5 WAYS TO REFRESH & UPDATE YOUR HOME


The nights are drawing in, my radiators are on and I’ve burrowed away my flip flops and shorts for another year like an oversized squirrel. I’ve also proceeded to leave a trail of 25 different blankets around the house for chilly evenings.

Yup, Autumn is here. Hello you colourful, blustery month you.

 

New Season = New Home Updates

 

Autumn is all about change. So it’s the perfect time to look at your home and make some teeny, tiny adjustments before you pile in the Christmas decorations.

So my pals at HomeSense Harlow asked how I would go about updating my ‘bungalow of dreams’ in 5 easy ways. I love a challenge me.

So I looked at the 5 rooms that make up my home and asked myself what would make these spaces happier, calmer, neater & more inspiring. And how could I do it on a budget in less than a day.

You don’t have to spend a bomb to make your home a nicer place to be. Check out my small changes below using a range of HomeSense goodies:

 

DE CLUTTER YOUR BEDROOM SPACE

It’s not about waking up to a bedside table full of clutter. That’s a sure fine way to start your day wrong.

Your bedside table is the first thing you see when you wake up (apart from your FB & IG notifications and a gazzilion snooze alarm screens). So make that first thing you see nice.

I realised that my bedside table was full of stuff that I didn’t use. I had a jewellery stand with necklaces I never wore. And a jewellery box full to the brim with rings and brackets that hadn’t seen daylight in years. This actually really bugged me.

What I really wanted was something crisp, clean and calming. Somewhere to store the books I read before bed. Perhaps a photo or two because that’s a really happy way to start the day. And some fresh flowers because nothing is more calming than that.

Feeling a little bit lost for inspiration? The best way to find inspiration for home design is good old Pinterest. That site is bloody stardust. For this bedside table set up, I’d come across a similar looking thing on Pinterest and I pretty much recreated it from there.

I picked up this neat wooden crate, a small glass vase and dusty pink photo frame as my starting point for creating a better sleeping space and it really does feel much, much better.

Remember, start your day right.

 

ADD KEY PIECES TO YOUR LIVING SPACES

Sometimes you gotta go big or go home.

Sometimes, you don’t need to buy any more bits and bobs for the home, but you need to make a bit more of a splash.

This side table from HomeSense Harlow was less than £30. And it was exactly what our lounge was missing. (Certainly not more cushions, that is not what my lounge was missing).

It’s fitted into the room like it’s always been there, which is a great way to tell instantly if something belongs in that space. It’s also uber practical for all the Cadbury pouches we devour of an evening and the endless cups of peppermint tea we drink. Max no longer lives in fear that I’ll kick things over left, right and centre.

HomeSense is full of affordable key pieces like this with a whole range of chairs, stalls and tables. Worth a look if your room is ‘missing something’.

 

FRESH FLOWERS & PATTERNS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND IN THE KITCHEN

I’m a fresh flower whore. Uh huh, I can’t get enough.

My kitchen doesn’t feel right unless it’s got a vase of fresh flowers casually sitting on the side. Max has this thing called ‘Friday Flowers‘ – it’s exactly what it sounds like and no, you can’t have him he’s mine *all the heart emojis* 

Flowers bring colour and vibrancy and a whole lot of freshness to a room. I have too many vases in the house that we now don’t have enough tall cupboards to store them in. That’s a first world problem right there.

Oh and another top tip; if you’re looking to add more vibrancy to your kitchen, take a look at your china wear. We all tend to buy white plates/bowls/mugs because that’s what goes with everything and that’s what’s cheap.

But go a bit wild and try adding some mismatched, pattern china into the mix. It’s fun. It shakes things up. And it’s a very affordable way to make some instant changes to your home.

 

 

CREATE A PRACTICAL BUT PRETTY WORK SPACE

So if you followed our home styling process last year then you’ll know I was super excited about having this little desk space that I could call my own. All prints and quotes and white walls and pastel colours.

And one day I’ll have a beautiful Mac upon the desk and I’ll sit and blog like a grown up. But until then, I’ve worked hard to make it an inspiring & pretty but oh so practical workspace, ready for that day.

I picked up the ‘J’ fabric patterned ornament for my shelf and this pale pink wire basket for storing all the millions of notebooks I seem to hoard. I also added this copper frame to match in with my other copper desk supplies. (Because copper is life).

I have a thing about shelves. Dont use your shelves to store clutter (that’s what drawers are for, duh). Do use your shelves as statement decoration areas and to display things that make you happy.

I also picked myself up some washi tape because YES to Bullet Journalling but also YES to sticking my ‘power lady’ postcards all over the wall.

And to get my butt more organised, I’ve popped this pencil holder on the desk to store all the stationary goodies I’ve accumulated since I started blogging.

Again, Pintrest inspired. HomeSense makes it happen for me. Kiss Kiss.

 


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BRIGHTEN UP YOUR BATHROOM WITH FRESH TOWELS

Sometimes, just sometimes, bathrooms can be a bit too white.

I know right, I never thought I’d hear myself say that. But hang on, don’t go buying multicoloured tiles and neon toilet seats because you’d have to be a design guru to make that shit work.

But I was feeling like our bathroom could do with something statement. I wasn’t sure what. It’s not like we have a lot of space to work with either (our bathroom is the size of a hobbit cupboard).

And then I stumbled upon these Orla Kiely towels and I was like YES, you are coming home with me.

They add that omph into the teeny, tiny room that it was craving. And you know what? They feel pretty lush because they’re designer. I’m not a snob I swear but I’ve never owned designer towels before and I kinda like it.

 

 

BOOM that’s my 5 easy ways to update the home for the new season. All the pieces above are from the wonderful HomeSense Harlow.

Now can we bring on Christmas so I can put up too many lights and buy a tree that’s too big to fit in my lounge?

Happy home styling everyone.

 

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with HomeSense Harlow. But of course all styling ideas and suggestions are my own because I bloody love homewear & what not.