Making your house a home

Having a blank canvas with neutral décor is the ideal base in which to transform a room into your own unique and friendly space. Whether you like bold colours, customised furniture or just prefer a scattering of simple ornaments, making a house into a home will depend on your own individual style and taste. We’ve got some useful tips to get you started: Add some colour with your furnishings- Whether it’s a bright red sofa or a coloured chest of drawers, injecting colour into a room can be easy when you get creative with your furniture choices.

If your walls and floors are neutral tones and you are not quite ready to take the leap to bolder colours, choosing vibrant furniture in your favourite colours is a fantastic way of adding your own personal touch to a room.

Choose some creative lighting- Brand new homes look even better when they’re illuminated, and mixing up your lampshades and light fixtures is a great way of adding some originality to your lights. Whether you opt for bold lampshades in your favourite tones or a fantastically modern light fixture, lights can be a real feature of a room and a stand-out decoration that’s functional and eye-catching.

Why not get some wonderful strings of fairy lights to drape over pictures frames or above fireplaces too?

Paint a feature wall or get a wall stencil- Most new homes will come neutrally painted to suit everyone’s tastes but that doesn’t mean you can’t paint them again once purchased. If you don’t want to paint an entire room one colour, select one wall to paint and turn it into a bright and colourful feature. You could also try wall papering one wall too, or getting an interesting and artistic wall stencil.

Add some decorations- The best way to put your own individual stamp on a room is to fill it with paintings, ornaments and photographs that you’ve collected over the years or purchased for a specific décor theme.

Colourful paintings and unique ornaments are ideal for adding subtle touches of colour and intricacy, while framed snaps of friends and family will help you feel truly at home.

Get some throws, scatter cushions and rugs- Soft furnishings not only make a room feel warmer but will also make it more comfortable and inviting. Placing a soft throw over a neutral sofa is a fast way of making it look more stylish, and adding bright scatter cushions around the living room and bedrooms will add a touch of luxuriousness and colour.

Candles, oil diffusers and flowers- What your house looks like may distinguish it more as a home but other things like scents can too. If you have a favourite flower, make sure you have a full vase of blooms on your dining room table at all times. Similarly, oil diffusers and candles with calming scents can make you feel more at home and help you to relax.

Display any interesting crockery and glassware- Whether they’re family heirlooms or your latest buys, unique crockery and glassware can make great original features in a dining room or kitchen. Visible to guests when they are set out on the table, why not keep them in view all the time by displaying your favourite pieces on shelves or in a glass fronted cupboard when not in use? Glasses and crockery come in all shapes, colours and sizes, making them eye-catching and individual pieces that will make your house feel more like home.

[caption id="attachment_261" align="alignnone" width="811"] Painting tools on wood[/caption]

Get customising- From homemade artwork to hand painted furniture, putting your own spin on things is the easiest way of making a house feel truly your own. If you are willing to tinker around with your furniture, try painting the legs of chairs and tables different colours or creating patterned seat cushions and chair covers. You could also try your hand at some arts and crafts, or switch up any door or draw handles with patterned ones easily sourced from furniture and homeware shops.