I love being at home more than anywhere else in the world. The coolest hotel, bar, restaurant, tramping through the woods, up a mountain, my own tropical island, you name it… home is still the best (well maybe I could settle for the island!). The reason I’m so fanatical about interiors is that I want everyone to have that feeling of a home that makes you so happy you never want to leave.
You want to experience that immediate uplifting effect the second you put your key in the lock and step through the door after a long day. Just absorb the atmosphere, hang out and kick back on the sofa and spend time with your favourite people in your favourite place. I really want to capture that feeling and bottle it, so I got to thinking what my absolute must-haves for any home are. You’ll be happy to know that none of these are million-dollar budget, just simple little touches that you can do all by yourself.
Speaking of, this post was sponsored by the lovely folks at Christy and Cotton USA, who are offering you the chance to win your own room makeover. Good luck! In the meantime, here’s how I make any house feel like a home…
LITTLE LUXURIES
Thinks of a luxury hotel – it’s the little details that stay in your mind when you’ve just stayed somewhere cool. Maybe it’s as simple as adding fragrance with a scented candle or incense. There are lots of little 5* touches you can make. I’ve got Christy’s fluffy white towels in the bathroom for that spa feeling (Christy Supreme Hygro® towels carry the COTTON USA International trademark for quality U.S cotton-rich products… so you know they’re the real deal when it comes to quality!) plus Aesop handwash and handbalm. Oh and one of my favourite treats is drinking my daily coffee from a sweet little handthrown cup.
MOOD LIGHTING
I really can’t stand being in a space with bad lighting – there’s nothing that stresses me out faster! But get it right and it will create the most beautiful, soothing, inviting atmosphere possible. The most important place to start is by switching off your overheads, and dotting some lamps around the room for mood lighting. Once you’ve created those magical little glowing pools of light glowing then (and only then) you’re OK to turn the overheads back on. But I bet you won’t! Something as simple as adding a dimmer can have such a bit impact to how a place feels. Funny hey?
FLOWERS
I would never be without some flowers and plants in my place. I have them absolutely everywhere, which is just one of the reasons why I adore fauxs – it would cost squillions to restock my whole pad with fresh! My all-time favourites are cosmos, sweet pea, spiraea and hydrangeas. I save fresh flowers for my desk and dining table only, where I get to benefit from the scent. Recently it’s been a sprig of fresh lilac plucked from the garden, but I also love to run out to Columbia Road each week. It’s my little ritual and a treat for me and my pad!
A CRACKLING FIRE
Right, I realise that this one might just be me, but this is definite must-have on my list! When we were house hunting for somewhere to rent in the States, my one critieria was that it had to have a working fireplace. Actually not so easy to find Stateside but we got there in the end. Maybe it’s pyromania, but for me there’s nothing so cosy as the multi-sensory treat you get from hunkering down by the fire. It’s the whole works – cosy heat, crackling logs, woodscent smell and the magical flickering glow. I light the fires nearly every evening in the winter, and in summer you can find me outside by the firepit long after dusk. Bliss.
SNUGGLY TEXTILES
I’m thinking the sort of textiles that’ll make you want to think up an excuse for a duvet-day. Tactile ones that invite you to snuggle up and just lounge around. Faux fur, cashmere, sheepskin, mohair slubby softly knitted wool, in a nutshell textiles that delight the skin! This really feels luxurious, but also helps create an area to hang out in that you never want to leave. This could be your main living area or even just a little nook. Find a cosy chair, maybe a little side table with a lamp, and curl up with an engrossing book. Perfect!
THE M’S
Lastly and most importantly, every home should have some furry friends. I couldn’t imagine my life without these two funny things! Give your pets a hug today, they’re the stars that really make a house a home. Happy Thursday everyone.