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As 2025 unpacks, Colin and Justin make plans to enhance home life
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Wait, it’s already mid-January? Phew, time flies when planning (and hopefully sticking to) an ambitious list of New Year resolutions. If you, like we, aspire to starting 2025 on a solid footing, it all starts right here, right now, at home.
But remain calm – embracing resolutions needn’t be stressful: with a roster of key changes, and moderate effort, you can revolutionize everything.
Your abode will seem more attractive and – better still – you’ll feel happier. To this end, our ten-point primer has your back…
Family style
As January rolls, purge your phone of family photos, and display the best ones proudly on walls, where they can be enjoyed. For an old school ‘Hollywood’ vibe, print pictures in black and white, and surround in pencil thin ebony frames from Michaels, or similar art supply stores.
All the feels
Employ textural elements to create tactile reward. Dress upholstery and beds with knitted throws, faux furs and faux sheepskins, add waffle bed spreads atop cotton sheeting, and pop soft rugs onto timber floors so your toes don’t feel ignored. As the new year dawns, comfort reigns supreme…
Order, order!
Purging, post holidays, when your domestic landscape is overrun by a new inventory of purchases and gifts, makes sense. Dispense with items of which you have duplicates, or things you no longer require. Donate whatever you can to charity so others can benefit… as you benefit from a clearer, less cluttered environment.
Minimise ‘knee jerk’
When it comes to home fashions, avoid snap buying decisions. Instead, appraise whether or not that ‘bargain’ sofa actually suits your lounge, or whether that big box store ‘scratch and dent’ fridge is any better than the one you already have.
Bang for your buck
Items that transition from room to room make sense, especially where real estate is tight. Flip top upholstered drum stools, for instance, make great bedroom clothes holders, or extra seating when guests visit. Similarly, a neat-upholstered bench is a perfect hallway companion, but when pulled in front of the sofa, to accommodate weary feet, it serves double duty.
Diffuse lighting
Pledge, right now, to balance interior illumination. Space feels better with ambient glow, so throw some shadows and invest in linen shaded lamps to soften focus. For inspiration, head to Homesense, where merchandise is better than ever, with 80 buck floor and table lamps that look like they cost hundreds of dollars.
Fuse then and now
Schematic resolutions at the forefront of your logic, punctuate a modern scheme with retro selections to ‘transition’ aesthetics. With a vintage buy, you’ll feel rewarded, like you’ve just discovered some beauteous treasure, and, as you piece it into your nest, you’ll feel justifiably proud. It’s all about atmosphere.
Create a ‘new’ kitchen for less
Abrade existing doors with sandpaper and, using a foam roller, apply satin paint, mindful that thin coats build better durability. Remarkably, today’s kitchen started life as a white Ikea fit out, but we brought it alive using ‘Cool Blue’ (2058-40 by Benjamin Moore). New handles, under cabinet lighting, and new appliances completed the reversion. Alternatively, you could consider replacement door ‘blanks’ (if cupboards are solid) via www.readytopaintcabinetdoors.com Their no fuss online service means you measure, they manufacture, and you install, all of which moderates outlay.
Comfort equals luxury
Carefully appraise your choice of beds, chairs and sofas to increase the luxe factor, but ‘think twice, buy once’ to avoid rash decisions. A new year means new thinking, so max up on comfort with lambs wool or cashmere throws, and use plump, down filled cushions, instead of foam, to increase the ‘chop’ factor.
The great(er) outdoors
Building a dedicated fire pit will enhance the domestic experience, even when the mercury is crashing. Doesn’t sitting around the flames singing songs, drinking beer and enjoying s’mores, sound like a great way to kick off the year? Certainly does to us.
A little vision goes a long way, so take a breath, plan carefully, and become the best possible version of ‘you’. It’s going to be a fantastic 2025, of that we’re certain. The resolution starts here.
Watch for celebrity designers Colin and Justin on City-tv’s Breakfast Television and on Colin and Justin’s Sub-Zero Reno on Paramount TV premiering January 31 . Find the Colin and Justin Home Collection in stores across Canada. Visit www.colinandjustin.tv.