Everyone loves a pictureperfect living room, but what happens after you’re done Instagramming the space? Do you love your home as much as you say you do, or are you concerned about its upkeep only when there are guests?
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WHAT’S TRENDING & WHAT WE THINK
Everyone loves a pictureperfect living room, but what happens after you’re done Instagramming the space? Do you love your home as much as you say you do, or are you concerned about its upkeep only when there are guests?
Having shot well over 1,000 homes over the past three decades, the team at Home & Decor has documented and shared some gorgeous abodes with readers. Yet what the readers don’t get to see is the hard work the crew puts into cleaning up some of those homes, in order to get that perfect shot. While there is a fair share of genuinely house-proud homeowners who keep their homes in pristine condition, many of the homes visited require plenty of assistance to get them photo-ready. This happens, even though some of them may have just settled into the property.
Now, as professional as the team is in capturing the best shots, it remains a wonder why owners of the home aren’t willing to put in the effort to keep the space looking just as beautiful all the time.
As a modern homeowner, you shouldn’t portray yourself as living the good life only when people are around; you should aspire to create the dream home specifically for your personal enjoyment all the time.
Alas, with the popularity of photo-sharing portals. such as Pinterest and Instagram, many homeowners are more invested in building vignettes of their home that can generate the most amount of likes, as opposed to decorating spaces for themselves. Now, many interior designers will tell you that when you love your home, it will be reflected in the way it looks and also influence how others view your space. Intentionally putting together a choreographed corner in the living room or kitchen, just so you can accompany a shot of the space with an equally pretentious hashtag, like #hygge or #luxe or even #minimalist, is, to say the least, basic and banal.
Urban dwellers will complain that maintaining the home, on top of juggling work and family, is a major challenge. We are not saying that isn’t true. The message here is that taking time out to keep your home clean and inspiring, actually does more for making you happy than anybody else. So don’t see housekeeping as a chore; instead, see it as something you do because you are worth it.
Sure you can surround yourself with organised chaos, but that is no excuse for maintaining the clutter around the room. An untidy home is not a place you look forward to coming home to, at the end of a long day, when what you need is a snug sofa to sink into.
When styling a space, always begin by considering how the space would be a physical representation of your life story. Shower your home with love and plan for its upkeep. The late 80s groomed a generation of true house-proud homeowners, who would go all out with a specific theme for their home decor, be it country-rustic or modern-contemporary sleek, and keep their domain in sterling condition at all times.
If you have the opportunity to flip through some of the Home & Decor issues from that period, you would be able to witness the flair homeowners of that era injected into their spaces. Worry not, for as the leading design read in Singapore, we will continue to inspire readers and provide you with ways and tips to create your dream home.
