Spice up your home life this Valentine’s…

You don’t have to have a special human to fall in love this Valentine’s Day. Make the season of love all about rekindling the romance with your home.

Your relationship with your home is much the same as a relationship with a partner. First comes the honeymoon period, where you spend most of your time day dreaming about your home and spoiling it to new paint jobs, furniture and accessories.

However, it’s not long before the excitement of new romance subsides and you become comfortable, like a pair of well-worn slippers, and the two of you plod along nicely together. Even the little imperfections that start to appear don’t bother you as you're feeling content.

All too soon, though, those inoffensive imperfections start to grind your gears. You’ve collected too much clutter and you're now feeling uneasy with your lot, so your eye starts to wander. You feel a pang of jealousy when you go to other people’s places and you may even begin to consider moving on. But you have memories with your current home; you really loved it once and, besides, moving on can be expensive and complicated...

Don’t worry! At Strive For Design we have the solutions to some of the most common relationship problems, so you and your home can have a long and happy future together.

It’s all too comfortable; I’m bored
Inject some va va voom into your room by splashing some cash on some eye-catching art for your walls, an alluring design piece or some funky lampshades. To truly spice up your home life, be bold and venture outside your comfort zone. Both you and your home will be grateful for it.

Staying in is the new going out, so make the effort to transform your home into a party pad for special occasions. Whether it’s hearts and candles for Valentine's or glitter and baubles at Christmas, involving your home in your celebrations will not only create a night no-one will forget but more social times will help build new memories and add sentimental value to your home.

We just don’t talk anymore
Our lives are busy, so when we do eventually get to sit down, many of us will take our mobile phone and collapse in a heap in front of the TV for the evening. Re-open the channels of communication by hiding the TV with a screen or cabinet, turning off your mobile and rearranging the furniture so you're facing the others in the room. If you have a SMART TV you could turn it into a roaring fire or a tranquil fish tank with a clever screen saver and get chatting or playing games.

It's let itself go
It's possible that many of us may have stopped putting quite so much effort into our appearance during the pandemic, but now is the time to dust off the cobwebs and upcycle some dated pieces. Painting and replacing the handles on cabinetry isn't just cost effective, it'll also breathe new life into your room, and by adding a new rug, scattering cushions and choosing an interesting piece of artwork, you can transform a room’s image and re-ignite the attraction you once had.

Once you've decluttered, it’s time for a Spring clean, so move the furniture, wash the covers, upholstery and rugs, dust and polish and then finish with a beautiful bunch of brightly coloured flowers, et voila! Fresh as a daisy and pretty as a picture once again.

It's carrying too much baggage
Well unpack it then! The longer the relationship, the more baggage you'll gather and, inevitably, it'll all become less organised, leaving your home – and your relationship with it – untidy. In fact, it's estimated that 50% of an average home’s ‘stuff’ is surplus to requirements, so take the time to declutter both your space and your mind and you'll both reap the rewards.

If you don’t love it or use it then it’s time to part ways, but if you aren’t that ruthless or the task seems just too huge our Professional Organiser can guide you through the process and get your space organised.

I think I like someone else
Remember the old adage, ‘you can look but not touch’? Well this applies to your relationship with your home too. We're only human and we're drawn to pretty, attractive things, but that doesn’t mean we have to jump ship when something new catches our eye. When you go into a place that gives you butterflies, identify key pieces and ideas you're particularly drawn to and replicate them in your own home to stop the desire to stray.

I feel unappreciated
It’s easy to start taking each other for granted in any long-term relationship, but it's also equally easy to re-ignite that flame. Try re-arranging the furniture, for example. Although there's nothing new added, a different layout will give the space a new lease of life and make you appreciate it once more. If lugging furniture around doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can re-arrange your trinkets and photos and inject colour with fresh flowers... You know what they say: ‘a change is as good as a rest’... Just remember that the grass isn’t always greener!

For more helpful tips on how to fall back in love with your home or to find out more about our Professional Decluttering and Organisation Service, please call us on 01223 622 688 or send us an email.

Leigh Hall from Strive for Design is an interior designer in Cambridge, so if you’d like help refreshing your home, please complete our enquiry form.