resolutions. First, on most of our lists, is getting our bodies in shape for the New Year. Those added holiday pounds just won’t work for spring and summer weather, so where do we go? Boot camp, of course!
But how many of us put our house on the same regimen when January rolls around? If a clean and fresh, but high-style space is what you are looking for, I say, instead of exercise … accessorize!Tobi’s Top Ten for Interiors Boot Camp:
1.) Recognize — Identify the pieces you can live without. Take them to a secondhand shop or sell them on eBay. Use the extra money to pay for new goodies for your home.
2.) Visualize — Envision your room as the clean and fresh space you want to achieve. Look at magazine photos or blog posts for inspiration, and then use these photos as a guide when designing your room.
3.) Sanitize — Our homes get lots of wear with kids, pets and entertaining. Don’t forget to have your drapes, carpet and furniture cleaned once a year. You might think about getting these items treated to avoid future stains.
4.) Organize — Head to your local discount store or an organizing specialty store and stock up on containers to hold all the items that clutter up your space. Invest in pullout racks for cabinets to make them more functional, and consider adding specialized shelving to your closets … make the most of your space.
5.) Personalize — While you want to remove a lot of clutter, make sure your home still represents you. Consider adding monogrammed pillows, your favorite color to accent pieces or walls, and create a place to display your most important collectibles. Your home should reflect your personality.
6.) Categorize — Speaking of collectibles, a collection of anything has more impact if it is displayed all together instead of spread out around the house. To keep the clutter down and the impact up, separate your collections into categories of like items. Use shadow boxes or shelving to display a collection that you and your guests can enjoy.
7.) Computerize — Put many of your photos on computer disks. This way you can run them on a photo display or your iPad, and get rid many of the picture frames that are cluttering your space. Keep only the most important and most recent photos in frames.
8.) Emphasize — Almost anything can be made new again with a fresh coat of paint or a new fabric. Take a good look at things before you throw them out. A neat chair or desk with a gorgeous, curved leg can look like a million bucks painted in bright lacquer paint. Consider spicing up your walls with stripes and borders that mimic applied moldings. They are simply created with a little painters tape and a contrasting paint color.
9.) Accessorize — Now that you have new or refurbished pieces as your base, you need to add the “jewelry.” Accessories are key. A new pair of lamps or pillows in fun colors and fabrics will give your room the finishing touches it needs to look complete.
10.) Prioritize — Most of us can’t do all these things at once. Develop a plan so you can budget for some of these steps each month. Start with the cleaning and organizing. By the time you add new elements to the room, it will be ready for its debut.
Want more tips and ideas like these? Attend one of Tobi Fairley’s Design Camps! You’ll learn all you need to know to whip your interior into shape. Upcoming camps: Jan. 22 and Feb. 5. E-mail info@tobifairley.com to learn more or visit the Tobi Fairley blog at tobifairley.com/blog.
