What Makes a House a Home?

What a bizarre and surreal time we are living in… I wonder how many times we’ll hear this uttered in the next 3 months or so?! So, whilst we are all cooped up in our houses at this very challenging time, we want to offer some light reading and support in any way we can.

Usually modern life can be exhausting and there never seem to be enough hours in the day … but right now we probably all feel that we have a lot more time to consider the things we usually put to the bottom of the priority list. Whether that’s having a good old clean up and starting the spring clean, or rearranging your living space to make it more comfortable, we think there are lots of ways you can breathe new life into your home environment.

So, whilst we are going to be spending a LOT of time confined to our houses, why not have a think about what makes your place feel like home – and if it doesn’t, what few changes could you make to create that lovely homely feel?

Accessories

Sometimes, just adding a few final flourishes to our living space can really transform the look and feel of a room, and truly make it feel like a home. A really easy way to achieve that homely feel is through the clever use of accessories. Adding the last special touches that come from accessorising, will complement your home as well as your lifestyle.

This can be items not just of beauty, but also those which serve a functional purpose too. Whether it’s carefully selected window treatments that perfectly balance your room or the right lighting to offset the mood you are looking to create, it’s important to give it some thought before you jump right in.

Our luxury lifestyle showroom in Berkhamsted, is set out like an apartment to demonstrate our interior design services, and showcases how accessorising correctly can have a pronounced impact on the overall feel of a room – feel free to pop in and see for yourself when we’re allowed out again!

In the meantime, all our accessories can also be purchased at our online shop.

Also, we are excited to announce, we are developing a new e-design service you can access from the comfort of your home! Follow us on instagram and facebook for updates for the launch date as we finalise this brand new service!

Ultimately, there are many elements to consider when choosing home accessories: scale, colour, material and the context in which the accessory will be used. We recently worked on accessorising a client’s house where we had great fun in selecting the right elements to bring these rooms to life.

When considering a room’s design, we would always advise to be brave and go bold! Don’t be scared of mixing up materials, or colours. It’s quite cliché to have everything very matched and overly coordinated. Of course, tonal interiors are still very popular and can work well, but we suggest adding alternative elements of interest and focus, to break up the uniformity.Here, we have added some fun with these beautifully crafted cushions to add interest to a pale grey sofa.

Moreover, it’s important to feel at ease in your surroundings – you don’t want your home to feel like an actual showroom where you’re too frightened to put a drink down! If you’re not comfortable then visitors won’t be either… when we are finally allowed to socialise again!  Also don’t be afraid to mix up old with new – as we’ve done in this house by pairing an old Singer sewing machine table and antique clock, with mood-balancing crystals and interesting objet d’art – it can work beautifully. Making use of family heirlooms gives a sense of having evolved over time and gives real character, filled with delightful and amusing details mixed in.

Interesting touches can be created very simply in a room. For example, try curating a small pile of books you’ve been meaning to read (nothing that’s a chore, nothing for work) and keep it somewhere easily visible – take this opportunity to have some time to finally get to read them! Beautiful, hardbound editions will add interest and intrigue.

We appreciate sometimes bringing the entire look and feel of a room together can be easier said than done – which is where our Home Accessorising service can help. Our service entails us curating a bespoke list of accessories that will complement and enhance your rooms. We will then arrange the accessories around the areas of your home and offer guidance and rationale throughout the process.We have developed strong relationships with leading global brands, providing exceptional design to reflect the aspirational lifestyles of our clients. We also offer bespoke soft furnishings that work perfectly in our client’s properties. These offer the highest level of service and quality, together with our experience working at the top end of the interior design arena.

Happy to help.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any design questions, or if you have a blog topic you would love to see. In the meantime, stay healthy and happy and we’ll be back soon with more design inspiration.

Love from all at Tobias Oliver Interiors x