Inspiration to keep your home beautiful in January

January Moods

There is a strong temptation during these long winter nights and drab short days, to wear big jumpers and fluffy socks and watch a Lot of television by the fire. Yet there is no more perfect moment to keep your home beautiful and embrace cosiness.

add glamour

Try putting on some berry red lipstick (I like the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour stick in Berry), and some classical music, (maybe Vanessa Mae- The Violin Player), and get out the hoover. Yes! Starting with cleaning away all the cobwebs from high lampshades and corners of the rooms will lift the energy and motivate you to tidy and rearrange things some more.

TIDY

Moving furniture gives you an opportunity to clean otherwise neglected areas of the house. Also see if it can be rearranged to create a new look. We are renting our house and there are two enormous brown couches that came with it. I love moving them in different formations and styling the new look. We recently did my daughters bedroom too and she loves the newness of it. It has created a space for her to declutter, and prepare for homework and all of the creative things she likes to do. Otherwise it was stagnant and heavy, almost impossible to clean.

Sometimes I can only manage one room at a time. But I always aim to leave the kitchen clean when I go to bed at night - surfaces all clear, dishwasher on and everything wiped down.

COSY

Although the days are still short, there is a perceptible change towards the light now. Yet lighting candles is a mainstay. Sometimes we have scented ones, or just tea lights on the table, but they give such a beautiful twinkliness to the evenings.

I am particularly fond of Rituals ‘Mehr’ scented candles and home spray for a touch of luxury and a warm aroma. Described as energy from the sun on their website, it is extracted from sweet orange and cedarwood. Perfect for this time of year.

There is not an evening that goes by that we do not sit under blankets in January. Even if the fire is lit, our house is old and cold, and there is something relaxing and calming about snuggling amongst soft cushions and blankets to read or write a book or watch a movie.

To really inspire you, lay a tablecloth on the kitchen table (linen of course!) and buy some fresh flowers to fill a vase. Hyacinths are wonderfully aromatic at this time of year.