Oasis Magazine - Cairns & Tropical North Queensland Issue 16 - Feb|Mar 2017 | Page 39

New Y ear ! Does it have to mean a brand new you ?

STYLING
JAN WARNOCK Joosh It Up
Happy New Year ! And yes , we all have great intentions to make it our best yet .
Everywhere you will read what ’ s in and what ’ s out . Brass In / Copper Out ; Green In / Indigo Out ; Terracotta In ( again ?)/ Marble Out ; Olive Trees In / Fiddle Leaf Out ( what are we going to do with all our Fiddle Leaf plants ?); Dark Wood In / Blond Wood Out , Desert Chic In / Industrial Look Out . What ?? And what if you ’ ve just remodelled your home on last year ’ s trends ? I think it ’ s a good time to think about what we cherish and what means something to us - as opposed to what ’ s “ IN ”.
A consistent message I ’ m seeing internationally is summed up by “ The Home ” magazine and one of their London based designers :
“ We strongly believe you should fill your home with not only beautiful things but things that have meaning to you ,” they said . “ Pieces that you find on your travels or that you fall in love with at first glance will never be out of style . We are so ‘ over ’ design trends , and our hope is that in 2017 we will continue to celebrate more individualism and authentic style . Because living beautifully , is about living with what you love and no one can tell you what that is or should be .”
So how do we do that ? Firstly , give everything a ‘ home ’. Everything should have a place to be stored . This is particularly important with small children and their toys after Christmas . Invest in storage solutions - plastic containers , cane baskets , display units ; whatever suits your circumstances . And use them ! Get the kids to put their treasures away after they play .
Refresh what you have . Curtains , quilt covers , bed linen . All into the wash or out in the sun for a freshness that you can ’ t buy . This also means cleaning – windows , skirting boards , light switches , fans , insect screens . Everything will seem so much fresher .
Now it ’ s time to add the interesting bits . Clean out any old , broken or dusty decorative pieces that you ’ ve kept “ just because !”
And remember less is more . You can keep odd numbers of your bits and pieces and create vignettes around your home . Box up the rest and bring them out next time when you ’ re ready for a change . Fresh flowers or greenery taken straight from your garden are free and add an instant freshness to any room .

A clean , refreshed and interesting space will inspire you to keep it that way . Enjoy the new you in 2017 !

“ mob 0429 322 293

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