Welcome, 2021: Time to move forward, but better than ever. And time to make your home the best it can be.
(Because a better home makes a better life)
It's that time of year: time to look forward with optimism and to make changes for the better. And in 2021, your home is where you'll continue to spend the majority of your time, so why not give it the gift of the same aspirations you allow yourself when dreaming up your New Year's resolutions?
I 'm sharing some New Year's Resolutions that will shift for the better the way you approach your home and what you make of it. If you're like many people today, you may have some vacation funds that somehow didn't get used this year, ha, and you're ready to invest those funds into your new favourite vacation destination--your home.
Here are some smart home goals you can adopt for 2021:
Buy Natural Materials For Your Home
You've read it a dozen times, and you've lived it every day for almost a year, you know it's true: your home is more important than ever now.
Even if it's small, it's HUGE, so to speak ; )
You're breathing your home environment in every day, all day, so make it as healthy for your body as you can. I wrote about how bringing nature into your home is also healthy for your mind in this post, so give it a read if you'd like more convincing!
Linen, cotton, wool for upholstery and drapery; wool, jute, sisal or seagrass for carpets; furniture made from real wood. Less chemicals, more nature!
Buy Quality For Your Home
You've heard the expression 'buy once, cry once'. Buy the best quality furniture you can responsibly afford, and you'll have a home filled with beautiful pieces that you'll be enjoying for years and years to come.
'Fast furniture' is cheaper for a reason; you'll likely be needing to replace it in just a few short years, as it starts to sag, wear, or just plain break, and into the landfill it goes. Whatever your budget, quality furniture is accessible to you. Thrifting is a great way to acquire furniture that was created back when things were made to last, as the old-timers (like me) say. In fact, even the most high-end interiors gain from a mix of new and old, whether that 'old' be a priceless antique, a vintage find, or a hand-me-down from your gran. You can read about how to create a timeless decor that will stay beautiful and relevant for years and years in this post.
So invest in yourself, invest in your home, and invest in your planet by buying quality pieces that bring beauty, comfort and peace of mind to your life every day.
Buy Local for Your Home
In the same vein as buying quality, buying local is a great way to be a friend to your community and a friend to the planet. Buying local often means buying from small businesses, and we know how hard the last year has been for many small businesses. Purchasing from small local businesses rather than from commercial giants (you know who I mean) is a great way to make sure those small businesses will still be around after the pandemic dust settles. Plus you get the soul-boosting bonus of knowing that you're helping out someone who lives right in your community.
We're all becoming increasingly aware that changes big and small need to be made to turn back the tide of global warming. Reducing our environmental impact is a priority for many of us, and buying local is a way to reduce the carbon footprint of our home. I bet our consciences even get a little lift from the effort; maybe a bed that hasn't been shipped thousands of miles to reach us will lead to a better night's sleep! And who isn't all for better sleep? : )
Small home decor businesses offer curated collections selected for their beauty and quality, and often feature hand-crafted work by local artists and artisans, made from natural materials. So buying local often means adding 'real' and 'authentic' to your home's vocabulary, connecting you to nature and to your fellow humans.
These resolutions are ones that I'll be using myself in 2021, to inspire me in my own home. Like most of us, I still have pieces left over from earlier stages in my life, when my priorities (and budget!) were a reflection of where I was and what my family's needs were. Now, I'm at a new season in my life: my kids are launched, I have a solid sense of what makes me feel happy, healthy and comfortable in my home, and I feel a growing need to make choices that impact my community and the environment in a positive way.
It thrills me to see that many of my clients feel the same way, and the tenets of natural, local and enduring are ones I keep at the forefront when helping them to recreate their homes!
Wishing you a new year full of new possibilities, new hopes, and a new way of looking at the world,
