When you read articles and blog posts about interior design and ways to improve your home, they generally seem to focus on one specific thing: making your home nicer to look at. Now, this is definitely important. After all, you don’t want to live in a home that you don’t find aesthetically pleasing. Otherwise, none of us would ever bother actually decorating. That being said, you don’t actually spend the vast majority of your time looking at your home, you spend most of your time living in it. The issue with focusing exclusively on the way that your home looks can often mean that you’re likely to end up with a home that doesn’t really function the way that it’s supposed to. As wonderful as it is to have a home that you can share pictures of on Instagram, it really is more important to have a home that you can actually enjoy living in on a day-to-day basis. With that in mind, here are just a few simple things that you can do to make your home a more functional, livable space, without having to give up your sense of styles.
Replace your kitchen and bathroom fittings
There’s something wonderfully classic about a kitchen with taps and sinks that look like they could have come straight out of the Victorian era. Of course, as gorgeous as they might be to look at, if they are that old and dated then there’s a good chance that they’re going to come with a fair few problems. Whether it’s leakages, creaking pipes, or any other issues, there comes a time when you might simply be better off checking out these kitchen sinks from Tap Warehouse. Sure, the more modern designs might not have the same charm as older fittings, but at least you can be sure that they’re actually going to work. The same goes for your bathroom. Having a bath that doesn’t leak, vanity basins that save space, or a toilet that actually flushes is often worth giving up the rustic, vintage aesthetic that you might be so fond of.
Make things more energy efficient
While older homes can be extremely charming, one thing that they are definitely not is efficient. In fact, many older properties can be incredibly expensive to run because of the fact that the heating systems are so old and outdated. Sure, it might be nice to have an ancient looking boiler system in your home on an aesthetic level, but is that really worth the extra money that you’re paying every month? The same goes for the windows. Sure, the vintage style might be wonderful to look at, but when older, single glazed windows are letting in huge amounts of cold air in the winter, it’s not going to be nearly as charming. Making your home more energy efficient might sacrifice some of the original features of your home but it’s a great way to save money and make your life a lot more comfortable overall.
Throw out all of the clutter
If you’ve built the design of your home purely on aesthetics, then there’s a pretty good chance that you could be leaving yourself in a position where you simply don’t have enough space to function on a day-to-day basis. This is often because of the sheer amount of clutter that many people collect. Whether it’s decorations, furnishings, or anything else, it’s often worth having a really good examination of it all and deciding whether not a lot of it is actually worth keeping at all. Getting rid of stuff can often be very difficult but it can free up huge amounts of space and make your home far more comfortable to live in, as well as a great deal more functional. We are personally using the Marie Kondo (or KonMari) method at the moment and it is really surprising how much of our home it is decluttering, keep an eye out for our YouTube videos on the subject soon.
It’s pretty likely that at some point you will come up against the reality that you need to choose between something that looks fantastic in your home and something that actually makes it work properly. Now, the decision that you come to is, and always should be, your decision. However, it’s important to think about what your priorities really are. If living in a home that embraces a certain style makes you so happy that you can ignore any issues or inconveniences that might crop up, then that’s great! But if you find yourself constantly cursing at old fittings or lamenting a lack of space, then it might be time to shift your priorities a little bit towards embracing function over form, even if it’s just by a little bit.
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*The is a collaborative post*