We spoke to Michelle Workman, interior designer to stars such as Jennifer Lopez and John Travolta, about a few easy ways to give your home a new year’s face-lift.
Clean up the kitchen
There’s splattered cooking oil on the walls, and your appliances are ancient. Instead of ripping out the entire kitchen, Workman suggests painting the hardware in colors like dove gray or black lacquer to give it a fresh, new look.
“Alternatively, if you have glass-front cabinets, try wallpapering the interior shelves for a clean, individual-style,” she adds.
Work in more color
“The easiest thing to do is paint the walls in a bright color like turquoise, emerald green or coral, all of which are cozy colors for winter,” advises the designer. It’s a low-cost way to completely transform a room. Also consider purchasing accessories that you can swap out according to your seasonal moods.
Workman suggests Murano glass lamps, which can be easily found at secondhand stores, and accent coffee tables. “They can change the room’s aesthetic,” she adds.
Embrace upholstery
Re-upholster your headboard in fabric to add a design change. “Consider using a sumptuous material to give your bed a nest-y feel,” explains Workman. “The bedding is essential too,” she says.
Decorative pillows and throws make big statements with minimal effort. Rotate them based on the season, going for richer colors and heavier fabrics in winter and lighter fare in summer.
Create a bathroom oasis
“It sounds clinical, but I do like to see a lot of white fittings in the bathroom — everyone wants their place to look clean,” Workman says. “You can make the bathroom more inviting by painting the walls in a warm color — this creates a really intimate ambience. Also, rather than buying all your fittings from Ikea or chain stores, look out for flea markets or auctions where you can pick up really beautiful individual pieces like an antique side table which will do well next to the bath,” she suggests. For those of you who don’t mind a bit of do-it-yourself, the Los Angeles-based designer says, “Erect shelves above your tub where you can arrange bath salts and candles for a spa-like setting.”
