“THE BARLEY MOW. WARRINGTON.CHESHIRE.” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by ronsaunders47
News of the campaign to regenerate the oldest part of Warrington is a reminder that however well-loved and charming our surroundings may be, they are always in need of attention.
The planned improvements to the Church Street conservation area is as welcome as it is timely, but for our own domestic spaces, our homes and gardens, the same need to be continually aware of the quiet dilapidation that the passage of time can bring.
No-one would argue that the antique qualities of Church Street should be maintained, but a new coat of paint and a selection of well-chosen dashes of colour – flowers in the summer, Christmas trees in the winter – promise the add that extra touch of something special to an area that for all its historic charm still needs to maintain a thoroughly contemporary appeal.
Style and quality call for non-stop attention
And it is the same at home. Maintaining the style and quality of our homes is a non-stop process. Decoration and furnishing tend to be things we think of as neatly packaged, one-off activities, but the truth is they are both unfolding, long term projects that never really cease. It is the sort of logic that any gardener would recognise; home improvement is not so much an activity as a way of being. It is something that requires a 365 day working year.
That is not to say that it has to be unpleasant work. Shopping for new furnishings, keeping an eye on the latest design trends and finding affordable ways to keep up to date with them can be thoroughly enjoyable in their own right.
“Stylish bookshelf” (CC BY 2.0) by hnnbz
Giving living space a lift
Picking out the sharpest Italian furniture designs is a sure-fire way to give your living space a lift. There is something about the understated chic that Italian designers in particular are able to capture that can transform any room in an instant; check out these at Vivendo.
Mid-summer is hardly the ideal time to be thinking in terms of decorating – it’s too hot (if you’re lucky), there are too many other, much more enjoyable things to be getting on with – but the extra light that summer brings can be cruel. Somehow, it’s easier to hide the odd patch in the paintwork during the gloom of winter. The trick is to draw your guests’ attention with a few smartly-chosen elements.
If carpets, and curtains and a full redecoration are too much of an expense to consider straightaway, then the right picture, a conversation sparking ornament or the right style of tables and chairs can all draw the eye in an appealing manner. And that is just as true of an outside area – a patio or an area of decking – as it is of our internal space. There is nowhere that should be overlooked when it comes to styling up.
Whatever your tastes, there is no substitute for the marriage of elegant design and a splash of colour. And if you get the design element right the colour will take care of itself. And just like the Church lane area it really doesn’t matter whether it’s flowers in the summer, or a brightly lit tree at Christmas.
