Here at jmm PR, we have been scouring the internet for our favourite articles of the week.
This week brings tips on preparing your home for entertaining over Christmas as well as mood-boosting interior ideas.
Image: Homebase
Country Living – 6 ways to get your home ready for entertaining this Christmas
While we love giving presents, watching Christmas films and tucking into mince pies, there’s nothing we’re looking forward to more over the upcoming festive period than spending time with our family and friends. Whether you’re inviting guests over for Christmas dinner or planning to have a party with your loved ones to celebrate in style, now is the perfect time to get your home ready for entertaining. This article from Country Living provides helpful tips and tricks on how to ensure we give our guests a warm welcome to our home this Christmas.
First things first, you should ensure that you have enough comfortable places for your visitors to sit. If you’re running low, desk chairs, ottomans and footstalls can be used as extra seating. Those of us with a fireplace could even arrange large floor cushions beside it for an extra cosy atmosphere and to help our guests warm up during those chilly December evenings. If your loved ones are staying the night, you’ll need to declutter your spare room and invest in bedding, towels and blankets to ensure they are comfortable and have everything they need during their stay. The article also suggests providing your guests with home comforts such as a hot water bottle, tea bags and a hairdryer.
When it comes to accessorising your home, soft furnishings like cushions, throws and blankets are key to creating a cosy yet stylish entertaining space. Country Living suggests opting for fabrics such as velvet, wool and bouclé to add a luxurious feel. As for lighting, the article recommends choosing wall lights in creamy shades to add warmth and ambience, as well as opting for small lamps placed on tables or shelves and a floor lamp located next to a cosy seating area. A top tip from Country Living is to avoid flashing fairy lights as they can often be distracting and a little overbearing. Instead, warm white LED’s will add a stunning yet subtle glow to your space.
Drinks trolleys offer a perfect place to store bottles, glasses and garnishes for your favourite festive cocktails, therefore they are a must-have when hosting a Christmas get-together! Wherever you choose to entertain in your home, having a drinks trolley will also ensure that you don’t have to keep leaving the room to refill your guests’ drinks, meaning you can spend more time catching up with family and friends. According to the article, they can be decorated with books, ornaments and plants for a super stylish look.
If you’re looking for tips on how to get your home ready for guests this Christmas, make sure you check out this article and don’t forget to let us know who you’ll be entertaining over the festive season!
Image: Kit Kemp / Simon Brown
Homes & Gardens – How to be happier at home – 10 mood-boosting interior design ideas
Low moods are common during the winter period, this is because we’re getting less vitamin D now that the sun is no longer out as often and we’re spending more time inside our homes to stay warm. You may feel stuck indoors and missing your garden, this is why we loved this article by Homes & Gardens which has some great interior ideas that will help to brighten your mood.
Using cheerful colours is a great way of bringing a happier vibe and more energy to your home. Yellow is a prime example of a more cheerful and positive colour and as Homes & Gardens says, “it is sunshine in your home.” But if yellow isn’t your thing, then simply pick a colour that makes you feel happy and positive. Nature-inspired colours are a great option for bringing a calming atmosphere to your space. As well as adding bright colours to your interior, opting for handcrafted items will also help incorporate a happier vibe to your home and will give it more character and charm in comparison to factory-produced products.
Another trick to making a happier home is to create a memory wall which will remind you of positive memories when you look at it. This can be styled how you want and can include anything from pictures to trinkets collected on trips. Adding your own personal style can also be applied to the entire space, try painting the woodwork in a way that reflects your personality.
As we spend more time at home, it has become ever more important to organise our rooms into zones designated for certain activities. This is especially the case if you have an open plan room, which one of our earlier blog posts has some tips for designing. You can separate zones using islands, furniture and even keeping multi-use furniture to save space. Either way, it is a good idea to keep your workspace separate to the area you relax in.
Not only will investing in some house plants help bring the outdoors inside if you’re missing the garden, but house plants can also help improve your mood and reduce anxiety. On top of this, looking after the plants will give you a relaxing activity and something to keep you busy during the winter months. If you can’t get a good night’s sleep, which can in turn also lower your mood and affect your mental health, Aloe Vera is a great houseplant to keep by your bedside as it produces oxygen which will help you drift off to sleep, as well as improving your quality of sleep.
Decluttering your house can also be hugely important for keeping you happy and making you feel calm. Homes & Gardens suggests fitting a concealed larder within your kitchen to clear your cooking area. We have also written some more tips on organising your kitchen in one of our previous blog posts.
What was your favourite tip for making your home a happier place? Let us know in the comments!
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Jess and Steph at jmm PR
26th November 2021
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