We’re a nation of redecorators. Spurred on by DIY TV shows, glossy magazines and inspirational Pinterest pages, Britons now redecorate their homes an average of 36 times in their lives – spending more than £36,000 in the process. More than half of us are currently plotting our next home makeover, planning to refresh our interiors in the next 12 months. But how do you know it’s time for a new look? There are some tell-tale signs that should get you thinking about jumping into the car and heading to the DIY store…
You ‘notice things’ around the home
A lot of the time, you don’t really notice what’s on the walls of your home. We’re mostly speaking to the people we live with or, more likely, glued to our smartphones or whatever happens to be on the television. But, when your head gets turned away from the white noise of modern life, it’s probably a sign that something is amiss. That scuff mark on the wall that catches your eye, the peeling corner of the wallpaper, the faded corner of the feature wall. If you notice them – and keep finding your eye drawn to them – it’s time for a fresh look.
It’s always dark
Spring is upon us and summer isn’t far away – thank goodness. But does it always feel like winter in your home? Do you have to have the light on no matter what time of day it is? Can you never see what you’re reading without a lamp on? A new lease of life in your interior design can actually help with this. That dark brown patterned wallpaper might have looked nice and stylish in the shop but it could be adding to the gloom.
Lighter coloured walls will help – as will a focus on making best use of the natural light that comes into your rooms. Curtains play a huge part in this. Not only do they contribute to the colour scheme of your room, but you might well have a lining style that isn’t suited to your room. So, for example, blackout curtains in a room that doesn’t get much sunshine anyway can be a problem. Take a look at curtains.com and see if you can brighten up your room – both with colour and natural light – courtesy of a new pair of curtains.
Photo by Budget Blinds of Boone (Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes)
You can’t get to sleep at night
A lack of sleep is something that could really impact upon your physical and mental health and, if you’re regularly struggling to drift off to the land of nod, then it might be the case that the design of your bedroom is actually a factor. Some colours are much more likely to help you relax and sleep well – while other bolder colours are more likely to be mentally stimulating and cause you to struggle to switch off.
Photo by Kelly Hohla Interiors
One study even found that people with a purple coloured bedroom are likely to get about two hours less sleep a night than those with a blue bedroom. If you’re struggling to get enough sleep, a makeover of your bedroom could be important. It’s not just colour either. You could take the chance to remodel the room and move the bed to a position where you can get more air from the window if you get hot in the night, for example. Whatever you do, a bad night’s sleep is a sign that it’s time to act.
As seen on screen
Sometimes it takes a random moment for it to dawn on you that your house has become dated and in desperate need of a new look. Picture the scene. You flick around the channels searching for something to watch, land on one of those stations that shows old dramas and comedies from 20 years ago and decide to watch it for five minutes.
Then you realise that the home the main character lives in looks just like yours does now. Only that was 20 years ago and pine furniture was all the rage then. Ouch. Either that or you watch a home makeover show and the presenter or expert looks down their nose at the style displayed in a home which is in desperate need of some TLC and the home in question is just like yours. These moments can give you the pang of realization that it’s time to get cracking.
Photo by Upstairs Studio Architecture
You dread having people round
Do you ever host parties at your place? Or, do you find yourself not-so-subtly suggesting that you’d love to go to your friends and families’ house instead? If you identify with the latter then ask yourself why this is. Is it because you’re not that proud with the way your house looks? That’s a damning indictment and a decent sign that it’s time to act.
