Get In The Zen

54 Get in the Zen

Help yourself make it through the final stages of winter with a home refresh that includes natural materials, uplifting colours, snuggly textures and delicious scents.

Every year, Dulux colour experts translate global design trends into the new Colour of the Year. The shade for

2022 is Bright Skies™, an airy and fresh tone that opens up and breathes new life into any space. dulux.co.uk.

Prioritise Comfort and Calm

• Let in the light! Clean your windows, pull your curtains back and make sure blinds don’t hang down and obscure the sunshine. There’s no greater feel-good factor than natural light, especially necessary at this time of year.

• Choose colours for the way they make you feel. For cocooning at home, the best bets may be soft, nature-inspired colours such as sky blue, misty green and pastel pink.

• Choose natural materials as much as possible. From wool and linen to bamboo and oak, they look gorgeous, have an enjoyable texture and don’t ‘offgas’ noxious chemicals into your home.

• Use all your senses. Add snuggly throws and cushions for the ultimate in comforting texture, and ensure that your home does not echo unpleasantly by throwing down soft rugs and, where necessary, adding wall hangings to dampen down unnecessary sound.

• Create a feeling of relaxation with careful choices of home fragrance. Natural wax candles made with essential oils are better for you than paraffin candles that use synthetic fragrances, or an electric diffuser will fill your home with soothing scents and can safely be left unattended.

Complete with Blue Lace Agate crystals, this hand-poured, luxury soy wax candle is infused with natural essential oils to help you de-stress, with soothing scents of sweet orange, rose geranium and ylang ylang.

Time for Calm Blue Lace agate crystal candle, £32, aroralondon.com.

Make a statement

(and do some calming hanging around) with an indoor/outdoor

hanging chair.

Nest hanging rattan outdoor chair, £395, roseandgrey.co.uk.

Combining a natural, organic quality with a curvy, contemporary design, this light would work as well above a dining table as it would in a living space or a bedroom.

Lark pendant light in natural bamboo, £189, cultfurniture.com. A simple desk, great storage, plenty of light and a gorgeous view: what could be nicer for your home office?

Vandsted bamboo desk, £149.99; Vasby velvet dining chair, £79.99; both jysk.co.uk.

Fill with water, add a few drops of essential oil, and at the touch of a button this pretty polyresin diffuser will infuse the air around you with a fine mist of scented vapour, as well as emitting a relaxing ambient light.

Made by Zen gem diffuser, £67.99, dobbies.com.

You won’t be able to resist

cuddling this soft and tactile cushion, a lovely addition to a chair, sofa or bed.

Lia faux sheepskin cushion, £56, lovasi.co.uk. Woven from 100% recycled plastic, this contemporary garden rug is lightweight yet weather-resistant and durable, perfect for adding colour and style to your patio, decking or paved seating area.

Ada Botanical outdoor rug (120 x 180cm), £17.99, homescapesonline.com.

This extra-deep love seat is soft and cosy, perfect for settling down with a good book or in front of a favourite movie.

Truffle love seat chaise, £1,645, loaf.com.