New Year's Resolutions For Your Home: 5 Ideas to Organize in 2016

“One of my New Years Resolutions this year is to focus more on my home.. I am hoping to update my décor and get more organized. What are some areas I should focus on?”

January is here! The start of the New Year is so refreshing for many people. It’s a time to reset your goals and reflect on the previous year. Lots of us make New Year’s Resolutions, depending on your lifestyle and your objectives, these vary for everyone. Maybe you’re going to commit to the gym or a healthier routine, perhaps your goal is to save money, or to travel more this year. If your resolutions involve home décor, we have some fabulous suggestions for you. Here are 5 suggestions to kick off your new year resolutions.

Decluttering Closets: Closets are the spot where a lot of items can hide out behind closed doors. Out of sight, out of mind. Items just keep being piled in there and forgotten about, so why not sort and purge what you no longer require? Decluttering is a surprisingly great feeling. Getting closets organized is helpful for your everyday life, having extra useable space is never a bad thing. We recommend baskets and bins to make sure everything has a home and is placed back inside neat & tidy.

Paint: Resolve to paint one room in your home a different colour, however bold or muted you desire. A fresh coat of paint signifies fresh, new beginnings. Never underestimate the power of paint. Changing the colour in a room is an inexpensive way to change the mood and décor without having to replace everything in the space. Depending on your current décor, choose a paint colour that will be a noticeable change. This can be challenging if you have a very set colour palette in your current décor. Even using the same colour you currently have and making it a shade or two darker will be a welcome change. If painting the entire room is too large of a task to undertake, try painting an accent wall! Choose a colour from your current colour scheme and use that as your new accent wall.

Weekly Cleaning: Most of us clean our houses weekly in the common areas, bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens etc. But there are many places that are often overlooked that need some TLC. For example, the inside of the kitchen cabinets as often ignored. Cleaning the inside of your fridge. Washing Baseboards. Dusting hard to reach places. Pick one “overlooked” area a week and focus on that as well.

Refresh some accessories: Depending on your budget, adding some newaccessories to a room gives it new life. This is a very budget friendly way to refresh your rooms. Adding a few new pillows, or a throw blanket, or maybe a new art piece will be a fabulous way to change up your décor and redesign your space. Try adding a colourful side table or garden stool, or changing some frames on your wall.

 

Fixing Odds and Ends: Do you have a “to do list” that just keeps piling up? Take the time and tackle these items. The little things that are ignored in your home continue to pile up, so just spend a few hours and get them done. You’ll feel so good knowing you can check off some items you’ve been meaning to get to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Living Colour - Tips for Picking the Perfect Paint Colour

Livable Color: Choosing Hues You'll Love to Live With

What's the secret to choosing the right color? Sure, there are principles and guidelines, but the real secret is to choose colors you can live with and will love to come home to. Use these tips from designers and color experts to help you reach that goal.

 

- "Think of places and spaces you love for inspiration.  For example, I love the cream-colour stucco walls I see in Italian churches, and I try to match that feeling."  Lulu DeKwiatkowski, TEXTILE DESIGNER

- "Warm colours like red, yellow and orange have an energizing effect.  Blue, green and grey are calming." Davi Bromstad, DESIGNER and HGTV STAR

-"Always sample paint colours. Paint a sample board so you can move it around a room." Diana Hathaway Timmons, DESIGNER

-"Look at paint colours in the morning and at night, and put them near your furniture." Emily Henderson, STYLIST

-"You can take just about anything to the paint store and ask the associate to mix a paint that's a perfect match using the store's colour reader." Danny Seo, LIFESTYLE EXPERT

-"What's more livable than the colours found right outside your back door? Look to earthy, natural colours - blues, greens, beige and taupe - when choosing colour for your rooms." Sehra Han, DESIGNER

 

-"When choosing wall colours, find versions of your favourite colours that are muted with grey." Erica Lugbill, DESIGNER

-"Choose the best paint you can afford.  Good paint has better pigments and a more livable finish." Courtney Price, DESIGNER

-"When you shop for paint, take along an existing pillow, a piece of drapery fabric or a photo of your space.  You'll make informed colour decisions." Alejandra Bernardez, DESIGNER

-"Play with intensity. I love monochromatic rooms that use a single hue in a variety of ways." Sarah Richardson, DESIGNER

-"Layer bold colours with midtones and neutrals to balance colour in a room." Khristian A. Howell, TEXTILE DESIGNER AND COLOUR EXPERT

 

-"If you find a colour that you love but you are afraid it might be too dark, ask the person mixing the colour to do a 50 percent tint of the colour." Gail Wright, DESIGNER

-"Colours close together on the colour wheel are analogous and will make a calm room.  Colours that are farther apart are complementary and add drama." David Bromstad, DESIGNER and HGTV STAR

-"Choose colour based on the use of the room.  Morning rooms can be brighter; rooms used at night can go dark." Beth Kushnick, SET DECORATOR

 

-"Your home is made up of more than walls - ceilings, floors, stairs and doors are also great places to have fun with paint." Bob and Cortney Novogratz, DESIGNERS

-"Give yourself permission to use a bold colour.  You don't have to have it everywhere - one throw or pillow might be just enough." Nate Berkus, DESIGNER

-"When rooms open to one another, avoid choosing radically different colours, or the space will look choppy and small." Courtney Price, DESIGNER

- "Choose your favourite colour, but watch that it's not too bright." Maria Killam, COLOUR EXPERT

-"In the same way a bright shoe adds surprise and fun to a black outfit, an unexpected touch of trim along a curtain panel or in piping can add colour in a way that's easy to live with." Anna Lobell, DESIGNER

-"Start with colour you love. Even if it's not a trend at the moment, it will always be on trend in a space that resonates with you." Khristian A. Howell, TEXTILE DESIGNER and COLOUR EXPERT

-"For a cohesive look, flow two or three of the same colours in each room.  An accent wall in the family room is reflected in the master bedroom bedding, for example." Diana Hathaway Timmons, DESIGNER

-"Save strong wall colours for statement rooms that are smaller and visited less-a library, guest room or a powder room." Lulu DeKwiatkowski, TEXTILE DESIGNER

-"Blend in strong colours. A bold colour on the wall will feel jarring unless you consider the trim and ciling colour in your plans." Patrice Cowan Bevans, DESIGNER

The hot colour for the year 2013 is....

So 2012 was all about tangerine....so what are the hot colours that we will be seeing in home decor and design for 2013?

Monaco Blue!!  "It's calming, wonderful and an anchoring colour" says PANTONE Color Institute’s executive director, Leatrice Eiseman.

So what are there any other colours that we will be seeing a lot this coming year?

Yes!!!!

Dusk Blue, Emerald, Grayed Jade, Linen, Poppy Red, African Violet, Tender Shoots, Lemon Zest and Nectarine are in the top 9 for this coming year.

We know that home fashion is inspired by what we see on the fashion runways, so what can we expect to see in terms of hot paint colour trends for 2013?  Bright and Bold colour.

Benjamin Moore's paint colour of this coming year is "Wythe Blue" from their Historical collection.  But Navy Blue is also a huge influence in home decor and this is a trend taken right from the runways (see Monaco Blue)

Colour is major in 2013.So here's the breakdown:



Your bold statement colours like red  and yellow (think bright yellow like lemon or canary not butter cream) are still staples but we will be seeing less of accents in red and yellow and more accents of pink, orange and purple - real throw back to the retro 50's and the soft feminine influence will be big , too. 


Green - Chartreuse is still going to be popular it's fresh and fun!  But Kelly green is going to be seen a lot more - it's a real attention grabbing colour that's perfect for highlighting smaller spaces or objects like shelving or small furniture pieces.

Neutrals: White, Grey, and Black are still popular but with these tones it's the finish that's changing this year.  The high gloss look is on it's way out and we are seeing more matte finishes and then paired with other neutral that are a little different like peachy-white.

For 2013, we will be seeing lots and lots of warmth in the colours even in the neutrals like grey, brown and white.  For trim, leaning towards warmer whites instead of cool-toned ones. 

Go BOLD at home

So neutral colours are always in style and always work but if you are looking to add some excitement to your space that's easy and inexpensive - look no further.  Colour is back and it's BOLD!

Colour can do so much for a space but be sure to choose wisely. 

You want to start with having all of your items for your room, FIRST.  So if you are thinking of adding colour to your bedroom walls be sure to have your bedding, rugs etc...first.  You will want to take inspiration from those items to make your paint selection, so that it all works together.  Putting in some crazy bright colour that has no connection with your other items will just look wacky!

Take inspiration from another somewhat colourful piece in your room.  So you may want to use your drapes, furniture or bedding to help select the paint colour. 

So looking at the above image, I'd probably do a bold brunt orange or mustard wall (the wall where the headboard is).  And then, the other three walls in a neutral cream, taupe, tan or khaki. 

How do you know if it is the right shade? Test it.  So start by looking at the bold shade against white (a plain sheet of typing paper is perfect).  You will want to stick with colour that seems to have some black or brown in the base - that will keep the room looking sophisticated and classic but still with colour.  The tones that don't have brown or black in the base look like candy (too child like).  Now maybe you have a few colours and can't decide - go to your paint store and get some small sample bottles.  Paint large (24"x24") patches on the wall and look at those colours against your items and look at the colour in the day and night light.  and you'll fall in love with a colour in no time.

Scared?? Try going bold in a space like a powder room or a guest room. 

In my current home I painted our powder room in a rich dark chocolate colour.  I added some neutral cream towels and candles, a bold and colourful art piece and a very streamlined mirror.  It looks very sophisticated and we get lots of compliments, too!

You can have so much fun with colour and painting is easy (with the right tools) and inexpensive too

Have fun with colour and have fun in your home with bold colour!!