If you’re stretched for time and your home needs a little display home style pick me-up, Henley have a few tricks and tips to give your home a fast-tracked makeover.
Set the scene
Make sure kitchen islands and benches are tidy, clean and clear from clutter, and do the same for the dining table, even if it means having a storage box to sort through later. Emma Taylor, Henley’s senior interior designer, adds that guests feel more welcome if it looks like you’ve planned for them: “If you are having people over for lunch or dinner, a set table always looks inviting and creates atmosphere. Set it with placemats and napkins, cutlery and glasses, colour coordinated if possible, to your dining service.”
Clean as you go
In the kitchen, try and have the washing up done and the kitchen as immaculate as can be with just those items you are using for the cooking of your lunch/dinner. Butlers pantries are a perfect “room” to hide away unsightly items and to de-clutter, especially when unexpected visitors drop in.
Hide it
For general storage, fabric lidded boxes can sit on top of one and other and are ideal containers for all those piles of paperwork and bits and pieces that find a home on kitchen benches. There are some gorgeous lacquer and bone boxes that can sit under a coffee table — they are attractive and decorative but hold the most mundane of household items such as TV remotes. “You can get some really useful and practical storage boxes in leather or woven basketry which are perfect for tidying away toys left over from kids’ playtime. Apart from being useful and practical, they look smart too,” says Emma.
Blooming marvelous
Bright, freshly cut flowers are always a beautiful addition to a home and an instant mood pleaser. Emma adds: “I buy a bunch of flowers nearly every weekend and if you look after them properly and change the water daily, and pick the right flower, they can last for up to two weeks. Potted plants are a perfect accessory to smarten up an interior, they add colour and life, and help clean the air too.”
Cushion comforts
“You can never have enough cushions! Make sure they are feather filled and that they are nicely plump – velvets, plaids, felts and linen are all gorgeous fabrics for decorative cushions – prints and patterns combine to dress up or down your chosen living area, they create mood and bring in added texture and warmth.”
With a few makeover shortcuts and tips, your house can be transformed into a display home — just like Henley’s World of Homes in Upper Point Cook, Berwick Waters and Woodlea (shown in images).
Henley have been building new homes for almost 30 years with tens of thousands of satisfied customers.
