TOP HOME INTERIOR TIPS (STAYING CREATIVE DURING LOCKDOWN)

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We are all stuck in isolation or lockdown. This means we have a lot more time on our hands for all those home interior projects or even just to plan or create new ideas. I’ve come up with some tips about how to keep you busy, entertained and get those creative juices following.

We are not able to leave the house but here are 5 suggestions to make your home interior even better.

STYLE A WINDOW LEDGE OR EMPTY FIREPLACE

During isolation we are going to be staring out our windows a lot, gazing into the world outside. For that reason I think it’s nice to make the home interior more aesthetically pleasing. If you’ve gone on some beautiful travels or have memories that remind you of fonder times then now is the time to bring them out and put them on display. Even on a fireplace you can create a nice little gallery to display pottery and artwork in a cosy space that would otherwise be empty.

Here is my window ledge that I have spruced up. I got a postcard from Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon) and put it in a cheap black frame from Wilkinsons. It’s accompanied by a buddha candle holder that I got during my travels in Asia. Right at the front is a blue giraffe mini plant pot I got as a birthday present. The vase at one point was headed for the bin. It was previously white with some staining and really didn’t look good. However I thought I would try and rescue it for my home interior project. I bought a tester paint from Farrow and Ball in ‘Proud Peacock’ and thought I would give it a makeover to match the other interior accessories. After a splash of creativity I think this vase looks rather stunning and displays beautifully the daffodils with style. Now here is my view to the outside world in all its glory #tealhomeinterior.

Photo Credit: Farrow and ball – Proud Peacock

1. BRINGING THE OUTDOORS IN

During this time, we have to try and bring a little sunshine to our home interior. One of my top tips is in the form of the humble houseplant. Houseplants or indoor cacti are so easy to maintain and make the house look super gorgeous. More importantly indoor house plants are known to help with the mental psyche and improve your mental state of mind. I am not going to lie and say that the next couple of months are going to be easy. It’s already been two weeks and I am already beginning to feel trapped and certainly noticing my anxiety rising. With announcements that this pandemic could last longer, I say we welcome the humble houseplant with open arms. After all, anything that can help us think positively has a thumbs up from me.

Where can we buy these houseplants? One company that does this so effortlessly is the little botanical. They have a range of stylish plants to enhance the look of any indoor space and the wellbeing of its inhabitants. Go check them out and get buying!!!

Photo Credit: The Little Botanical

3. Upcycling

Upcycling is an up and coming trend right now and a great way to breathe new life into old things that may otherwise be thrown away to clog up our landfills. It’s also a great skill to try out now with all this extra time indoors on our hands!

One example of upcycling would be to use scraps of old fabrics that you may have lying around the house. A great way to create new, bespoke fabrics for your home interior furnishings. To bring this example to life more I wanted to talk about the very talented Rebecca J Mills Designs. Rebecca is a fabric print designer. Upcycling her offcut fabrics is part of her mission to reduce waste and become a more sustainable brand.

Rebecca recently had 4 cushions made from fabric offcuts and a pair of men’s Levis jeans from a charity shop. They have been used together to make up very cool patchwork designs. Each one is unique and different from the next. This idea of using all her offcuts was inspired by her daughter who’s been working on a zero waste fashion project. Here are what the cushions look like now. Pretty cool hey?

Photo Credit: Rebecca J Mills

If you think your sewing skills are not quite up to this level then there are plenty of other upcycling ideas out there:

Add personality to simple tin cans – twigs and glue, wrap in rope, wrap in fabric scraps, spray paint, glitter…the list is endless! They can then be used for home and office organisation, pretty table displays, a clever little vase, kitchen utensil holders, or anything else around the house you want to keep organized or just make a little prettier.
Using old denim jeans pockets to make something more simple like cutlery holders or toiletry holders.
Turn an old wooden jewelry box into remote control storage box

Photo Credit: Upcycledtreasures.com

4. USE PINTEREST!!!

I think that Pinterest is one of the most underrated social media platforms out there. What is Pinterest? Pinterest is a visual discovery engine for finding ideas and you can easily create boards based on pins that you like the look of. Therefore if you want to try something with your home interior like styling your window sill or coffee table but have absolutely no idea where to start, you can simply search a term like ‘how to style my window sill’ and loads of inspiring images will appear to help get you started

I mainly use Pinterest for inspiration for what I’d like to do. This can be for anything from gay travel, home decorating or things that I simply love. So many of us are addicted to platforms like Instagram, however with extra time on our hands now, I urge you to try and use Pinterest. For those of you that may not be one for doing DIY, painting or creative things you can always visually design your new home by sitting on the sofa.

If you want to follow me on Pinterest my account is: davidjamesdsouza87

5.SHOP LOCAL / SHOP INDEPENDENT – SAVE OUR SMALL BUSINESSES

Right now it’s pretty tough out there and one of the groups most affected by the lockdown is the self employed small and local businesses. It’s fair to say that at this time many of them won’t survive a couple months out of business. Right now small businesses NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Your customer support and loyalty will help them through these difficult times.

During these times when the shops are closed and the retail market seems non-existent remember that you can still shop online. I’ve picked a few of my favourite creative designers that are British based and they will certainly have loads of ideas on how to style your home.

HELENA TYCE DESIGNS – #GAYLOVE PRINT – £18

Fun and quirky hand drawn illustrations from Helena Tyce Designs. I think this #gaylove print makes the perfect home interior accessory that brightens up any room in the household. #gaylove print in all the colours of the glorious and diverse rainbow!

Photo Credit: Helena Tyce Designs

LORNA SYSON – FABRICS from £65

British design Lorna has a great vision for creating beautiful fabrics inspired by nature. While we are stuck indoors a lot more than we wish it’s nice to have home interiors that remind us of those beautiful walks in the British countryside. Her latest collaboration with RSPB uses some popular room decor colours – navy blue, teal, minty green and soft grey. 10% of all sales from the rspb collection goes to the charity to continue supporting the fantastic the work they do.

Photo Credit: Lorna Syson

EMMA BRITTON DECORATIVE GLASS DESIGNER – Meadow Wine Glass – Set of 6 – £49

So I may be hitting the wine a bit more than usual but do you blame us in times of lockdown and self-isolation? These gorgeous glasses have been given the ‘Emma Britton’ touch which feature a beautiful meadow making it a stunning unique piece of glassware. I love the fauna and flora designs making you think of those perfect summer days. Why not raise a toast indoors and hopefully we can enjoy the summer in 2021.

Photo Credit: Emma Britton Glassware

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