Brought to you by Flyte Ireland.
Give your home a much-needed lift.
Anyone who remembers the 90s TV series Changing Rooms will know that giving your home a makeover can be an absolute disaster. Especially if you invited the people from Changing Rooms to do it.
The show’s excited designers would ruin someone’s house on a weekly basis with a combination of garish colours, hellish concepts and MDF furniture that was nailed together in a half an hour. Still, it doesn’t have to be a painful experience.
If your flat has been letting the side down or you’re sick of coming home to a depressing living space, it’s easier than you think to make a difference. Here are a few simple tips to get you started.
1. Work out what you use the space for
Do you use your flat for entertaining, relaxing or is it just a space for eating and sleeping? “Form follows function” is a simple design mantra for a reason. It’s impossible to work out what to do with your flat until you’ve worked out what you want to do in your flat.
2. Get the lighting right
The old phrase about everything looking better in the right light also applies to your flat. You’re looking for the right balance between blinding lights that belong in an emergency room and dull bulbs that make the place look like a squat. Try lamps that add warm, flattering light and task lights that provide focal points while also serving a function.
3. Think about your colours
Choose colours in a room that you like but that also suit the purpose, whether that’s to calm you down or energise you. Don’t go mad – nobody wants to live in something that looks like an explosion in a paint factory. Flats can get pokey so choosing a bright or neutral wall colour can make it seem bigger.
4. Get rid of the empty bottles
Having a shelf full of empty booze bottles or cans might have been hilarious when you were in college but it just makes you look like a lazy recycler once you’re over the age of 22.
5. Choose a statement piece
Adding a statement piece can create a talking point for guests. That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a lifesize ceramic gorilla. Think something that will set the tone for the room but not be too over the top. The likes of this levitating FLYTE Light will instantly get people’s attention and add a stylish feature to the room.
6. Get an area rug
Seriously, it makes a big difference. Spend a few quid on a good rug that fits the space. Go big if you have a larger flat but choose a smaller option if you’re working with a small living space. It can tie a room together or give you a solid theme to build your style around.
7. Buy matching bedding
It’s a simple thing, fellas. That fading quilt set your mother gave you when you left home really needs to be updated with some matching sets. And changing them regularly means your entire flat doesn’t reek of “man sleep.”
8. But mismatching is OK
When it comes to decorating your living space, mixing things up can be good. It creates an organic, collected look that’s much better than the impersonal look that you can get from furnishing your entire home from Ikea.
9. Get some artwork
Adding artwork is also a chance to impose your personality and interests on a living space. What you hang on your walls says a lot about you, whether it’s a limited edition print, a framed record or an original comic book poster. Just avoid those generic flower pictures that landlords always seem to buy in bulk.
You can pick up a levitating Flyte Light for €299. You can also pick up a levitating LYFE planter for €249.
Stockists in Dublin include CA Design, Bark & Berry, Hicken Lighting and Rowell Design.
Brought to you by Flyte Ireland.
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