By Arina Smith
While it’s true that your home should feel like a safe, comforting space, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be an exciting place to be. When you come home from work, having an interesting and thought-provoking space in which to live makes the long day worth it; if your home is bland and uninteresting, it can quickly become a boring place to be, and that could provoke feelings of antagonism towards somewhere that is supposed to be your retreat and your castle.
It can be hard to know where to start when trying to install eye-catching features in your home, but we’ve got you covered. From decorations to furniture and artwork, these 6 things will undoubtedly make your home feel more exciting and make you the premier topic of conversation among your nearest and dearest. Without further ado, here are 6 eye-catching features to spruce up your home.
1. A custom family photo:
What better way to communicate your personality to your guests and everyone who visits than with a custom family portrait by a talented family photography studio? However many people (and animals, of course!) there are in your family, showing off their good side is a great way to illuminate a room. What’s more, going for a family photoshoot can be a great bonding experience which helps you to learn something about your collective and individual personality. For a quick, easy, and endearing way to brighten up any room, consider a custom family photograph. If you’re feeling particularly bold, you could even create a series.
2. Provocative art:
Who wants to look at the same old arrangement of sun-dappled trees or boring beaches? For a real personal touch, add some art that will really get guests talking. We’d recommend the abstract art of artists like Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko, as well as the ‘60s pop art stylings of Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein. You could even do something bold like buy comic book and have blown-up comic book panels framed and displayed in one of your rooms, or create a narrative for guests to follow by arranging a series of paintings in a deliberate order. Whatever your decision, it’s time to ditch the homely, banal art of the regular home and try something a bit more fiery.
3. Creative light fittings:
The way in which a room is illuminated is incredibly important to the overall mood and atmosphere not just of that room, but of the house in general. Adding interesting light fixtures to your home will make everything look that much more magical; the very light, and the shadows it creates, will be transformed into an artistic display. It’s a good idea to have a more basic light fixture installed as well as the more outre elements, because you’re not always going to want your home to look like a spooky forest or a warehouse rave, right? (Disclaimer: if you do indeed want a 24/7 light show, we’re not shaming you.)
4. An interesting colour scheme:
Many people opt for bland magnolias, light purples, and other such unobtrusive colours for their homes, but you can set yourself apart simply by going for a more creative or controversial colour palette. Instead of those milky tones, why not go for something more vibrant – a sharp, passionate red, perhaps, offset by a vivid sunset orange? Using a certain colour scheme in your home – and co-ordinating that scheme across all of the rooms – doesn’t just ensure that you’re creating a holistic piece of art, it also creates a much more vivid, lively space in which to live. Remember that you’re going to be here most of your time – why allow the paint job to be dull?
5. Quirky furniture:
Sure, you could opt for the old two-chairs-and-a-sofa approach, but why not think outside the box a little here? Instead of the usual seating arrangement, try a series of artfully arranged beanbag chairs, or even one massive cornered sofa that will seat 15 or 20 people. Sift through charity shop stocks, look at second-hand websites and check out online stores for some interesting, different ideas for your furniture arrangement. Get-togethers will not just feel more intimate with a unique seating style, they’ll also go home remembering exactly what the layout of your room looks like. If you like to host parties, you’ll “get more work” with an eye-catching furniture layout.
6. A home cinema:
Remember all those unforgettable visits to the cinema when you were a kid? You could try to replicate that experience for guests (and yourself, when the mood takes you) with a home cinema installation. You don’t need to splash out on expensive equipment like projectors if you don’t want to; just create a tiered seating arrangement facing towards a central display, install a sound system and you’re good to go. A good home cinema relies on two things: ambience and quality. You could have the smallest TV going and a terrible sound system, but if you provide popcorn and good seating and lighting for your guests it won’t matter. There’s even something homely about a slightly less technically accomplished home theatre, so don’t worry if you’re not technologically-minded.
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