Ever wondered how to get your home looking picture perfect and Pinterest worthy? Or do you have interiors envy whilst flicking through the gorgeous pages of leading homes magazines.
Well now, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of leading homewares haven Homesense, we have top tips for styling your home on a budget from the experts to get your home looking its best this season.
Usually working behind the scenes to bring the latest home and garden trends to life, the expert eye and creative vision of leading stylists combine to set the agenda of décor for many homes across the nation.
Whether it’s transforming a selection of clear glass vases to become a blooming and beautiful display or expertly choosing an eclectic range of cushions to pull an entire look together – the usually unseen stars have come together to celebrate one of the most well-loved and go-to secret shopping destinations.
Top tips to style your home on a budget…
Diana Civil: Interior Stylist, Producer and Art Director
No fail colour scheming: If you’re unsure how to choose a starting point for a decorating scheme, a simple trick is to buy one fabric item that you love for the room, for example a patterned cushion or curtain for the living room or duvet cover for the bedroom then use these as the template for the roomscheme. Designers do a lot of research making sure colours work perfectly so you know it’s a tried and tested colour combination because the designer has done the matching for you. Pick two or three colours from the design and colour match the tones for the key elements in the room – it’s a simple trick but works every time.
Emily Dawe: Interior Stylist, Writer & Craft Designer
- Create one of those expensive fluffy stools at a fraction of the price! It seems so simple, but if you get an inexpensive stool (if it has hairpin legs, then even better!) then attach a fluffy cushion to the top of it. You may need to use a circular cushion pad, then attach the excess fabric to the underside with a staple gun. And voila – chic on a shoestring.
- If you have one central hallway that leads to multiples rooms, try painting it in a dark shade. If the rest of the rooms are light and bright, then this trick of the eye of going from dark into light will make your rooms seem bigger. Clever huh!
Selina Lake, successful stylist, author and columnist.
Create eclectic tabletop garden displays with plants in galvanised metal pots arranged with brass lanterns and decorative objects, all of which can be sourced inexpensively at Homesense. I love styling the interior of my garden shed, making it a more enjoyable space to work from. A recent purchase has been a small set of wooden drawers which is a great way to store all my seeds packets. Add a pretty but practical label to each drawer to keep organised.
Emma Morton Turner, stylist and journalist, Founder of Inside Stylists –
- When creating a table centre don’t be afraid to cut flower stems really short – like a few inches below the flower head. Not only will the flowers look great bunched up in a bowl or individually in a glass or teacup, but guests will be able to talk easily over them across the dinner table.
- When decorating a room start with a big feature. Choose your sofa or curtains first then plan the colours and patterns around that item. Make sure that item is the main feature of the room – especially if it has a bold colour or pattern.
Theoda Solms Iles: Leading interiors and event stylist, writer and blogger.
1. Getting bored with your living or bedroom? Simply change your cushions and rug seasonally. Update your rooms with pretty summery cushions in linens and cottons for your summer look and replace them in the colder months with velvets, weaves and woollen cushions. Don’t stress about where to store the extra set, use the same cushion inners, ideally feather filled pads, for both summer and winter sets, this way you only end up having to store the cushion covers, nicely folded up with the rest of your linen. The same can be done with a floor rug, especially now that flatware rugs are so trendy, they roll or fold up pretty small and can be stored under a bed or in the back of a cupboard and the difference a seasonal rug change make, is priceless.
2. Wall finishing’s: Deciding on a wall finish like wallpaper is quite a commitment. Get samples of your favourites papers, as large as possible. Tape these wallpaper sample contenders up in the room they will be going and let them hang there for at least one week. This way you get to live with them for a bit and see how each one interacts with the light in your room. You might find that after this time there is a few that fall short because you might have already tire of them and one will stand out as the winner. It is also very important to always look at wall finishing’s in a vertical upright way, instead of flat, as the light will play a big role in how the design and colour appear.
Cassandra Lisa Marie Doyle: London based interior stylist and trend researcher –
Try adding a picture shelf the full length of one wall, using oversized prints to add a sense of height. Group small accessories together in odd numbers which will appear more pleasing to the eye.
Aurelien Farjon: Photography and events stylist –
If you want to create an arrangement of different picture frames on the wall, cut sheets of paper the size of the picture frames and stick those out on the wall first with blue tack. This will allow you to test and try different heights. It will also allow you to step back and decide if it’s correct before drilling into the wall. Note: Make sure the paper is a different enough colour to the wall, i.e. brown paper on light walls, white paper on dark walls.
Launching its first store in Poole in April 2008, Homesense now has 55 stores across the UK and is part of the TK Maxx family. A unique shopping experience full of eclectic and inspiring ideas at irresistible prices, stores receive several deliveries each week, meaning you’ll always find something new, exciting and unexpected. Unlike other types of retailers that buy seasonally, Homesense buyers scour the globe throughout the year to bring branded homeware and one-off finds at up to 60% less than RRPs.
With new finds arriving throughout the week from lovely gifts, dining, bed, bath and kitchen to accessories, gourmet food, stationery, accessories, toys, and even pets, you’ll find extraordinary to everyday homeware each time you visit. Find your nearest store at www.homesense.com.
