Interior design resolutions for 2018

A New Year is always a good time to turn a new page and start afresh.

So here are some interior design resolutions to help you improve your living space.

1. Buy sustainable. If you’re buying furniture, textiles or building materials, take time to discover the source and make sure they are eco-friendly.

2. Make your bedroom a haven and more restful. That might mean fitting black-out blinds or curtains and soundproofing windows and doors. Chinks of street light coming in are going to interrupt your sleep patterns as is unwanted noise pollution.

3. Look at your decor and see how you can introduce different textures. For example, if all your cushions are cotton, then maybe introduce some velvet or metallics.

4. Walk around your home and look at the furniture in each room. Would a lamp or chair be better in another room? Don’t be afraid of changing things around. Sometimes a chair that’s been in a bedroom will come into its own if it’s placed in a hallway.

5. The same applies with art. Are your paintings hung properly? A new trend is to have a statement piece of art on a wall instead of several smaller pieces. So maybe a large painting would look spectacular in a smaller space - on a half landing perhaps?

6. Does your home have enough mirrors? It’s an old trick but a good one. Mirrors do reflect light and give an impression of space - are there any corners in your home that could benefit from one?

7. Look at your ceilings. Again, this is going to be a real trend for 2018. Would painting a ceiling in a room give it a whole new angle? Maybe in a metallic?

8. Is your home lit as well as it could be? At the very least you should have dimmer switches in the sitting room, bedroom and dining room. Clever lighting can transform a room making it appear larger, more intimate … there are so many different effects.

9. Look at your overhead lighting. Do your pendant lights look tired? Could they do with replacing?

10. Remember rugs can ‘anchor’ different areas of a room. If you have a large sitting room but want to create different spaces - maybe an area for reading, another for conversation, another for watching TV - well placed rugs can be very defining.