It’s been a strange year so far, hasn’t it? Back in January, when “Covid 19” meant nothing to us, we were all making plans for 2020. Holidays, business trips, days out, career developments. Maybe even moving house, or improving our own properties.
And then came the devastating pandemic. Lockdown, no holidays or trips, in some cases no work and many of us discovered the word “furlough”.
After weeks of this, things are now starting to ease. It’s a shaky start towards getting back to some kind of normality and there are going to be problems along the way, but at least we can think about those plans we made way back in January.
If those plans included moving house or property improvements and extensions then we must now make some crucial decisions and start looking at designs and colour schemes.
One of the most famous architects of the early Twentieth Century was known by his nickname of “le Corbusier”, the Crow. He wrote that, “a house is a machine for living” and many of his designs for houses were somewhat brutal; boxes with minimal use of colour and style. Today this approach to design has changed – after all, would you like to live in a concrete factory?
Textures, surfaces, wall coverings and especially lighting can be configured to create a home which is both practical and elegant, with a style to reflect your own taste. Interior designers can help you co-ordinate your furnishings to produce the house that you feel happy with, something much more than a machine to live in.
Many quality home furnishers will either provide a design-consultancy service or introduce you to a designer who will advise on colour combinations, furnishing designs, wallpapers, paints and fabrics together with curtains and blinds. Sometimes there is a charge for this but a few retailers offer it free as part of their service to clients. A good designer will create a 3D plan of your room or rooms after coming to look at your house to establish just what you want to achieve with your refurbishment – photographs don’t always do justice to the potential of a room. They will work with you to give you the room you have always wanted.
If you are going to be even more ambitious and change the furniture for new, high-quality products, the 3D plan can include suggested items, from footstools and rugs to sofas and larger furniture.
If you are using a retailer’s design service, there will normally be regular consultations together with follow-up visits to ensure that you achieve the result that you want – a home that is stylish, elegant and reflects your taste, not just a machine for living in.
By Ellie Bentley @furnitureandinteriorsvale