Let’s go behind the scenes… (it feels very unusual to share a messy photo!) 

We’ve all seen the jaw dropping gorgeous pictures taken from designers homes that adorn Social Media and Home design magazines. From the totally clear surfaces to individually styled pieces, teamed with perfectly complimenting display items in an atmosphere of ‘calm and serenity’. Sounds amazing doesn’t it?!

It’s great to see the beautiful creativity that forms the roots of these homes and also, we enjoy seeing the before and afters of the design process, however, how attainable is an immaculately styled home, where even a toothbrush on the side makes the whole room look messy?! (One of my pet hates!) But also, do we need the silent pressure of this perfect imagery all the time?

WELCOME to the final blog of this series. In this episode, Claire Parkin and I will be discussing the reality behind the scenes, and sharing real, lived in, hardworking, beautiful family homes.

Whoever would have thought that most of the world would have been made to stay home for almost a year! It has pushed us to our limits, forced us to be flexible and juggle many more aspects of daily life, such as work, schooling, play, rest and home management on a whole new level!

Being completely honest, like many others I am my own worst enemy when it comes to relaxing in my home. Unless my self created ‘to do list’ is done, I just can’t sit still! So with a full house, including kids, pets, a never ending load of washing, toys everywhere and clearing up to do, not to mention the familiar feeling of crushing biscuits underfoot into the Berber living room carpet!! It’s no wonder that I constantly feel shattered! Couple that with a built in pressure to run an organised and beautifully styled home, and run a business as an Interior Designer, which I love, it is almost impossible to keep up.

But, I know I’m not alone in feeling this way, and I’m very grateful that this lockdown has given the opportunity for many of us to re-evaluate. Although we all love to see, and share photos and updates of designed homes…

‘Would you agree that it would be great to see a bit more of the reality in these stories?’

Because for every styled image we see, off camera there is a corner full of mess and chaos hidden from view! 

It’s more motivating to know that we all have beautiful homes, OUR HAVENS, and we can all make the best of them rather than always trying to fulfil the impossible task of keeping up with an immaculate standard of design and lifestyle.

My home Utility room would love to remain immaculate, but in truth, the the calmest moments of the day are ‘5 Minutes’ the washing basket is empty! 

The most important role your home plays, is how it embraces you and your family, and how it makes you feel.

Let’s keep it relaxed!

It is so important to share some daily life reality, and our friends from The Interior Designers Hub all agree. As designers we have teamed up to share our personal, ‘real’ havens with you, to show how life in our homes really is. Also to dismiss the concept that they are perfectly styled all the time. Welcome to some of the team and our very honest photos!

Alessandra Garcia O’Cinnelde – Orsetto Interiors in South west London.

Alessandra shares her sunny morning front room.

Such a lovely feel in this room, the rose gold wall decor bathed in sunlight is so warming, and the sofa looks welcoming and ready to jump on to… without the fear of messing up those cushions!

Alessandra has tied her design together using complimenting accessories packed with colour and pattern, using accessories to complete a scheme is a great way to add flexible style that can be switched around at any time.

Emily has a beautiful home and here we can see the staple of most kitchens… ‘the Island’. The reality of our kitchens is that they are the heart of the home and see most of the activity. The ‘lockdown Island’ says it all.. Schooling, work and a 24/7 diner. This shows a home on the go!

Jade Butcher – Interior Designer and Colour Consultant @ Little Greene Paint

This is Jade’s very elegant and beautiful front room! 

Jade shares with us the importance of the ‘Floor is Lava’ game!! For those who have kids, all home cushions become a huge play centre.

My home is the same, except I’ve lost count of the amount of pompom’s that have been lost in all the fun. 

The pale colour pallet, natural textures and wood finishes in this room create a cosy yet light and calming feel. Also using glass shelves in an alcove allows a seamless flow for display pieces. 

The stunning large Berber carpet is a key feature in this rooms design. It not only provides a soft area for family play, it looks incredible and is a real comfort under foot when relaxing on the couch with a coffee! 

Top tip with any rugs in a front room: Go large and start from under the sofa where possible to create less zones on the floor.

Minnie shares with us her ‘should be’ home office in her bedroom vs the actual lockdown desk and Utility area. This is a great office chair and of course bringing plants into you work space is so healthy for you. Not only do they reduce stress but they are air purifying and add a softening touch! Also, It’s a brilliant idea to use long curtains to conceal white goods of the utility area when a door is not an option. 

Here is her husbands make do work space, making the most of the dining table! 

In so many of our homes the ‘Dining table’ has become the ‘everything table’ and  for everyone in the home. There is flexibility in this room also as the ambient lighting has been raised to better suit the new situation.

My own dining table has used been the same.. What what we do without them?! 

We hope you agree that if feels a lot more relaxed to see some behind the scenes of these homes, and it’s easy to see that our homes are all going through the same process right now! 

We would love to introduce a

Let’s keep it real.. 

INSTAGRAM CHALLENGE 

Share your home reality photos and motivate others by showing how real the daily ‘hub-bub’ is in all our homes.

Post your photo and #therealityofhomes

Follow and tag @opulentboho and @Claireparkininteriors so we can see your reality home and share your story.

Hop over now to Claire Parkin where she will share with you more about ‘keeping it real’ with our interior designer friends who have joined her for this week!