If normal has become borning and the usual is in desperate of some unusual, then as the autumn winds change to winter snow, it might be time for you to start thinking about changing your home around a bit.

Few things feel as reinvigorating and fresh as reimagining your existing spaces, and this is especially true if you still love your decor and furniture, but you’re just looking for, well…a little something else.

Living in one of the most beautiful regions of Canada means that we get to enjoy some of the most gorgeous vistas, open spaces and dramatic seasonal changes in the world. We’ve learned how to incorporate this into our home and lifestyle, and with a few handy tricks, you can learn how to do it, too, no matter where you are.

Image By Andre Furtado

LET’S START WITH ART

Now, if you’re not an avid collector, if you honestly couldn’t care about the difference between a Picasso or a Paganini, that doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate art. It just means that you’re not the type to wax lyrically over the importance of using words like “juxtaposition.”

But we would wager that most people, whether the type that shmoozes around galleries or not, can learn how to appreciate the instant sense of personality and style that one or two unique pieces can bring to spaces around your home. 

With simple focus pieces that do or don’t have to cost $1M (that’s up to you), you can literally breathe new life into an existing room without changing anything else.

Give it a try. Before you go and make any significant investment into a piece, take a browse through your local thrift stores or outside markets; whatever works for where you’re located, buy a piece that seems as if you might like it, but that doesn’t cost a lot of money.

Take it home, hang it. Now, look at photographs of the room or space that you have from before and see the difference it makes.

Art collecting, even just at an amateur level, is a beautiful way to create a legacy that carries memories and journies of your family beautifully, and you get to redecorate with changing a single piece of furniture.

REIMAGINING YOUR FURNITURE

So, you’ve found some art (and remember, that does just have to be a painting), and it looks fabulous – but you don’t feel as if you’re quite there yet. Time to get moving – not moving home, but rather, moving furniture.

Rearranging existing furniture like sofas, couches, coffee tables, side tables, dinner services etc., instantly create new walkway spaces in your home while changing your entire frame of reference of your lived-in areas.

This plays a psychological “trick” on your brain and means that you see familiar spaces but with new angles, which create fresh, “new air.” 

You can employ this same trick to your outside areas and garden furniture arrangements, too, and the great thing about this idea is that it doesn’t matter how much space you have; a few quick adjustments to angles or placements and you’re in business.

Remember to consider your location when planning furniture placements. This is a mistake often made, so if you have great views, position your seating accordingly.

BATHROOM MATTERS

Everyone dreams about that sacred space in the bathroom where for just a few blissful moments every day, nothing else matters – but you (and perhaps the glass of wine in your hand). We have so many great ideas on how to transform your bathrooms here.

But as an added tip, if you have showers at home, installing water and showerproof lighting with soft colour tints will give your bathroom a shot of the suite life and you – an exquisitely lit shower room experience.

REPLACE WORN OUT FINISHES AND FITTINGS

Nothing will suck the life out of a room faster than worn and tired finishes and or fittings. When it’s time to repair or replace, it’s time – get it done. Seeing the same old worn-out edges around your fridge has an impact on how you see your life. Think we’re joking? How did it make you feel seeing that cracked top every day in lockdown?

Exactly. So if you need to plan for it financially, then do it, but you will thank yourself for doing it; you might need to change your windows and need a home window replacement service, or the deck needs to be reoiled. Whatever it is – give yourself a lift. (and increase the value of your home too, just saying).

…AND FINALLY, SHELVES. 

Yep, shelves. We love coffee table books and little bits of objet d’art everywhere but when you’re making a change without breaking the bank, installing some creative shelving in unusual or focal places, and then filling them with odds and ends shows off your personality, frees up space and looks great doing it.

We know that money may be too tight to mention these days, but don’t let that put you off. Do what you can with what you can and learn to love the spaces you’re in all over again.

** This was a contributed post.

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