FIVE WAYS TO BRING JOY INTO YOUR HOME

What makes a house a home?  For us, it's the simple things that put a smile on everyone's face and that turn a space in to a place to relax and restore the soul. Here are five little things that can make a big difference

1. FLOWERS

Even a single bloom in a simple bottle is enough to lift the spirits. Whether they come direct from your garden, or from your local florist - bringing nature in to your home makes the place feel loved and looked after.

Kiss the Moon tips: 

• Get creative when it comes to arranging. There are some lovely vases out there but other things can work just as well - teapots, jam jars, a lovely old bottle. Anything goes.
• Greenery can be gorgeous too. Foliage is often overlooked as just the filler while the flowers themselves take centre stage, beautifully shaped leaves and grasses can be dramatic enough on their own. Plus, you can get them for free from your garden all year long.
• Fake can be fun. While we are suckers for real flowers here at Kiss the Moon, there are some amazing fake plants and blooms around we are more than happy to share our home with. Don't be scared to mix real and fake for added drama. Good fake plants (especially things like succulents and cacti) are often hard to distinguish from the real ones and work brilliantly in dark corners where living plants would struggle.    

2. AROMA 

The most beautiful homes engage all the senses so don't forget to make yours smell amazing. Light a beautiful candle, spritz some of our Pillow Mist (also gorgeous on your bathroom towels by the way) or even just enjoy the aroma of a freshly cut orange. Use whatever you love to delight your most powerful sense of all.

Kiss the Moon tips: 

• Aroma has the power to evoke memories and change our mood. Match how you want people to feel in a space with the smells you put there. Peppermint in the office to help with alertness, rose in the bedroom to help you relax, lemon in the kitchen to freshen and brighten etc...
• The first time you burn a scented candle, burn it long enough for the wax across the whole diameter to melt. It will help the wax 'drawn down' and melt evenly on subsequent occasions and extend your candle's life.
• Did you know that our sense of smell is controlled by the same part of our brain that regulates our sleep? 

 

3. MEMORIES

Our homes should tell the story of our life, so pepper them with photographs, collectibles, mementos - the things that make you and your family unique.

Kiss the Moon Tips: 

• Photographs don't have to be in a formal frame. They can look just as good arranged on a pinboard, hanging above a bed washing line style or casually propped up on a shelf. Check out photobox.com - they can turn your digital snaps in to polaroid style prints that are great to decorate with.
• Bring something back from each holiday that helps you remember the happy days you spent there - be it a piece of art or a stone from the beach.
• To stop objects looking bitsy, arrange them clustered together - on a tray on the coffee table maybe or under a glass cloche or on a display shelf.    

4. COLOUR

Yes, beige is a colour (we quite like it in fact) but so is teal, magenta, and midnight blue. Colour is the quickest way to change the feel of a room. Happy homes have a colour palette that fits the light, the space and gets the mindset of the people that live there. (Image from hm.com)

Kiss the Moon tips 

• Pinterest is a great place to look for inspiration, both for colour combinations and also ideas on how to decorate and dress a space. Check out our kissthemoonxx pinterest boards as a start point and then follow the things you love from there. To work out your taste, start by creating an exploration board. Pin 20 or 30 images you like over a week or so. Then flip back and see what the trend is in terms of the colour palettes you have chosen and how they are used. Once you understand this, it's easier to work out how you might might be able to apply those principles to your own home.
• Calming shades in your bedroom can help create a room that is a real haven for sleep. That doesn't have to mean pastels by the way - dark colours are even more restful. Go dark. We dare you. If you need a bit of inspiration invest in Abigail Ahern's Colour book. We bet you'll be down to the paint store before you know it.
• If you don't fancy going the whole hog and changing your wall colours, then instead bring colour pops in through the smaller soft furnishings. Throws and cushions in lush shades are easy to swap in and out through the year. Stick to one colour palette but have deeper shades in velvet and wool to dial up the warmth in the winter and then swap for something light and pretty in linen or cotton for the sunshine months.  

5. BOOKS & MAGAZINES

“In a good book room you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.” Mark Twain

How true is this. An interesting pile of books and magazines means you are never short of something to do on a rainy day.

Kiss the Moon Tips 

• Create a reading space in a quiet corner somewhere. Throw down a rug, add a comfy chair and a footstool. Just pull a lamp alongside and something to put your cuppa on and hey presto - you have a reading nook. How heavenly to curl up there for an hour or two and get lost in a good novel.
• Magazines count too. Do a little research to find some favourites and ask for subscriptions for Christmas or your birthday. Then enjoy a year of getting something juicy to sit back and relax with, sent to you without even having to leave the house.
• With a bit of clever thinking and creative storage, books can look great in your home. Check out 'Books Make a Home' by Damian Thompson for ideas on how to show them off to their best.    

Happy July everyone. Enjoy every single moment.