

Proportion Design Principles – http://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/design-principles-my-favourite-proportion/

Lighting your Home – http://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/let-there-be-light/