It's popular to use the excuse of the New Year to make any number of 'resolutions' to improve your life. Why not this year make a few changes to improve your surroundings? Our environment impacts our outlook and also how we feel about ourselves. So take a new look at your home - most importantly the space you occupy the most - and see if it accurately reflects who you think you are. Is there something off about it? If you like bright colors and lots of patterns in your clothes, you should have some of that in your surroundings. If you prefer the classic, use that as a part of your home decor. (That home can be a room or a mansion. Space is not the issue here)
I don't recommend using a wild fabric to cover all of you furniture, walls and art work, but incorporating a bit of that can make you feel really at home in your space. Like red? Add some great pillows, lampshades or maybe a throw. Prints are great for pillows and if you want to go more, use it for curtains. Using a great color and print in the mat or frame of art work can make a big impact. An area rug not only makes a room cozier, it can add a splash of your personality to that space. Whether you use a little bit or a lot, you can put dash in your home.
If you have a problem determining your style, look at your clothes and see how you dress yourself. If that is Really Not You, take out a home magazine and look at the rooms and items being advertised there. Ear mark all the pages that appeal to you. Then go back and see what they have in common. This is also a great way to determine your favorite colors, too.
Keep in mind that styles, color and trends do change. If you use these volatile elements in easy-to-replace items you can feel good about discarding them when your taste changes. Taking this time of style audit on a seasonal basis is just fine.
