LIFESTYLE AND LIVING
Envisioning your space and its endless possibilities Tips for a home transformation
We are all, big and small, back at our desks and, the freedom of the summer over, likely all looking around our home and wondering how it will sustain another year of routine and special moments, meals and laundry and exercising and catching up and homework and working from home. And when that looking around takes place, it can be overwhelming and daunting to take stock of what we see and beyond, of what we would like to, or can, do about it – and how? Because a home is a living thing, it makes sense to give it – and ourselves, the chance to evolve with our own life, along its ever-changing milestones. Fear not, sometimes it is only wise to recognise that professional guidance is needed. Seeking expert listening and advice to your wishlist, from a qualified interior architect or designer is the starting point to creating and bringing to life a vision that aligns with your wants and your needs. Would you like to transform your space? You may not be sure where to begin, what that would entail or even what that would look like. At times it is a matter of getting a fresh pair of eyes, to scan a room or the whole of the property and declare some areas in real need of a critical analysis, an overhaul or simply a refresh. How can that be done? By being guided through the steps. Look at the space in question and truly say whether it is aligned with your needs – current and future. Is it welcoming and cosy? Is it bright and uncluttered? Is it comfortable and functional? Is it fulfilling its role(s) only under duress, forced and crammed? Perhaps it is a matter of adding colour and texture – repainting, wallpapering or finding lovely cushions, curtains or a rug. Or additional, ‘proper’ lighting sources, for a variety of moods. Or of finding a suitable piece of furniture that fits and serves the
“Keen, collaborative listening from an expert will bring to life somewhere you can let your ideas, projects and moods flourish.” 88 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | AU T U M N 2 02 2
purpose(s) that have been only partly so. Would you like to use your space better? Within the parameters of the space you call your own, there are often unsuspected, hidden wonders that a bit of rethinking and reconfiguring and repurposing can uncover. It can entail adding – storage, furniture, shelves, hooks, doors or a curtain; or actually removing – furniture, part of a wall, an obsolete piece of something that ‘has always been there’ and actually nobody can remember why. Giving yourself permission to see your space as a blank slate or as if you were just discovering it is extremely challenging and is best done with constructively critical and informed support, to ask your key questions and
