Refresh & revive

With the holidays feeling like they’ve dashed by, it’s time to get stuck into 2019, and for us the excitement of a new year brings along the perfect opportunity to breathe new life into our living spaces. We spoke to interior decorators and stylists for some quick tips on how to go about this project without having to spend too much.

Cape-based interior decorator and stylist Juliette Arrighi de Casanova of Juj Living shares some of her secrets to freshen up a living space:

Photograph by Micky Hoyle; design and styling by Juliette Arrighi de Casanova

1. As a tip, I suggest looking at the areas in your home you tend to spend the most amount of time. Focus on the bits you want to update and go from there, staying in that area first and working your way around the home seasonally, or as budget allows. For example, if you tend to be a lounger, breathe new life into your living room areas by updating your scatter cushions (perhaps find a new theme like tropical or a new bold colour that will re-energise your space).

2. An inexpensive trick to add a little freshness to your home is to bring in plants – nothing wrong with opting for faux. There are some great examples on the market today. Find a stylish brass or chinoiserie planter, perhaps even a patterned basket and voilà! Great for filling empty corners or zhooshing up your foyer or entrance hall. Mia Mélange, Madwa at Pezula Interiors and Design Afrika are my go-tos for baskets. And online: plantify.co.za

3. Depending on the style of your seating (from dining chairs, to sofas and daybeds), a fun and cost-effective design trick I love to employ on fabric models (i.e. not on leather) is to only re-upholster selected areas e.g. seat cushions in a clashing yet complementing patterned fabric or changing the colour of the sofa and cushion covers’ existing piping, should they have.

Photograph by Micky Hoyle; design and styling by Juliette Arrighi de Casanova

Heather Boting, an interior decorator and stylist based in Joburg, gives us her top tips on reviving your home’s look and feel:

Photographs by Graeme Wyllie and Melissa Durrant; styling by Heather Boting

1. Declutter and clean up surface areas. I love to return home in January and declutter and neaten up my surface areas. For example: with my smaller décor arrangements, I like to start by removing all my appliances, general “stuff” from all the surfaces in the kitchen and lounge and place them in back in a strictly and carefully considered fashion. Items that aren’t used daily are stored in the cupboards and only the essentials and bare minimum items remain. It always amazes me how much one accumulates throughout the year. So January is all about being ruthless and creating order again in the home. It instantly calms me and allows for everything else to fall into order.

2. Move your artwork around or change art prints. This is a quick and effective way of giving your home an instant update. Also, have a look at all your art hanging on walls and rearrange them finding new spaces and positions within your home. If you’re like me and own a few framed art prints, I use the new year to update and replace these prints to more modern and inspiring images.

3. Fresh table settings: 100% linen runners, cloths and napkins! Nothing says luxury and effortless elegance than a table setting of soft linen and napkins. January still involves a lot of outdoor entertaining and balmy summer dinners with all the doors open, so with this in mind I like to keep my tables clean with a refreshing table setting palette of white, blue, rattan and green. These colours and textures all complement the fresh salads and food being prepared.