Refresh your home for the holidays

Homeowners foregoing the usual annual vacation will be looking for ways to have a holiday at home. They say that, "A change is as good as a holiday", so here are some affordable and quick makeovers you can do for that "holiday' feeling.

 

Refresh your walls with vibrant colour
Repaint, refresh and rejuvenate the walls in your home with one of Plascon's colours in the 2010 Colour Forecast. The blues and whites of the Northern Exotica palette are perfect for north-facing rooms that tend to heat up during the summer months whilst the Eastern Promise palette refreshes a south-facing room with spicy warm tones. And now Plascon make choosing colour even easier with the launch of their new Tester Pots. The 250ml tintable pots are available in Double Velvet or Cashmere, and allow you to paint a portion of a wall before making a final decision.

Rejuvenate with fabrics and textiles
Lighten up any room by trading heavy fabrics for light and airy ones. In the living room, for example, replacing dark upholstery with lighter fabrics will not only brighten up a room, it will visually enlarge and open up the space. Change out dark throw pillows and slipcovers by adding crisp white, a bright solid or even modern, floral patterns.

 

 

Get the look: Throw colour into the room with cushions in metallic and bold print.  A slipcover sofa makes refreshing your furnishings easy.

Pack away the clutter
After a winter spent in hibernation in front of the telly, summer is the time to open up the windows and doors and pack away the clutter. Larger, clutter-free spaces create the impression of a bigger space.

Get the look: Wall colour - Plascon Thatch.

Let the sun shine in
Take down your old drapes and replace them with lighter more transparent fabrics that let in the light and the fresh breezes. Fabrics such as chiffon or organza are perfect. Darker rooms can be instantly brightened simply by the strategic placement of a mirror. If possible, hang a large mirror in the living room directly opposite a window. In addition to bouncing light, it creates virtual space and overall appeal to a small room.