Our homes are a reflection of ourselves and the things we love. Here are a few ways to incorporate your hobbies, interests and passions into your home decor.
The online world is packed with sources of inspiration, from Pinterest and Instagram to personal blogs, vlogs and official brand pages. For someone decorating a home, the web is an invaluable resource that is constantly growing and evolving.
With this much at your fingertips, it can be difficult to actually decide on anything… and with new ideas popping up all the time, the options seem endless! Consider creating a mood board to help you focus your efforts, and services like Pinterest are perfect for this. You can organise your finds by room, by theme or by interest, so that when it’s time to make design decisions, you can easily find all the relevant resources.
Of course, it’s not just other people’s photos that can be a source of inspiration. Sometimes you discover inspiration in unexpected places – a friend’s home, an art gallery or the outdoors. Use your smartphone camera to record the things that inspire you and add them to your mood board.
Introducing your passions into decor is how a house becomes your home. What could be more personal than an expression of the things you love? However, it is important not to overdo it. Remember that your space must be functional and welcoming, as well as an extension of your interests.
Try to keep a balance when it comes to introducing specific colours or designs. If you add the same element at the same intensity in multiple rooms, you run the risk of ending up with a single theme throughout the entire house, which can be overwhelming and boring at the same time.
When displaying a large collection, restrict it to one wall to ensure the space doesn’t feel overly crowded. Your gallery wall can incorporate an accent colour for an extra boost of interest while keeping the feature neatly contained. Remember that, all together, these items tell a story and you want to be able to transmit that story as clearly as possible.
The way you display your items should create a visual experience and be just as eye-catching as the items themselves. Use bursts of colour to draw attention to specific areas of interest, such shelving. Mason jars can be the perfect way to store buttons or paintbrushes or other tools of the trade associated with your hobbies.
Think about how you can use storage furniture, too. A bar cart, for example, is designed to store liquor but it can become a focal point when used to show off potted plants or other collections.
Even spaces that normally go unloved can be spruced up with a little out-of-the-box thinking. While it might be a bit more challenging to make the most of an awkward little corner or a high shelf you can never reach, once you find the right item, it could truly complete the room.
There’s no better way to show off your hobby or talent than by giving it pride of place in your home. So incorporate examples of what you love doing into your design scheme. If you are into photography, have your favourite snaps professionally printed and framed. Whether you are interested in pottery, sewing, woodwork, or any number of other hobbies, your work should have a place in your home.
That said, you should keep the mood and style of a room in mind when selecting which of your pieces to display and where. An office could be the perfect spot for a landscape watercolour, while a more relaxed area – like the lounge – would be more appropriate for your first handmade surfboard. All in all, just have fun with it! Your home should be a relfection of who you are, and adding the things you are passionate about is the quickest way to achieve that.
If you are looking for a property to call your own, get in touch with RE/MAX Malta to talk about how you can make your dream a reality.