Beating The January Blues

Published January 08, 2015

The decorations have all been put away and the tree is down.

January can be a bit of a depressing month for some. The days are shorter and the weather is usually a little grey.

Rather than succumb to the winter blues, why not spend a little time giving the interior of your home a lift during these grey days?

There are many ways to add life to your living room and bedrooms. One of the easiest ways is to add colour.

Toss cushions and throws are fantastic for this. And during the month of January store shelves are full of great sales and bargains.

Look for brightly coloured cushions that will add a splash of colour to your couch and arm chairs.

Complementary throws can be laid across the back of your loveseats and couches as well.

Every year Pantone, a United States company considered to be an authority on colour forecasting for the year ahead, publishes their top picks for colour in design and technology.

This year Pantone has chosen colours from nature. Warm, soft colour tones such as Aquamarine, Toasted Almond and Lucite Green are just a few of the trends this year. Any one of these colour tones may work beautifully as toss cushions in your living room.

You may want to tackle a small paint project during the month of January. You will be amazed how a simple change of paint colour on a wall can transform the entire space.

Adding light to your room is another wonderful way to brighten up a space. Placing additional table and reading lamps in strategic areas can accomplish this.

Replacing a lampshade with a different colour is a wonderful way to add colour and texture to a room.

Look for brightly coloured lampshades at stores such as Homesense and The Bay.

In addition, never underestimate the impact fresh flowers have in a room.

Fresh flowers have a way of adding life and colour to a space.

Flowers have been shown to trigger our happy emotions and heighten our sense of contentment.

For more information on Pantone’s 2015 colour choices, visit pantone.com.

Barb Lunter is a freelance writer with a passion for home decor, entertaining and floral design. barb@lunter.ca lunter.ca