How to shop your home

And find new ways to love what you already have

This week, I’m encouraging you to look at what you already have.

Shopping your home is a great way to give a space a little refresh and all it takes is some new thinking about how and where you could use your very own pieces in different ways. And hey, since I’m writing this in January, it’s good for the wallet too. How are we all faring up? We’re nearly at the end folks!

Call it faffing or whatever, but I am always shifting things around. Whether it be rearranging what’s on a shelf, swapping out vases or creating a seasonal table display. Just this week, I’ve moved a different candle into the downstairs loo so it smells different (I realise there’s a double entendre there, you know what I mean), reframed a print and hung it in the hall instead of the living room and treated myself to a nice bunch of flowers since it was all looking a bit bare sans Christmas decorations. And changed up my ‘usual’ vase for a variation on a theme. It’s the little things really. They do make a difference.

The idea of shopping your home is nothing new, but it’s nice to be reminded of the merits. Like I’ve written before, we all have lots of ‘stuff’ (myself included, especially of the interiors variety), so why not consider this first when the urge to refresh a room beckons? Whenever I’ve worked with interior stylists or been on a house shoot, shopping the home is exactly what happens. Yes, props are brought in, but I’ve always liked it when what’s already there is used as a first port of call to fully get across the style of whoever lives there. The principles are the same for your own home too.

Fancy doing a bit of (non)retail therapy without leaving the house? Here are my five simple ways to shop your home…

1. Give furniture a new spot
   The occasional chairs in my house must feel like they’re leading a nomadic life. I’m sorry dear chairs. I can’t bear to part with them (there are two - a velvet dusky pink one I found in TKMaxx some years ago and a made.com grey design with a Mid-century feel to it), so I move them around periodically instead. Aside from the obvious practical benefits of a comfy armchair, I’ve always like the idea of creating a cosy corner seating spot. It’s just that you might sit on pink one month and grey the next, keeping you on your toes so to speak. Pink, as an example has moved from the living room to the dining room and now resides in the nursery, where it gets daily use. I have loved it in all locations, I just like a shift around.
   
   What I’ve also done is use a dressing table that was rather neglected as my desk, moving it downstairs to the study where it gets much more action (what that says about be, you decide).
   
   Of course you can simply rearrange furniture within the same room if you’re not up for lugging things up and down the stairs. A sofa with a new aspect or a bed that finds a new direction can drastically alter the use and feel of the room – but make sure it’s in a good way. Pay attention to where the natural light is, the best views and how the space flows.

2. Juggle your prints
   Like me, could you move a piece of artwork, framed print or other wall hanging elsewhere? A simple swap can refresh an area and catch the eye. Do a like-for-like switch in terms of dimensions if you can to avoid the task of filling a hole and hammering in a new nail. Think outside of the box too. Decorative plates make for a nice wall display and things like nice greetings cards or postcards can be framed and put on show rather than chucked in the recycling or locked away in a memory box.

3. Curate your cushions
   Which is really to say, swap your cushions around. The alliteration is a draw I can’t resist. Could your sofa cushions work on the bed? Or vice versa? You may be able to mix and match ones from different spots in the house to introduce a new colour accent or pattern. You’ll be surprised at the effect of this small change. This, and many of these ideas, is made easier if you have a similar style throughout your interiors. It doesn’t have to be identikit though, as even a small vein of a particular shade or texture can make a room-to-room transition work.

4. Recycle, upcycle and look through a new lens
   Just this week I interviewed someone and they told me about their beautiful hallway lights. “Where did you get them?”, I asked. “I repurposed them from the dining room,” they replied. Lovely. They were a simple bulb pendant style that added a stylish addition as well as extra practicality. Rather than get rid of them during a makeover of the dining area, the lights found a nice new place to be enjoyed. For pieces that are a little neglected and at risk of being shipped out, consider upcycling with paint, for example. I find the #ikeahack hashtag a good place to find ideas (and fall into a scroll hole, be warned).

5. Don’t save for best
   I’ve mentioned this before, but what are you saving those ‘best things’ for? You know the ones I mean. Whether it’s a fancy candle, good crockery, special cutlery or crystal glassware, get them out! Use them! Enjoy them! They’ll appreciate a break from the cupboard and you’ll enjoy using them because it will feel like a treat, on the regular.

It might be that you keep something that’s not ticking your interiors box right now, only to fall back in love with again later. So if you’re on the fence, safely store for now and revisit such items later. I do caveat that with a note to *responsibly* get rid of anything that you don’t truly love, you won’t use again or is, indeed, broken and beyond repair. You don’t want to end up with a cupboard full of clutter after all.

I think I’ll leave it there for this week. I’m off to ‘faff’ a bit more. You?

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