When we see magnificent and luxurious homes on the TV and in magazines, they always seem to contain impossible and unattainable levels of lightness, airiness and brightness. They’re a festival of colour and style, even when they’re apparently very simple and minimalistic. It leads many of us to believe that making our own homes like that is an impossibility.
In fact, there are many simple things you can do to brighten up your living space any time of year you want:
1. Flower bouquets and arrangements
Flowers are an easy and affordable way to brighten up any Victorian home. You can even get them online now. Order Christmas floral bouquets and gifts online for delivery across Melbourne, or colourful bouquets to mark special occasions and any other public holidays. They come in all colours, styles, and sizes. If fresh flowers are too short-term, then look at beautiful dried flower arrangements instead which last longer while still bringing rich colour and variety into a living space.
Flowers are great because they’re an easy purchase, but also require no installation or maintenance. You put them in water and just let them “be” in the room. For the busy person wanting a quick solution, flowers are it.
2. Plants
If you want something more lasting than flowers, then it’s time to bring in some greenery in the form of new plants. It’s amazing what even just one large green and leafy plant can do for a room. While adding colour and attraction to any room, they also work to oxygenate that space and make it healthier and more pleasant. Some plants are also perfect for warding off insects.
When buying plants, be sure to ask your florist or other seller about how to take care of each one and keep a note of it. Plants don’t follow a one-size-fits-all care regime. Where one is very thirsty and needs watering every day, others are hardier and may actually be harmed by being watered daily.
3. Art
Wall art for your home doesn’t have to be big, fancy or expensive. You also don’t need an arts degree to know what you like. Art is a personal and subjective thing, and the art brightening up your home should reflect your own taste and vision. It can be traditional or more abstract and modern, but as long as you feel it brightens up your space, and hopefully inspires creativity and love in your own heart, then that’s all you really need.
4. Cushions
New furniture can be a great way to brighten up a living room, for example, but that’s very expensive, especially if you’ve got a house with large rooms. So what can you do with your existing furniture? A simple solution is to add colourful cushions, which are an easy way to bring different complementary colours to your living space. What’s more, you can change them with the seasons by simply replacing the covers, which is more budget-friendly, as well as less wasteful. It’s practical, too, because cushion covers are much easier to store than whole cushions.
5. Mirrors
Mirrors can do wonders for a space, and the bigger the better. Whether you use a large framed mirror, or simply plane mirror panels attached to the wall, they help create the illusion of space and light. If you buy ones that are beautifully framed, the colour of that material also adds a frisson of opulence and timeless style.
6. Rugs
Finally, let’s not forget the floor. Simple rugs can add a splash of colour to complement your cushions or other new furnishings in the room. Floors often look very bare and spartan, but a rug can really tie together the look of the whole room.