Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room
Slide Nr 1In our humble opinion, the main rule of contemporary interior design should be that there is no rule. In a rarefied design world that can sometimes seem just a little too precious, it is personal style that should be paramount. Your home space should reflect your taste and your passions. After all, even the most ardent minimalist would admit that it’s the human touch that gives life to a home.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 2Your Feature Wall – If you were ahead of the trend (and this is a trend that really does seem to be here to stay), then we imagine you already have at least one accent wall in your home either painted a contrasting colour to the other walls or wallpapered with a striking print – perhaps you even hunted down an eye-catching designer wallpaper to make your wall of destiny truly shine? If not, or if you’re looking to take it a step further, why not ask an artistic friend (or commission a local street artist) to paint one or more walls? If you’re not feeling brave, try it in the kids’ room – they’ll love it.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 3Your Perfect Chair – Chances are that you have a number of various chairs in your home, but shouldn’t you have at least one chair that is truly your throne? You know what we mean, that chair you just sink into and feel instantly at home – and, yes, that you start to feel a little twitchy about when someone else elects to sit in it. Give that perfect chair an additional cachet by choosing one with a history: maybe it’s a dream designer model as an investment purchase, a fondly remembered family heirloom, or a chair you found in a flea market and reupholstered all on your own.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 4Your Top Table – One of the most functional of all home furnishings, it’s nice to have at least one table in a home that is, well, just a little bit different. If you’re looking for something eye-catching, consider a table that doesn’t have to meet so many basic requirements. The best example of this is, arguably, a coffee table. Dining tables and desks require strength, stability,space and a certain height, but aside from supporting the occasional drink or book, the coffee table has the luxury of merely being an object of beauty. So, go big and go bold!
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 5The Right Rug – Okay, we hear you, not everyone is into rugs. Some people prefer to show off a beautiful wooden parquet floor or elegant tiles, while those in colder climes might want to sink into a deep carpet. That’s all great, but there are few home furnishings that allow their owner to celebrate texture and colour quite like a rug. If you agree with us, pick one with a story. It could be a rug you haggled for in the souks of Marrakech, or sourced directly from Peruvian weavers while on a trip to Machu Picchu. Honour that story and the rug’s artisan provenance. And if you simply bought it online? Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 6The Art Of Living – Art elevates any home. It could be a work that spoke to you in a way that you simply had to buy it – even if you couldn’t really afford it. Alternatively, maybe you like to pick out pieces from flea markets and thrift stores. Or, even better, maybe you secretly like to sketch, paint, embroider or sculpt? Whatever the reason, make space for art in your home, and it will nourish your soul. Finally, if you have kids or little ones in your extended family, let their creations take pride of place. No one draws or dreams as freely and imaginatively as a child.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 7The Smart Storage – If you feel that your life is being submerged under a sea of clutter, then maybe you just need better storage options? While the maxim of buying less, but buying better is wise – especially if we can all lower our environmental footprint – it can still be hard to organise one’s possessions successfully. While there are plenty of solutions for more prosaic items, we suggest making a feature of your most cherished collections. Add drama to your bookshelves, for example, or create a ‘wall of fame’ for those rare teas you seem to be accumulating…
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 8The Ideal Light – How we respond to light is a deeply personal choice. While some favour cosy and atmospheric mood lighting, others plead for bright illumination to aid their vision. No one knows what you prefer, or what you need, better than you, so we say select lights that speak to you regardless of fashion or supposed design trends. Maybe you want to splash out on a stunning design classic? Or bask in the soulful glow of a salt crystal lamp, or a few vintage light bulbs? The choice is yours and we salute your individual preference.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 9The Personal Reaction – While your home is, above all, a private sanctuary for you and your loved ones, it is nice to open your doors to guests. What better way to take that spirit and to honour it with some kind of creative area within your home? It could be a wall of autographs and personal messages, for example, or a blackboard wall if the idea of permanence makes you nervous. Alternatively, you could invite guests to sign their names on that rough dining table that you always wanted to replace. Another fun idea is to create a veritable rogue’s gallery of all your visitors with an instant camera – perfect for parties or occasional visits alike.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 10The Best Plants – We all know that bringing nature into our home can create a healthier indoor environment, but many of us struggle to maintain the health of the plants themselves. We suggest keeping things simple at first and sticking to plants that you receive from friends and loved ones, who can advise on their care. Progress from there as you grow your knowledge, and soon you will find yourself living in an urban oasis!
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 11The Pampered Pets – Unless you’re living alone, then your home should reflect all its residents. And that includes any fur babies, too. Doesn’t it just feel right to honour their family status in your home design? Your pets might seem social, but our tip is still to create safe, cosy spaces for them to retreat to when they need a break; this is especially important when guests are around or if you have energetic kids. Your pampered pooch will appreciate an imposing bed in a quiet corner, as long as it’s comfy enough for all those important naps, while your cat will value a stylish private space – preferably elevated – from which to plot world domination.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 12The Life You Live – Those of us who like scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram can attest to how easy it is to get swept up in a home design trend or concept that doesn’t reflect how you actually live or your personal ethos. Don’t be afraid to be honest about that: your home should be an extension of you and your passions. If you are fanatical about the virtues of pedal power, for instance, then put your bike on full show – even hanging it from the wall or ceiling. It’s your home and your life, so make a statement of it.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 13The Thrill Of The Chase – We are all hunters at heart, and while this instinct might be dormant in most of us, it is still expressed through the thrill of collecting. Maybe you’ve noticed that ever-growing wardrobe or overstuffed shoe cupboard? Whatever the chase is that most thrills you, why not advertise the fact and make a feature of those vintage robots you’ve been collecting – or was it vintage wines you were, ahem, ‘researching’?
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 14The Best Entertainment – Sure, you want your home to look good, but you also want to be able to relax. After living through too many lockdowns to mention, we’re guessing that you’ve already splashed out on all your home entertainment desires, whether that’s a big TV or projector to watch the latest blockbuster, or turntables, mixers and a sound system to indulge your lingering fantasies of becoming a top DJ. In that context, we suggest thinking counterintuitively and taking a low-tech turn with a dedicated table for board games and, if you have an empty wall or spare room, why not even create a miniature ‘stage’ for musical and theatrical performances – perfect for kids and the young at heart.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 15The Element Of Surprise – We said it before and we’ll say it again, your home should be an expression of your taste and not constrained by trends or general arbiters of style. A touch of whimsy can be a wonderful way to avoid getting too lost in any design scheme. Think differently: conceal a drinks cabinet behind a picture on the wall, hide a home office behind a sliding bookcase, convert an obsolete old iMac or TV set into a fish tank. Just do whatever it takes to inject a sense of fun, and avoid taking things too seriously. Keeping your home a place of laughter and imagination is more important than maintaining the ‘perfect’ look.
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Living
Making A Statement: Conversation Starters To Enhance Any Room.
Slide Nr 16The Personal Touch – We hope that this article provided some food for thought as you put the finishing touches on your home. We’re sure that your own ideas will elevate all these suggestions to another level entirely. More than that, your personal touch will ensure that friends and extended family recognise your home as an extension of you, reflecting your spirit and your style while offering a warm welcome to all.
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