With 2019’s winter storms receding into memory and warmer weather ahead (fingers crossed!) it’s the perfect time of year to start thinking about how you could improve your home and garden.
Whether it’s a new paint job for the lounge, a long-awaited extension or providing your garden with some spring TLC, there are all kinds of things that you can make a start on at this time of year. But how do you decide where to start? We’ve put together our top five 2019 home improvement trends to give you a bit of inspiration.
1. Homes and gardens that are kind to the environment
Environmentally friendly home improvement is not a brand new trend, but it’s set to continue in 2019 because of its importance. Almost any home improvement project, outside or in, can have environmental considerations and that’s why we’re not seeing this trend slow down any time soon.
When looking to make your home or garden project environmentally friendly, consider the following three points:
- The sustainability of your materials – are your materials recyclable or coming from recycled sources?
- The distance your materials have travelled – locally manufactured materials require a lot less energy to get to your home.
- The impact on your local environment – consider making your garden a haven for local wildlife, especially birds and insects. Leave wilder areas rather than covering every square inch in patio, lawn and tightly controlled bedding (in fact, wild gardens is another 2019 trend).
2. Creating a “staycation” spot
The ‘staycation’ trend is on the rise as fluctuating exchange rates and Brexit uncertainty make it harder to plan and afford holidays abroad. While we might dream of sunning ourselves on the French Riviera, there’s no reason why you can’t love spending quality time in the UK in your own house and garden.
Any home improvement project should leave you feeling better about your property but getting on board with this 2019 trend means making an effort to turn your home into somewhere holiday-worthy both inside and out.
Buy comfortable garden furniture in which you want to spend time sitting on a long summer evening, invest in beautiful garden plants and consider colours and furniture that will make your interior more relaxing and less stressful. You could even go one step further, picking out a beautiful conservatory from a wide range of Nottingham made conservatories to bring your home and garden together, or opening up your lounge with new patio doors.
3. Multicultural inspiration
While the UK might be pulling away from Europe’s political influence, the opposite is true in home design trends. Multicultural inspiration is bigger than ever in 2019, with the Nordic obsession of the last couple of years continuing alongside colourful tropical themes.
The Nordic look
Modelling your design on Scandinavian homes means emphasising cosiness, warmth and comfortable minimalism. Simple wooden furniture surrounded by cushions, rugs and blankets is perfect. This look can work in any reception room, especially lounges and conservatories.
The tropical look
Going for a tropical look means splashing bright colours, natural patterns and indoor plants around your space. It’s the perfect look for bright, open homes with plenty of light and windows. Greens, blues, yellows and pinks all work well in a tropically-themed design, sitting alongside colourful houseplants and patterns inspired by nature.
4. Bringing nature inside
Following on from the popularity of tropical designs, a broader 2019 home improvement trend is the desire to bring nature inside. The most common method is to increase the number of plants around the house, but conservatories, Nottingham made large windows and natural patterns also help with the overall effect.
This trend also ties in with the environmental friendliness trend and owes something to the rise in awareness of the wellness benefits that houseplants can have. Not only do they make the air around your home cleaner, houseplants also have a calming effect on us and can help us to de-stress. You can get a similar stress release effect from looking out at nature, so cultivating clear views over your garden from inside your house is also desirable.
5. Bold colours inside and out
Finally, 2019 is a year of colour. Design trends in homes and gardens lean on bright, varied colours heavily. Introducing bright colours around your home is the perfect preparation for summer and will improve your mood even on Britain’s gloomier days. Spread large, bright flowering plants around your garden and choose colourful cushions, furniture and drapes to brighten up the inside of your house. As long as your colours don’t clash, you can’t go too far wrong with this approach; it can feed into all the other summer 2019 trends we’ve discussed in this article.
Whatever approach you choose, a home improvement project is your chance to transform your property into a space in which you love to spend time. Why not make 2019 the year that you finally make the changes you’ve been thinking about?
