I am deep in the lull between Christmas and New Years wondering how I will gather the motivation to un-decorate my house.
Putting up all the lovely decorations is fun and easy but the dismantling is an absolute chore. The fact that I moved in and immediately put my tree up is one motivator for me as I have not yet seen the living room space without the tree.
I’m excited to see the room without the tree and without a pile of boxes and decide whether or not I have room to create a dining space.
Many of us have to reconfigure our homes to accommodate Christmas decor; a chair moved to the basement or the couch repositioned away from the window and several of our decorative accessories packed away until after the holidays.
When the tree comes down the room can feel a little bit empty but this is also a great opportunity to take a fresh look at your space!
Is there something else you would like to do with the room or some other decorations you would like to add in that space?
Does the room need a new coat of paint or do your window coverings need an overhaul?
The time is now! While you have your room apart take advantage and do something a little different – resist the urge to just plunk everything back in its same spot.
My goal this month is to completely dress my living room which means curtains and the aforementioned dining room suite. I have taken several fabric options home and have been struggling with the right curtain fabric – yes Virginia, even designers can have design dilemmas and I have realized that it’s my patterned chair that is the issue.
Having the tree in the window over Christmas I have allowed myself to take a few weeks off from curtain shopping and have just looked at the room.
Looking at things in a different way due to having to move the chair to accommodate the tree made me realize that it’s the CHAIR that is causing the problem!
The chair has always been part of the living room; I bought the furniture as a set and in my head had always thought of the three pieces as a team. Seeing the furniture in a new home with a large Christmas tree opened me up to the possibility that the chair doesn’t have to go into the living room and it will now reside in the spare bedroom and my new search is on for a new chair AND drapery in the living room.
While you have a few days at home, take a look around and see if there could be a new outlook on your home. Possibly something you stare at everyday and don’t actually ‘see’.
Take your tree down and look at the space left by its absence, you may come upon a totally new inspiration or use for that space!
You may realize that the items you have been using in that space for months or even years may be better utilized in a completely new part of the house. Don’t be intimidated to move stuff around and plan for new fresh ideas going into 2015.
Kim Meckler is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.
