It's New Decorating Season in Collaboration with @homeforwillow
September is 'New Decorating Month' and we’ve collaborated with influencer and renovating expert @homeforwillow to get her top tips on refreshing your home.
How do you choose your window/door style?
Our bi fold doors were a must have for us, we wanted to be able to open up our whole downstairs area to the outside in the summer and be able to watch the rainy weather from the cosy indoors in the winter.
Which material did you decide to choose for your windows/doors? (Wood, Aluminium, PVC)
Our bi fold doors are one of the smallest sizes you can get so we opted for aluminium here as they let as much natural light in as possible which was really important for us. All our windows are PVC and our front door is composite which was important for us as they tend to be safer and longer lasting.
How does your window/door colour fit in with your home exterior?
We've recently renovated our house, the windows were originally white PVC with white cladding on the front of our house which we thought made it look a bit dated so we quickly changed this to dark grey PVC which has already made our house look more current and less run down. We've still got a couple more windows upstairs to update this year so at the moment it's like spot the difference, but we can't wait until they all match!
As part of the renovation we decided to move our front door to the front of the house as opposed to the side of the house, this obviously increased the cost slightly but we thought this would make the house look nicer from the road and hopefully help us when it comes to selling our house one day too. We opted for a lighter grey for our composite front door for a bit of contrast to the darker grey windows and cladding and as our original front door was completely frosted glass, we wanted a door with a small window in for privacy but to still add a little bit of natural light to our hallway.
How does your window/door colour fit in with your home interior?
All our window frames and doors are white on the inside as most of our walls are painted white with a small pop of colour and I think this helps to make the room look bigger. Our bifold doors are actually dark grey on the inside which we didn't notice until recently, but I think it adds a subtle industrial feel to our kitchen area which we love!
How do you accessorise your windows/doors? (blinds, shutters, windowsill styling)/Best tips for accessorising a window
We've got grey wooden blinds in most of our windows as we're yet to find curtains that we like. I like to style my window sills with different sized prints and photo frames, plants (especially plants that hang down like ivy), dried grasses/pampas and copper wire fairy lights.
How do you change your décor based on seasonal trends?
I try and make small changes that add the little touches and don't cost too much. Such as in winter/autumn, add garlands to the staircase and fireplace, lots of candles and pumpkins/pine cones dotted around the house and in the summer, lots of fresh flowers even if that's cuttings from the garden!
Best tips for accessorising a door
Wreaths! For all seasons, not just for Christmas. I like to make my own wreaths with real and fake flowers as I find it therapeutic. We've also got two little olive trees either side of our front door which help to make it more presentable from the road. We've still got lots of plans for the front of our house, such as putting in a doorstep (we're using a wooden pallet at the moment - it looks as bad as it sounds!)
Best tips for using natural light within decorating
For us, the best thing about having natural light when decorating is it's allowed us to be bolder in our colour scheme as we really like dark interiors, so it meant we could use darker paints and accessories.
What are your best paint & wallpaper tips?
We're rubbish at painting!! We've had too many paint reactions to offer any tips here ha-ha!
How often do you decorate? /What is your favourite thing about decorating?/Best decorating tips
We started off by painting the whole house white and have gradually adding more colour the longer we've lived here. We redecorated our bedroom twice in just 6 months! But we've added colour through feature walls which has made it really easy (and cheaper) to redecorate. The easiest way to redecorate is to change up cushion covers, throws, paintings/prints and other small accessories. I'll always try and add at least 1 plant to each room to add more texture and fill spaces.
How does natural light enhance your room/colour scheme/decor?
Our kitchen is a dark navy colour so it was really important for us have as much natural light here as possible, as I think otherwise the cupboards would look too dark and the it would have made the room look smaller. We have 1 large window, 2 Velux windows and our bi fold doors which means even on the gloomiest days there’s always lots of natural daylight
Best tips for renovating your home?
Ask lots of questions, try and keep track of everything you're spending against your budget (easier said than done) and follow lots of Instagram accounts, ask them lots of questions too it's the best way to get honest advice!
