Add personal elements, bring plants indoors: How to give your home the perfect makeover this festive season

People have been confined to their homes for over 18 months and seeing the same four walls can be quite claustrophobic. One way to beat this “cabin fever” is to give your home intermittent makeovers, nothing too grand, just simple tweaks here and there that can be monumental in setting the right tone and mood.

“A positive living space can do wonders for your well-being and the concept of home-energy never stood out distinctly as it does now,” said a SPACES spokesperson.

“The second wave has made people realize that they will have to be indoors for a little longer than they had anticipated,” says Krsnaa Mehta, founder & executive director at India Circus. “I see many of the people in my circle making adjustments to their indoor space, carving out WFH corners, fitness/yoga space, kids corner away from WFH stations etc. People are spending the money that they used to spend on recreation to spruce up their homes and give it some freshness.”

“People trying to include things that can bring peace and calm to their lives. To make their homes a sanctuary, people are making changes to the décor of their house - starting from something small like changing the colour patterns of the furnishings to adding large size landscape portrait from their favourite holiday destination,” says Krish Kothari, founder, KKD.Studio.

What are people buying?
“Professional and social spheres have digitally overlapped with the domestic – the home is now also the office, the school, the gym, and so on,” said the SPACES spokesperson. “Homeowners are actively re-evaluating how they can make the best use of the space they have at their homes. For instance, fueled by necessity, the trend of home office setups picked pace mid-2020 onwards as consumers began curating a corner or transforming a room into their workspace.”

Last year, the brand also registered a surge in demand for bed linens with anti-viral/anti-bacterial coating as consumers began taking steps to minimise exposure to germs.

“Safe and sanitised homes are the top priority - across all homes. A need for privacy and personalised space within the house is also growing,” says Sanjana Arora, Business Head, the D’Decor Stores and D’Decor Blinds (Domestic Distribution). “Most customers are seeking ergonomic, comfortable, and cool designs, multi-use spaces and prioritised outdoor spaces.”

India Circus has seen a 10x increase in sales in both décor and their Work from Home range. “We're also observing an increased demand for small furniture such as pouffes, side tables, nesting tables, etc.,” adds Mehta.

Kothari has observed a growing interest in three colour trends - pink and purple, green hues and neutral colours. “While there is an ardent need to reflect ease and tranquillity, there is also scope for vibrant accents to make living spaces happy and appropriate for home and work activities. Vibrant colours, great lighting, and plants often do wonders for interiors,” he says.

However, for his own home office, Kothari leans towards the black and the “bizarre”. “The environment always facilitates output and productivity. For me, black is a colour I find peaceful, and it allows me to deep dive into most of my "in progress" stuff,” he explains.

How to spruce up your home
“Homes are always meant to provide solace, comfort and safety. But in Covid times, the same homes were falling short on delivering all of these,” says Arora. “So the most important change I would recommend is to add in elements to your home that make it the perfect extension of your personality. This will help you a great deal, is totally personal and can be flexible.”

She suggests adding simple personal elements like your favourite lounge chair for those long reading sessions, your favourite cushions or photographs or a personalised coffee mug. “I personally prefer setting up my office close to the huge French windows that help me with a soothing view during my breaks,” she says. She’s also added outdoor rugs, little planters and her favourite chair to her balcony to turn it into a “personal zen space”.

Kothari recommends plants. “Accessorising the home differently with different bedding, art and even planters can change the look and feel. Often incorporated into high-end interior design, indoor plants are more than an element of design. It boosts your mood, increases productivity, adds colour and purifies the air,” he says.

One mistake to avoid
“Not clearly demarcating the home office from the rest of the house invariable leads to overlapping ad decreased output on both the family and work front,” says Arora.

“Allocating a definite workplace at home, one that’s away from disturbances and lets us focus and execute crucial tasks with utmost comfort can go a long way in ensuring our well being in these difficult times.”