We get so used to the stack of mail on the stairs and spare keys on the counter we often don’t realise what an eyesore clutter has become. Taking a photograph “forces us to be more objective” and to see things we normally turn a blind eye to, explains Cousins. She recommends wicker baskets and Kilner jars are attractive storage options for “visual noise”.
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Read MorePattern and bold colours can feel “scary”, says Cousins, but adding one or two accessories – a bright cushion or throw, for example – will transform neutral walls, sofas and carpets: “You might already own them in another room where they’ve been forgotten about.” While “maximalist colour drenching” – painting every surface the same rich colour – is a 2025 trend, she says a more realistic but still opulent vibe can be achieved by adding accessories in a strong complementary colour such as orange, mustard or cherry red, all of which work well with neutrals, to existing décor.
Hang a print in your hallway
“For a big impact, update your hallway – you can afford to be brave because you don’t spend much time there,” says Cousins, who says rich colours such as navy work on hall walls. “You’re limited on light there anyway so might as well make it look cosy.” She suggests hanging a print opposite your front door “so you’ve got something beautiful to look at as soon as you step inside”, and making the most of a triangular space under the stairs with “a kitchen countertop from Ikea attached to the wall to make a wall mounted desk. Rechargeable LED lights are now good enough to provide the light to work there without a power source.”
Use the ‘rule of three’
Odd numbers of accessories are often more visually interesting, says Conlon, with three the minimum number required to make a pattern in the mind, “so group three, six or nine candle sticks, for example, together”. On walls, adds Cousins, “you need something to look at every quarter turn of the head”, so if one wall has a door and another a window, “you need something to hang on the other two walls”. Gallery walls of multiple pictures look best if there is a uniform space of 2cm between each frame, says Cousins: “Cut shapes the same size as your frames from lining paper and Blu Tak them to the walls so you know where to nail the hooks.”
Add lamps to every room
Ceiling lights can be unflattering to faces and furniture. “Try to have two to three lamps in each room, with bulbs no brighter than 100 watts,” says Conlon. “A lamp made with a material shade will give more softness than one made of metal or other hard material.” Strings of fairy lights in different sized glass jars and bottles are another easy way to brighten a room, says interior designer Sarah Burghard: “Place them on a mirror tile to add extra reflection. Keep the battery pack accessible or use solar-powered.”
Pull furniture in from the wall
“For improved flow and functionality, identify a focal point of a room – a fireplace or bay window, for example, and orient your furniture around it,” says Conlon. “Pull sofas away from the wall by about 2ft so you’re not immediately hit by the back of them as you walk into the room. This creates an illusion of space.”
Hang a mirror
Dunelm, Ikea and TK Maxx do “good high-street options”, says Cousins. “The mirror we use most is a circle with a brass frame – there are already a lot of square shapes in houses and curves are relaxing to the eye. Hang it opposite a source of light to bounce the most light around. For most houses and families’ heights, the top of the mirror needs to be around 6ft off the floor.”
Choose art that sparks joy
Forget about famous landmarks and fashionable artists – ask if a picture makes you happy before hanging it. If it’s an image of a favourite location choose lesser-known views, says Cousins, who’s Irish but has pictures of striking Georgian doors in Dublin, for example, rather than the Guiness brewery in her home. “Only go for cliché if it’s ironic or funny – a poster for the Ghostbusters film from your childhood, say.”
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